Re-examination/ Herkansing MMB Basics (OSB Musicians Health)

This page is to only be used for those students needing a re-examination (herkansing) of the course. If you are taking the course listed in the title, you do not need to use this page. You will have been contacted by the teacher if you need to use this page. Please contact the teacher if you have any questions about whether you need a re-examination or not: criss.taylor@hku.nl

Your re-examination of the course MMB Basics (OSB Musicians Health) consists of a live presentation for the teacher by appointment. The presentation is designed to give you a chance to show that you understand the content of the course in both theoretical and practical terms. That is why the presentation has two aspects:
1. Powerpoint and verbal presentation of theoretical aspects of the course.
2. Live demonstration of practical aspects of the course.
You will need to bring your laptop, your instrument and some sheet music to the presentation. You will have downloaded a decibel reader app on your phone beforehand.
All materials you need to study are included in the online learning section of this website in the Lessons and Lectures (link below in red.)

You will include the following topics, taking your materials from the lessons and lectures posted online. Success in the re-examination lies in clearly demonstrating that you have studied the theoretical subjects, and demonstrate that you can apply them to your study and professional life.

Links to all the lessons and lectures can be found on the Website for the Mind and Body Program HKU. After going to the homepage, you can put your cursor on the heading at the top of the page for Online Lessons, and then you can see all the lessons and lectures listed there in the subheadings.

Each lesson or lecture will take you at least 2 hours to study and work through in an effective way, to include it in your presentation and demonstration. Since it represents a year’s work in a required course, you will need to work for several weeks to complete it. You do not need to fill in the questionnaires at the end of each lesson or lecture. Please do not put any assignments on project campus. Instead, you will present the same material as part of your re-examination power point presentation. You will be expected to create a power point with one page per bullet point listed below, and to give extended verbal explanation. See below also for items that will need to be demonstrated live with and without your instrument.

Topics to be covered:
Lectures
Lecture 1 now called: How to Stay Healthy in Your Profession
• Ten steps in “Body Maintenance for Performing Artists”
• Make an analysis of how you do (or do not) use the ten steps in your life, naming
possible improvements in self-care.
• Give examples of how three of the musicians in the films take care of themselves: “Musicians Speak on Keeping Fit”
Lecture 2: Hearing Loss Prevention
• Types of hearing loss
• Decibels and length of time in relation to hearing loss
• Professional earplugs
• Other tactics to prevent hearing loss
• Your own risk, and your plan to protect your hearing
• DEMONSTRATE: With a downloaded decibel meter app on your phone, demonstrate with your instrument the decibel levels that can lead to hearing loss after: 1 hour, 30 minutes, 15 minutes.
Lecture 3: Mind and Body Teach Each Other
• Body postures and relation to body chemistry (Amy Cuddy Harvard study)
• “Savoring” and its role in music making
• “Why small pleasures are a big deal”
• DEMONSTRATE: Demonstrate some power pose stances and the opposite submissive stances from the Harvard study. Explain the effects of both.
Lecture 4: Stress and Focus
• Fight-Flight-Freeze Response
• Importance of repetition, the sieve and bucket views of the mind
• DEMONSTRATE: Demonstrate the steady breathing focus technique and explain what it is for.

Lessons:
Lesson 1: Proprioception
• Proprioception: definition and senses involved
• DEMONSTRATION: Do the “Unpacking the Musician” warm-up live, explaining the senses that are being used to wake-up the proprioception.
Lesson 2: Posture is Movement
• What does the title mean based on the explanation: “Posture is Movement?”
• Why do your muscles need a warm-up: short and long-lasting fuel
• What sports or warm-ups do you do to keep fit for playing?
Lesson 3: Breaks, Sleep and Imagination
• Role of breaks and sleep in effective learning
• Imagination as practice
• DEMONSTRATE: Live demonstration of Alternating Silence with Sound
Lesson 4: Variation and Mastery
• Types of variation in practice (quote motor-neurologist)
• DEMONSTRATE: Live practice with instrument: demonstrate three variations in how to practice using practice tactics from this lesson.
Lesson 5: the Power to Choose
• What kinds of things can confuse or dull our proprioceptive function? Use examples from the readings to expand on this.
• What are some tactics to re-focus or re-direct oneself to practice effectively? Use examples from the readings to expand on this.
• What are your own tendencies that get in the way of your focus or coordination in practicing, and your own tactics to re-set or re-focus for fine practicing?
• DEMONSTRATE one tendency in practicing that does not help you learn well. Demonstrate an alternative way to practice the same thing that does work well.