I. Body Alignment: Developing the KINESTHETIC SENSE

A. Six Points of Alignment

1. Skull on top of Spine
2. Lombard
3. Pelvis
4. Knees
5. Ankles
6. Shoulders

1. Pelvis/Sacrum
2. Ribs
3. Arm Pits
4. Shoulder Blades
5. Collar bones
6. Base of Skull/Back of Neck
7. Gathering and Expansion of Spine

A. For relaxation

1. Three Part Breathing: Belly, Ribs, Collar
2. Three diaphragms and their functions
3. Finding the Natural Breath

1. Finger Breath
2. BREATH BUILDER
3. BREATHING BAG

BREATHING CLINIC FOR WOODWINDS, BRASS & VOICE

This unique workshop will help to develop a higher awareness of the breathing mechanism and its function during movement, all in an effort to maintain freedom and flexibility during performance. Specialized breathing techniques will be discussed and demonstrated in a workshop that can be created to suite your needs, from 60 minutes to 6 hours, depending upon the detail desired and the number of participants.

Ideal for performers, instructors, students, amateurs and professionals alike, this workshop is even for non-musicians who want to explore new ways to be present in the body and relax! An affordable workshop can be fashioned for a church choir, wind or brass section of an ensemble or to a small chamber ensemble. For individual and specific needs materials can be presented in private instruction as well. Workshops have been presented at Old Dominion University (Virginia), College of William and Mary (Virginia), Bay Youth Orchestra (Virginia), Diller-Quaille Music School (New York), Moravian College (Pennsylvania), American Institute of Medical Studies, Virginia Art Song Society (Virginia) and The United States Fleet Band, to name a few.

This clinic will look at breathing in a way that has never been looked at before. Heighten your awareness and develop your image of the inner self through the creation of a body map based on yoga and the Alexander Technique. Maximize your breathing through better alignment. Feel each breath in newer and expanded ways. Learn how a finger breath can immediately open the breathing mechanism to get through those long phrases as well as increase your range and dynamic control. Enjoy new devices to help see your breath and more closely study your own breathing patterns.

Inexpensive seminar materials may be purchased for instruction. Two books by Barbara Conable help assist the amateur or professional performer in creating a better awareness of their breathing: Structures and Movement of Breathing ($8), a clear and easy-to use resource that specifically maps the detailed breathing mechanism from the mouth, through the spine to the diaphragm; and What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body ($23), an Alexander-based picture book with an uncomplicated view of how the body functions through movement . Other tools employed in the workshop are the BREATH BUILDER ($15), a cylindrical apparatus enclosing a ball used to visually study the movements and exchanges of air, and a BREATHING BAG ($25), an expandable device utilized to visually regulate air flow as well as control articulations. Both the Breath Builder and Breathing Bag come with detailed instructions for use. Individual materials may be bought separately or a complete package of materials may be purchased online or at a workshop for $65. See the order page for more details.

Contact George Corbett at GeoOboe@aol.com or 757.627.9931 for more information about setting up a workshop for your institution.