Workshops and Courses
Anita is available to present the following workshops and courses as in-person or online offerings.
Workshops can be adapted or re-designed to meet the particular needs and interests of individuals or sponsoring groups.
What Every Pianist Needs to Know About the Body
5 sessions
Upcoming course!
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In this 5-session course, I offer an in-depth introduction to the somatic method of “Body Mapping.” Our body map is our self-representation of our body in our brain. Body Mapping teaches us to move in relation to accurate anatomical information about the body in motion, awaken and enhance self-perception through our tactile and kinesthetic senses, and expand our attention to include our performance space and its contents.
In addition to preventing and resolving performance-related injuries or limitations by correcting any faults in our body maps, musicians will discover how well-coordinated movement increases both ease and control in playing while greatly enhancing and expanding our artistic choices. In the end, our movement and expressive possibilities will be limitless and our playing a continual source of joy, freedom, and renewal.
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The sessions are highly interactive, combining presentation, performance of illustrative excerpts at the piano, and movement activities and explorations by the participants.
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NOTE: This course will be taught in relation to playing the piano. However, the information and movement principles taught can be applied to any performance medium so any musician interested in Body Mapping is welcome to join.
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Sessions:
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The Attentive Musician
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Balance and Weight Delivery in the Human Body
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All About Arms!
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Breathing with Ease at the Piano
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All About Legs!
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Exploring the Virtuous Circle:
The Joyful Process of Marrying Our Movement to the Music We Perform
2 sessions
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In this two-session course, I explore the parallel organization of coordinate movement and musical structure to show how interpretative choices can be translated directly into movement, resulting in a completely embodied performance. In the end, the music itself will be the catalyst for our movement!
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The course is highly interactive, combining lecture-demonstration, performance of illustrative excerpts at the piano, and short movement activities and explorations with participants. The essential principles and approach will be relevant to all musicians as well as performers from other disciplines.
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Sessions:
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Creating the Foundation for Interpretation and Movement
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Marrying Our Movement to the Music
Marrying Our Movement to the Music
4 sessions
This 4-session intensive explores the integration of artistic interpretation and movement. The ultimate goal of the course is to show how the principles that govern coordinate movement actually mirror the organization of the music itself.
Such a comprehensive integration of movement and music calls for a profound paradigm shift in the way we approach music teaching and performance. We need to have a clear understanding of the structure and emotion of the music and then go on a search for the movements that express it. When the music itself becomes the catalyst for our movement, our movement choices will be as complex and nuanced as the music.
The sessions are highly interactive, combining lecture-demonstration, performance of illustrative excerpts at the piano, and movement activities and explorations with the participants.​
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Sessions:
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The Attentive Musician
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The Coordinating Power of the Body's "Core"
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Connecting the Part to the Whole: The Arms
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Translating Musical Structure into Movement: Understanding Music's Multiple Layers
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The Embodied Musician
2 sessions
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These two, linked sessions, explore essential aspects of the process of becoming fully embodied musicians. The path to becoming a fully-embodied performer begins with enhancing our awareness of self in relation to the environment in which we practice and perform.
In Session 1, I will guide you to a condition of expanded and continuously-shifting awareness that allows your music making to be informed by the sensations of your body in movement. In addition, you will gain a clear perception of your instrument and what is needed to play it, an active relationship with any other physical objects in your environment (the floor, chair, or prop), and a clear perception of your performance space and everything else in it (including your audience!).
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Starting with the premise that performing music is a whole-body activity in every moment, Session 2 explores the multiple roles of legs in practice and performance.
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Sessions:
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Turning Up the "Volume" on Our Senses
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All About Legs!
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