This is a description of the paper for MMB Basics, a module of Professional development, for first year students.
In class assignments you have worked with:
• Explanations about how we function as musicians: the interaction between music, mind and body.
• Warm-ups for musicians designed to increase your proprioceptive awareness of where you are and how you move.
• Practice tactics were used to apply what you learned to your daily practice and to widen the range of tools available to you in your work.
• Tendencies and Tactics: We discussed the tendencies we have that get in the way of our focus and coordination, and tactics for improving our efficiency and comfort.
Now you will write a paper about your experiences during the series of lessons.
This paper will show how you have understood and worked with the class materials, what insights you have had on the way you work, and your plans for future self-care and development. We also ask you questions about your experiences of the weekly live classes and the lecture/seminars. In addition, we would like to know about the challenges you face in your music making and studies.
The paper should be about 3-4 pages to be handed in via Project Campus. On Project Campus, in the section “MMB Criss,” submit a pdf or doc paper only please. Please be careful to put your name first in the title, and then “Personal Plan MMB Basics.” The paper title will be:
“YOUR WHOLE NAME Personal Plan MMB Basics”
About this paper:
This is an experiential paper, which means that it is based on what you, yourself, experienced when carrying out the class work. The paper has seven sections. You can use the questions below to get started writing each section. There are many open questions to help you, but you can write freely, focusing on what is most important to you, and you can add any ideas that occur to you that we have not mentioned.
You may find that you need to repeat some warm-ups or practice tactics to remind yourself in order to write the paper, or re-visit the class page for the info and links. The paper should reflect your active participation in the lessons. There are no wrong answers.
1. Explanations and demonstrations:
Which explanations contained new information for you? Which in class experiments and discussions did you find interesting? What did you learn about how musicians navigate and coordinate in order to play or sing? Which things stuck with you, things you want to remember?
2. Warm-ups:
Include a summary of your experiences in doing the class warm-ups: Lie Down, Unpacking the Musician, Spinal Spiral, and Space to Breathe Stretch and others. Did you notice anything before during and after doing them? Tell which ones you tried yourself the most often, how many times and over which period of time. As you became more experienced in doing them yourself, how did that change it for you? Did the warm-ups affect your practice, concentration, mood or sense of your body or the space? Do you have any warm-ups that you do yourself? Which warm-ups do you think you would like to continue to do? What is the purpose of such a warm-up for a musician?
3. Practice Tactics:
In class you played or sang twice, and saw others play and work. During these sessions, we tried various practice tactics. You were assigned some for yourself alone, which you worked on for a few weeks.
Please now write which tactics you were assigned to try, and what happened in your playing or singing. What did you find out that you did not know? How did it change your approach to practicing? What did you see in class when others were playing? What do you want to remember to continue with?
4. My tendencies and tactics:
We talked often in class about what can get in the way of clear thinking and action, in other words, what disturbs or clouds your perceptions and steering (proprioception), your concentration, coordination and stamina. Please give a couple of examples of your own tendencies that get in the way and tactics you have thought of to start going in the right direction. You can use these examples of Tendencies and Tactics to get you going.
5. Class:
We are interested in your experience in this live weekly class. What was fun to do, and what was hard? What did you miss, and what did you like? How did you experience the live classes, warm-ups, topics discussed, and the playing and singing, etc? Were the tips clear and useful? Do you think 7-8 weeks is too short, too long, or just right to learn the material? How could we help students in future to do the course in a fruitful way for them? What could you have done to improve your own participation in the course?
6. Lecture/Seminars:
As part of this module, lecture/seminars were given this fall on Tuesday evenings about once a month. First, which lectures did you (already) attend? Did you find these lectures useful? What did you learn that you did not know? What did you take with you that you think can help you in your life or studies? What do they add that is not presented in the weekly classes? Do you think these lectures are a valuable part of the module. Please explain your answers.
7. Challenges: We are interested in what challenges you face in making music and studying. Do you have any discomforts, pains or injuries this year? Did you have any playing injuries in the past? Do you have any stress issues, playing tensions or stage fright? Did any of the material covered in this course get you started in finding solutions to these challenges? What did you discover that you think can help you to do your best, and to be comfortable doing it? Do you plan to take more courses, lessons or projects like this during your study here at school? If so, which ones? (see list on this page: https://studentportal.hku.nl/schools/utrechts-conservatorium/music,-mind-and-body/)