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ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Noa Kageyama
Performance psychologist Noa Kageyama is on the faculty of The Juilliard School and the Cleveland Institute of Music. Formerly a conservatory-trained violinist with degrees from Oberlin and Juilliard before completing a Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Indiana University, Noa specializes in teaching musicians how to utilize sport psychology principles and demonstrate their full abilities under pressure.
Noa’s work has appeared in media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, NBC News, CNN, Slate, WNYC radio, Strings Magazine, Musical America, and Lifehacker. He maintains a coaching practice, teaches hundreds of musicians, educators, and learners through his live online courses every year, and authors The Bulletproof Musician blog and podcast, which reaches over 45,000 subscribers every week.
Material/Website/Links
https://bulletproofmusician.com/
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Jason Shafer
Jason Shafer joined the Colorado Symphony as the Principal Clarinetist in 2013. Jason teaches graduate and undergraduate clarinet majors at University of Northern Colorado in the School of Music, and is on the faculty at the International Festival-Institute at Round Top in Texas. Jason has appeared in guest principal roles with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony; he is also Principal Clarinet at the Sun Valley Music Festival. Jason has performed in Thailand, Austria, Estonia, and Russia. He has been fascinated by performance psychology for his entire career, and recently completed his Master’s degree in Performance Psychology. Jason works with musician clients, both individuals and groups, to help them work through issues related to performance anxiety, confidence, and more. Jason completed a master’s degree in Performance Psychology, and is currently in the process of earning the Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) designation through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP).
Material/Website/Links
Jason’s website – https://www.crescendopc.com/
Noa Kageyama’s website – https://bulletproofmusician.com/
Christine Carter’s website – https://christine-carter.com/
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Shannon Kiewitt
How Fitness Supports Music
Shannon Kiewitt joined “The President’s Own” United States Marine Band in January 2011. She was appointed to the bass clarinet section in March 2017. Kiewitt began her musical training on the clarinet at age 10. Shannon attended Indiana University in Bloomington, earning a bachelor’s degree in music performance in 1999 and a master’s in music performance in 2001. Her instructors include Howard Klug and Alfred Prinz of Indiana University.
Before joining “The President’s Own,” Gunnery Sgt. Kiewitt was a United States Army Field Band member in Fort Meade, Md., and the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band in Fort Monroe, Va. She also performed at the 1999 Belgian Clarinet Academy in Ostend, Belgium, attended the International Orchestra Institute Attergau in Upper Austria in 2000, and was a semi-finalist in the 2003 International Clarinet Association Young Artist Competition.
Shannon joined the ICA H&W committee in early 2023. She is also a master trainer, which includes a certified fitness trainer, a specialist in fitness and nutrition, a behavior modification coach, an exercise therapy specialist, a weight management specialist, a strength and conditioning coach, a youth fitness trainer, a glut specialist, and is currently working on being certified as a yoga fundamentalist.
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Season Cowley
The ICA Health and Wellness committee’s current podcast episode features Season Cowley on their experience with an invisible illness as a musician.
Dr. Season Cowley currently serves as the instructor of clarinet at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, instructor of woodwinds at Hastings College, and principal clarinet with the Hastings Symphony Orchestra. Cowley currently serves on the International Clarinet Association’s Health and Wellness Committee and is a member of the Artistic Leadership Team for ClarinetFest® 2025. She has been invited to perform at the International Clarinet Association’s ClarinetFest® conferences and New Music Weekend, the College Music Society regional and national conferences, and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors national conferences as a soloist and with the PPP (Pianississimo) Trio. An advocate of music by living composers, Cowley has commissioned and premiered works by composers such as Eric Mandat and Krista Vázquez-Connelly. Recent awards as a soloist include the First Prize for the 2023 Charleston International 20th Century Music Competition and the Third Prize for the 2021 Charleston International Contemporary Music Competition.
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Sheri L. Rolf
Head and Neck Alignment for Instrument Playing
Sheri is sometimes called “Doctor Doctor” because she has an MD and a DMA. As a board-certified otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon with a DMA in clarinet performance, she brings a unique perspective to the health and wellness of the clarinetist. Sheri has performed as a soloist with the University of Louisville Orchestra, the Sewanee Festival Orchestra, the Winds of Montana, and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra. She has given both performances and presentations at several ClarinetFests®, as well as at regional clarinet and single-reed events. Currently, Dr. Rolf plays in the Great Falls Symphony and is an Artist Member of the Yellowstone Chamber Players. Her publications have appeared in medical, veterinary, and lay journals.
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Cindy Bartz
Cindy began playing the clarinet in 1968 and earned a Music Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point School of Music in 1983.
Her yoga journey started in 2004 to heal her body from a biking accident. After years of 0practicing yoga and playing the clarinet, Cindy realized yoga not only healed her body but also made her a stronger clarinet player.
Yoga breath techniques increased her lung capacity and gave her better breath control. Her performance anxiety became less of an issue, and her yoga practice helped her as a musician to stay focused. Cindy discovered that specific yoga poses released tension, created better posture, agility, and finger dexterity.
Cindy performs frequently at yoga studios as well as assisted living facilities combining lyrical Clarinet music with yoga poses to heal the mind, body and spirit. She is also a member of several music groups within the Tampa Bay area.
ICA Clarinet Cast – Interview with John Henes
Alexander Technique
John Henes is a musician, a performer and a master teacher. He has taught the Alexander Technique both privately and in workshops for more than 35 years, and he is certified by the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique. His positions include teaching the Alexander Technique at the Bienen School of Music, Northwestern University, and the Steans Music Institute, Ravinia. John has also had an extensive career in trumpet performance, most recently as a member of the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra. John has taught the Alexander Technique extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe, and is available for clinics, master classes, workplace seminars, occupational workshops and private teaching.
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Summit Musicians
Stephanie Zelnick and Lauren Jacobson
Summit Musicians was founded in 2022 by Stephanie Zelnick, Professor of Clarinet at the University of Kansas and Lauren Jacobson, Professor of Clarinet at the University of Northern Colorado. Created to bring awareness to musician health, women in music, and the connection to the landscapes around us, Summit Musicians started a concert series on top of the highest peaks in Colorado. They soon caught the attention of local media and were featured twice on 9 News Denver and approached by Colorado Public Radio to air their future work.
Material/Website/Links
Stephanie Zelnick – https://www.stephaniezelnick.com/bio
Lauren Jacobson – https://www.laurenjacobsonmusic.com/
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Kensley Behel and Meghan Taylor
5 Ways to Implement Health in the Clarinet Studio
Kensley Behel is a musician, researcher, and consultant who specializes in musicians’ health. After waiting years for diagnoses and treatment for Stress Velopharyngeal Insufficiency (that pesty nasal air leak you may have encountered), she became interested in pursuing musicians’ health full-time. Dr. Behel received her Ph.D. in performing arts health from the University of North Texas as well as degrees in clarinet performance from FSU and the University of Michigan.
As a musician-researcher, Meghan Taylor is passionate about helping music educators include health and wellness concepts in their teaching environment. She currently works at Colorado State University as the Athletic Band Support Specialist and presents musician’s health clinics for students.
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Erin Finkelstein
Somatic Movement
Erin Finkelstein helps people transform their limitations into opportunities to move, think and perform easier with more joy, through somatically informed movement. She is a classically trained musician and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner with over 20 years of professional experience performing clarinet. She is a member of the Carmel Bach Festival in California, Urban Nocturnes, an ensemble in residence at Trinity Cathedral in Downtown Phoenix, and can be heard regularly with Arizona Opera and the Phoenix Symphony. She has been on faculty at the University of the Pacific, California State University, and Glendale and Phoenix Community Colleges.
In her private practice in downtown Phoenix and online worldwide, Erin has helped hundreds of people from all professions, ages, and walks of life, to learn how to move with more ease and perform pain-free. She has weekly Awareness Through Movement classes and courses online and has an upcoming Jaw Course online from November 14-19th. She will start a class just for musicians in January 2023.
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Shawn Copeland
Alexander Technique
Shawn L. Copeland, D.M.A., combines performance, pedagogy, and entrepreneurship as he navigates today’s dynamic music industry. He is an Associate Professor with the Lionel Hampton School of Music, where he also teaches Alexander Technique and Entrepreneurship. There he performs with the Northwest Wind Quintet and the Hammers & Reeds Trio, both resident LHSOM ensembles. He is currently the Co-Director of the Stetson University Clarinet Clinic and a resident Alexander Technique teacher for the Eastern Music Festival. He has played with the Washington/Idaho Symphony, Greensboro Symphony, Winston Salem Symphony, North Carolina Symphony, and the Orlando Philharmonic. He has held management positions with Walt Disney Entertainment, Inc., and the Greensboro Opera Company. Shawn is a performing artist for Buffet Crampon, Gonzalez Reeds, and Silverstein Works. He is co-author of “Embodied Mapping for Clarinetists” and “Breathing for Clarinetists,” both of which are set to be published later this year.
ICA ClarinetCast – Timothy Bonenfant
This episode of ICA Health and Wellness Committee’s ClarinetCast features Timothy Bonenfant, ICA Texas State Chair. Dr. Timothy Bonenfant is an Associate Professor of Clarinet and Saxophone at Angelo State University where he also teaches Survey of Rock and Roll. He is a member of The Mesquite Trio and The Batik Quartet.
He is a former member of the Nevada Symphony Orchestra and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. He has also worked with the Houston Symphony Orchestra, the Abilene Philharmonic, the San Angelo Symphony Orchestra, the Boise Symphony Orchestra, the Nevada Opera Theater, and with various musical groups on the Las Vegas Strip. His professional experience also includes playing with such notable performers as Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Andrea Bocelli, Charlotte Church, Theodore Bikel, John Duykers, Marvin Hamlisch, Tommy Tune, Dudley Moore, David Foster, Sandi Patty, Rip Taylor, the Village People, and the Moody Blues.
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Jackie McIlwain
Body Mapping
ICA Health and Wellness podcast interview will feature Jackie McIlwain as the current president of the Association for Body Mapping Educators, formerly known as Andover Educators. Jackie is a clarinet professor at the University of Southern Mississippi. She talks about how body mapping has helped thousands of professionals overcome pain from misuse, prevent injury, and come back to the arena of performing. She also answers the following questions for us: What is somatic education? Why do we need it? How does body mapping help us performers prevent and overcome challenges?
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Dr. Robert Markison
Repetitive Strain Injuries and Treatments for the Hand
This episode features an interview with Dr. Robert E. Markison on repetitive strain injuries of the hand. Dr. Markison is a fellowship-trained hand surgeon with nearly 40 years of experience and is a Clinical Professor of Surgery at the University of California San Francisco, a Faculty Member of the San Francisco Orthopedic Residency Program, and a Lifetime Member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. A board-certified hand surgeon in San Francisco who has now given more than 100 patients relief from carpal tunnel syndrome with carpal tunnel release (CTR) using the SX-One MicroKnife® and ultrasound guidance. Co-founder of the UCSF Health Program for Performing Artists (1984) Dr. Markison is also a professional musician, artist, and craftsman specializing in the care of creative hands. He performs, records, and composes music on reeds, brass, strings, piano, electronic, and a variety of other instruments.
ICA ClarinetCast – Interview with Kathryne Pirtle
SI Joint Dysfunction
This episode features an interview with Kathryne Pirtle, where she shares her journey back to healthy living and performing with a focus on the untapped topic of SI (sacroiliac) joint dysfunction.
Kathryne Pirtle is the clarinetist of The Orion Ensemble and has performed with the Lyric Opera, Ravinia Festival, Chicago Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony, Grant Park, Lake Forest, and Elgin Symphonies. Her solo recordings include Telemann’s Twelve Fantasias transcribed for Clarinet and Works for Unaccompanied Clarinet, The Music of J. S. Bach (Rubank). She has written a book on nutrition using traditional foods: Performance Without Pain (New Trends, 2006), and an e-book: Acid Reflux—A National Epidemic and Precursor to Chronic Illness—Achieving Lasting Healing with Traditional Foods (2009).
SOT practitioner list links:
https://sorsi.com/
https://soto-usa.com/
ICA Health and Wellness Committee Book Talk – 1/25/25
Join the ICA’s Health and Wellness Committee’s Quarterly Book Talk scheduled for Saturday, January 25rd at 2pm EST.
This will be a live, engaging discussion with author Dr. Amy Dunker about her book, “Meditations For Musicians”.
You can purchase a copy of the book at: https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Musicians-Dr-Amy-Dunker/dp/1699906378
Invite your friends and register today!
The Book Talk will give you insights about how meditation can help musicians with performance anxiety, give personal introspection, increase focus, creativity and courage in the moments of self-doubt.
This event will be recorded and shared on YouTube for those who are unable to attend.
When: Saturday, January 25, 2025 at 2p EST
ICA Health and Wellness Committee Webinar – 12/1/24
Join members of the ICA Health and Wellness Committee and special guest Jason Shafer for a webinar on performance anxiety.
Conquering Performance Anxiety
with
Jason Shafer
Principal Clarinet, Colorado Symphony
MA in Performance Psychology
Founder, Crescendo Performance Consulting
https://www.crescendopc.com/
ICA Health and Wellness Committee Halloween 5k
October 25-27, 2024
The Health & Wellness Committee looks forward to educating, supporting and encouraging you during the month of October in anticipation of the Halloween 5k! What type of exercise have you been participating in to get moving towards the ICA Halloween 5K this month?
Scientists have found that regular participation in aerobic exercise has been shown to decrease overall levels of tension, elevate and stabilize mood, improve sleep, and improve self-esteem. Even a small amount of aerobic exercise can begin to stimulate anti-anxiety effects. If walking, jogging or running has been your choice, try to notice the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, the rhythm of your breathing, or the feeling of the wind on your skin. By adding this mindfulness element, really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise, you may be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head. In what unique ways have you noticed your choice of movement has lowered your anxiety levels?
Make sure to get your Halloween 5K Race Socks designed by Larkin Sanders (The Clever Clarinetist), post your 5k training photos on your social accounts and tag us (@icaclarinet), and join in the fun! #clarinet #icaclarinet #icahalloween5k #WeAreICA
ICA Health and Wellness Committee Book Talk – 9/30/24
You are invited to join the ICA’s Health and Wellness Committee’s inaugural book talk! Join us for an engaging discussion with Jackie McIlwain and Shawn Copeland about their book Body Mapping for Clarinetists: New Frontiers in Clarinet Teaching.
Purchase your copy now and invite your friends and fellow clarinetists to join the conversations online. The book can be purchased here:
https://giamusic.com/resource/body-mapping-for-the-clarinetist-book-10807
Stay tuned for updates on future books and dates for the Health and Wellness Committee’s quarterly book talks.
ICA Health and Wellness Committee ClarinetFest 2024
Performance Anxiety Roundtable Discussion – 8/3/24
Join members of the ICA’s Health and Wellness Committee for a Roundtable discussion on Performance Anxiety.
This panel took place during ClarinetFest® 2024 in Dublin, Ireland.
ICA Health and Wellness Committee Webinar – 3/23/24
Roundtable Discussion on Performance Anxiety
The ICA Health & Wellness Committee hosted a candid discussion on performance anxiety whether in our playing, teaching, or our musical communities.
ICA Health and Wellness Committee
Halloween 5K – 2023
Join the ICA Health and Wellness Committee and other ICA members in participating in the 2023 Halloween 5K! This is our third year holding this event, and we hope to have even more clarinetists join in the fun!
Will you be participating in the Halloween 5k with others?? Multiple studies, such as the one below, suggest that group-based physical activity protects against depression. – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.
The findings in this study suggest that “belonging to groups that engage in physical activity can protect against depression, and point to the value of initiatives that aim to promote people’s engagement in such groups.”
We all know that keeping active is important for both our mental and physical health, but sometimes it can be really hard to keep up the motivation when we go at it alone. Exercising with other people has so many fantastic benefits such as helping us stay motivated, energized and protecting against depression. Connecting with others can lift our spirits, and socializing WHILE doing moderate exercise releases those feel-good hormones, endorphins, at the same time! Therefore, Exercise can not only lift your mood, but also help you feel less stressed and better able to deal with daily challenges more clearly.
ICA Health and Wellness Committee Panel Discussion – 1/30/21
ICA Plays On! 2021
A Panel Discussion about the initiatives of the ICA Health and Wellness Committee