Music, Mind and Body Program
Focusing and coordinating your talent:
What you can do at the HKU
To discuss the best options for you: Contact criss.taylor@hku.nl
The Music, Mind and Body Program at the HKU translates expert knowledge from different fields into practical tips for your life and work as musicians. You can take elective courses and private lessons, attend projects, and try the online learning package. First year students receive a required course to begin their studies.
The goals of the program are:
-improve performance and increase stamina in practicing
-minimise stress and maintain your energy
-observe yourself more clearly to steer your music making
-increase efficiency and creativity in study
-focus and coordinate yourself at a higher level
Website
You can read more about the program, and try exercises or readings online via this website:
musicianshealth.hku.nl (no www’s!)
Music Mind and Body Basics required first year course:
This course is part of the required curriculum for first year bachelors students. It is given under the heading of “Professional Development.” Each student is scheduled to attend a live course of 8 weeks some time during the school year, and also completes one online assignment each month. For more information see: MMB Basics, and subheadings.
Elective Courses (Keuzevakken)
You can sign up for these courses before the given semester begins.
- The courses are:
• MMB Bachelors Seminar & MMB Masters Seminar
• “What your instrument asks of you” elective per instrument group
MMB Bachelors Seminar and MMB Masters Seminar
MMB Masters Seminar: 16 weeks, ; MMB Bachelors Seminar: 8 weeks, Elective courses
These courses center on the musicians’ daily work with their instrument or voice, exploring how they can best achieve their technical and musical goals.
This is a small group course with time for individual attention and includes work with the Alexander Technique and focusing techniques assisted by a performance psychologist. Some individual work with an Alexander Technique teacher is given at times outside of class.
-
“What your instrument asks of you”
There are three separate versions of this elective course, each covers the mental and physical challenges of a certain instrument group or voice.
8 week courses, scheduled throughout the school year.
Each course covers a different aspect:
• Breath and Poise (voice, winds and brass)
• Strings (violin, viola, cello, contrabass),
• Strike and Pluck (keyboard instruments, drums, percussion, guitar, carrillon, harp, etc.)
Project Musician in Balance
This project is a good way to either get started or to deepen your work in the Music Mind and Body program. Our intensive project takes place yearly in one of the project weeks, usually in January.
There is a daily program with anatomy and warm-up, master class, and private lessons in the Alexander Technique. You can sign up for this project later in the fall.
Private lessons
You can take private lessons in the Alexander Technique in two different ways:
• SECOND SUBJECT (BIJVAK) for Masters students. Sign up for these lessons on Osiris at the beginning of the school year.
• SIGN-UP yourself independently: Bachelors and Masters: The lessons are available at a discount price for all HKU students. Financial assistance is available from the Richardholfonds. These lessons are given by teachers of the Utrecht Alexander Technique Institute for Musicians. Please contact criss.taylor@hku.nl for more information on lessons and funding.
Ergonomics: Trouble with chin rest, shoulder rest, support strap, thumb support? Make an appointment for an office hour to find out about advice, measuring for custom equipment, and 3D printing options for chin rests. Our library has a collection of straps and support systems for many instruments. You can ask the librarian Simeon Bodden, or contact criss.taylor@hku.nl.
Prevention of Hearing Loss:
75% of professional musicians develop some type of hearing loss. That is why we offer discount musicians earplugs, measured to you during the school year at school. You will receive a message when these earplugs measurements occur via an e-mail. Want to know more? See the Hearing Loss Prevention Lecture online of Dr. Jan de Laat, LUMC. see link below to the online learning page.
Online Learning
To enhance the live learning, we use online lessons, expert lectures, films and audio materials. You will come across these in courses, or you can use them for self-study. You can find out all about these on the page Online Learning.