ad agio ('at ease') is a workshop series aimed at musicians to help you play and perform in a more relaxed and comfortable way, both physically and mentally. Experts in musician wellbeing will lead workshops in topics such as performance anxiety, breathing anatomy and techniques, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais, injury prevention and treatment, mindfulness and nutrition.
These workshops are for all musicians aged 18+, of all levels and genres. They are aimed at all players and singers who want to play with more ease, avoid injury, feel more confident and enjoy their playing more. They will help you explore a variety of approaches to find ways which work for you. The events are relaxed and supportive with plenty of time to ask questions and try out techniques. Read about our previous workshops.
These workshops are for all musicians aged 18+, of all levels and genres. They are aimed at all players and singers who want to play with more ease, avoid injury, feel more confident and enjoy their playing more. They will help you explore a variety of approaches to find ways which work for you. The events are relaxed and supportive with plenty of time to ask questions and try out techniques. Read about our previous workshops.
ad agio workshops weekend: POSTPONED - watch this space for new dates in the autumn
This weekend is designed as a virtual space for you to focus on your wellbeing - starting the days with a gentle stretch/ warm-up and meditation, we will then explore different ways to bring more ease to your music-making, physically and mentally. Each day features a pair of two-hour workshops, with tutors bringing their expertise in Feldenkrais, breathing techniques, Tai Chi and resilience training. We will end each day with a physical wind down session and a short guided meditation to help you relax after all that screen time and absorb all the information you've taken in.
Tickets are available for the whole weekend, a full day, or for the individual workshops marked with *
The event will not be recorded as we've found that the live, interactive experience works best!
Saturday 21st August
9.30am-9.55am Welcome and guided meditation
10am-10.30am 'Limber Up' with Missie Frank, Off the Rails dance studio
*10.45am-12.45pm Feldenkrais for Musicians with Dianne Hancock, The Mindful Body
lunch break
*2pm-4pm Functional breathwork with Xenia Pestova Bennett
4.15pm-4.45pm Wind down with Missie Frank
4.45-5pm guided meditation to end the day
Sunday 22nd August
9.30am-9.55am Welcome and guided meditation
10am-10.30am 'Limber Up' with Missie Frank
*10.45am-12.45pm Tai Chi for Musicians with Jashan Daniel
lunch break
*2pm-4pm Building Your Resilience with Carmel Cardona, Stitch Your Parachute
4.14pm-4.45pm Wind down with Missie Frank
4.45-5pm guided meditation to end the day
Tickets are available for the whole weekend, a full day, or for the individual workshops marked with *
The event will not be recorded as we've found that the live, interactive experience works best!
Saturday 21st August
9.30am-9.55am Welcome and guided meditation
10am-10.30am 'Limber Up' with Missie Frank, Off the Rails dance studio
*10.45am-12.45pm Feldenkrais for Musicians with Dianne Hancock, The Mindful Body
lunch break
*2pm-4pm Functional breathwork with Xenia Pestova Bennett
4.15pm-4.45pm Wind down with Missie Frank
4.45-5pm guided meditation to end the day
Sunday 22nd August
9.30am-9.55am Welcome and guided meditation
10am-10.30am 'Limber Up' with Missie Frank
*10.45am-12.45pm Tai Chi for Musicians with Jashan Daniel
lunch break
*2pm-4pm Building Your Resilience with Carmel Cardona, Stitch Your Parachute
4.14pm-4.45pm Wind down with Missie Frank
4.45-5pm guided meditation to end the day
Dianne Hancock of 'The Mindful Body' is a qualified teacher of the Feldenkrais Method and of yoga, and teaches classes, workshops and individual sessions in and around the Sheffield area. She also travels to colleges and universities to teach specialist modules for dancers, actors and musicians. The Feldenkrais Method was developed by Dr Moshe Feldenkrais (1904-1984) who was an expert in physics, engineering and judo: he developed his approach to movement awareness by drawing on these three disciplines from science and the study of human movement. It uses gentle movements to awaken your awareness of how you use your body.
This workshop is suitable for those new to the method and those with some experience - if you joined our previous workshop with Dianne, this will act as a great refresher and teach you some new insights too. Dianne will guide us through a session tailored to the needs of musicians and the movements involved in playing/ singing, practising and performing.
This workshop is suitable for those new to the method and those with some experience - if you joined our previous workshop with Dianne, this will act as a great refresher and teach you some new insights too. Dianne will guide us through a session tailored to the needs of musicians and the movements involved in playing/ singing, practising and performing.
Image Credit: © Rachel McCarthy
Dr Xenia Pestova Bennett is a professional pianist, certified yoga instructor and performance coach with expertise in wellbeing for musicians drawn from her first-hand experience of performing. She delivers individual and group sessions on yoga and breathwork and anxiety management, specialising in performance anxiety. As musicians, we rarely really stop to think about how we breathe unless we are singers or players of woodwind / brass instruments. However, even those of us who are trained in maximum breath efficiency during performance are still not as likely to question our breathing patterns at rest and while going through our daily lives. Whether you are performing at professional level or enjoy music-making in your spare time, the way you breathe in other contexts of your life has a profound impact on your stamina, performance efficiency, concentration, anxiety levels and general baseline health - this workshop will help us think about and practice better ways of breathing.
Jashan Daniel runs 'Tai Chi for Musicians'. He has been practicing Tai Chi with one of the world's foremost practitioners and teachers of authentic Tai Chi since 2008. It is his belief that many of the chronic issues suffered by musicians due to long hours of playing, are exacerbated by underlying patterns of holding and tension in the body. Through the practice of Tai Chi, you can first discover, and then unlearn these unconscious holding patterns in your musculature and fascia. Through this process, you can release your body from its self created prison, and from this newly discovered space of relaxation and poise, open up your full potential as a musician. Long hours of practice and performance can be stressful and exhausting for both the body and mind. As a mindfulness practice, Tai Chi can help harmonize the nervous system, bringing a sense of centred and alert calm.
Carmel Cardona runs 'Stitch Your Parachute', delivering training and coaching in resilience, leadership, and professional wellbeing.
This workshop gives participants a foundational understanding of the key elements of neuroscience, post-traumatic growth and positive psychology which underpin resilience, and will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on your own resiliency. Carmel works with the whole person, and will encourage you to think about how your personal, professional and musical lives interact in relation to resiliency. Using her framework of the Five Pillars of Resilience, Carmel will equip you with plenty of practical strategies to build your own strength, adaptability and growth, bringing many benefits to your musical journey.
This workshop gives participants a foundational understanding of the key elements of neuroscience, post-traumatic growth and positive psychology which underpin resilience, and will provide you with the opportunity to reflect on your own resiliency. Carmel works with the whole person, and will encourage you to think about how your personal, professional and musical lives interact in relation to resiliency. Using her framework of the Five Pillars of Resilience, Carmel will equip you with plenty of practical strategies to build your own strength, adaptability and growth, bringing many benefits to your musical journey.
Missie Frank from Off The Rails Dance Studio will be leading our daily warm-up and wind-down sessions. Off The Rails is based near Clapham Junction in London and offers dance, fitness and yoga classes and workshops. During 2020, they launched a comprehensive online programme including wonderful morning 'Limber up' sessions and evening stretch classes, which gently wake up and wind down the body whilst thoughtfully supporting mental wellbeing too. Director Missie has a degree in music/ musical theatre and lots of experience of live performance in theatres.
Each day will be book-ended with short guided meditations, kindly provided by The Happy Flutist, to get us 'in the zone' and end on a peaceful note (musical pun intended).
Weekend ticket £120
Day ticket £65
Single workshop ticket £35
Discounted prices are available for musicians on a low income via our bursary fund - if you would like to apply for this, please email [email protected] with a brief description of your circumstances before booking. If you would like to donate to the bursary fund, you can do this when you book your place, or email [email protected] to arrange a donation.
If you have any queries about the weekend, please get in touch with Rachel at [email protected] - we look forward to seeing you (virtually) in August!
Each day will be book-ended with short guided meditations, kindly provided by The Happy Flutist, to get us 'in the zone' and end on a peaceful note (musical pun intended).
Weekend ticket £120
Day ticket £65
Single workshop ticket £35
Discounted prices are available for musicians on a low income via our bursary fund - if you would like to apply for this, please email [email protected] with a brief description of your circumstances before booking. If you would like to donate to the bursary fund, you can do this when you book your place, or email [email protected] to arrange a donation.
If you have any queries about the weekend, please get in touch with Rachel at [email protected] - we look forward to seeing you (virtually) in August!
