Holistic Practice at NFA this Friday!

I will be presenting a workshop on "Holistic Practice" at the National Flute Association's convention in Las Vegas. If you're a flutist and will be attending the event, it will be at 8 AM, Friday, August 10 in Octavius 22 at Caesar's Palace.

Why did I choose this topic?

The content of my blog sums up my thoughts about practicing in this way. From my posts about Body Mapping, inclusive awareness, to performance psychology and practice strategies, this presentation has been in the making for several years.

I have found a way of practicing that works for me, which encompasses all my interests and all that I study and want to learn more about. Practicing my flute is a vehicle for me to make discoveries. When I returned from my hiatus in 2009, I noticed such ease with other players but I didn't feel that ease in myself. Emulating that ease without really knowing the internal processes that occur for that ease to happen led to injury in my case.

Holistic practice is about using time effectively, while also providing strategies to explore movement with various modalities, all of which I've written about at some point on this blog. More than anything else though, the presentation is really grounded in Alexander Technique and Body Mapping. I will provide a somatics overview, and my goal with this presentation is to plant the seed of curiosity in others who may not know about these valuable tools, or maybe they do know but don't know how to integrate these things into their practice time.

In addition to presenting, I'll also be volunteering my time to help out with the Piccolo Artist Competition. I'm really looking forward to hearing some great piccolo playing. I'm hoping it'll inspire me to return home and resume a consistent piccolo practice routine. I will also be helping out on Thursday and Friday at the Flute Pro Shop booth (Booth 227).

I look forward to connecting with old friends, teachers and colleagues while also tweeting up with several great musicians and meeting new people.

See you in Vegas!