Body, Mind, Spirit
Body, Mind, Spirit
I’ve been feeling like I lack something unique to contribute artistically for the last year or so, and while many of my projects just scream of individuality, I haven’t found them to be as fulfilling as I would have liked. With my aim of 2021 being a pursuit of holistic musicianship, I jumped at the chance to attend a workshop based on just that. Little did I know that the Body, Mind, Spirit Workshop would completely change not only the way I approach music making and music preparation but all of my other creative endeavors as well.
The Body, Mind, Spirit Workshop is led by Jeremy Wilson and Karen Cubides—two titans of the music industry—and the attendees at the session last week ranged from undergraduates to full-time professors and players in major orchestras. We tackled concepts of personal wellness, emotional intelligence, the neuroscience of learning, methods to improve focus, why morning and evening routines are so important, why research is essential to elite performance, and how shortcomings in our playing are often a result of interference in bodily relaxation, mental focus, or spiritual engagement.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the workshop was listening to the panel discussions in the afternoon. It was great to hear long-form discussion from a number of people about what brought them to the workshop, where we want to see the music industry going, and significant moments that informed their musical career as well as a number of other topics. Given the political events in the US last week, I can’t think of a place I would have rather been than with this group of amazing folks. The openness and shared vulnerability of that community—even though we had only been around each other for 3 days—definitely helped me process last week in a healthy way, and I cannot express how grateful I am for that.
Over the course of the workshop, I realized that I have lost sight of why I decided to pursue a musical career. I have come to understand that part of the reason I’m not where I want to be is because I have neurologically wired fear and aggression into my playing. I have no intention of leaving, but my musical journey will be taking a much different turn. My daily practice will be restructured into a more wholesome and holistic approach, and while my long term goals of becoming a complete musician, fostering an insatiable desire for learning and growth, building an authentic connection with others, creating and performing interesting new works, and advocating for and participating in the expansion of our art form will not change, the purpose of my journey will now be to find out why those goals are so important to me.
The Body, Mind, Spirit Workshop was immense, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Relax the Body, Focus the Mind, Engage the Spirit!