Annotated bibliography on musician wellness.

Annotated bibliography on musician wellness. INTRODUCTION Included for each annotation is a brief description of the contentof the resource and the intended audience it is addressed to. Publishinginformation is included. Most books can be bought directly from thepublisher, through amazon.com or can be obtained at a university libraryor inter-library loan service. Books go quickly out of print these days. Selections are chosen that are specifically useful to musicians,even if it does not specifically address the musician. Materials arescreened to include only items that are relevant to specific musicianswith regard to wellness issues. Topics include prevention of medicalproblems, meditation, performance anxiety, performance preparation,healthy practicing techniques, learning theories and, physiological andpsychological issues related to overall musicianship. UPDATE * Horvath, Janet (2009 edition, Spiral Bound) Playing (less) HurtAn Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians. Self Published,orders@playinglesshurt.com ISBN: 978-0-9713735-5-6. Includes DVD. This text is updated in several ways: new sections titled "10Risk Factors for Orchestral Musicians," "Moves for ExtendedSitting," "Frozen Shoulder--a personal story,""Thumb surgical interventions--Val Needham's story,""Focal Dystonia, the latest research--Falk, Fleisher and HoustounCard Miffs story;" "Guidelines for parents, theteacher-student dynamic, lips, fingers, teeth, asthma, instrument size,joint laxity, larynx, jaws and TMJ," "Jazz Pianist'sProblems," and "Several New Photos." An additionalchapter on hearing is included with suggestions for amplified"pops" concerts and protection for jazz and rock musicians.Another new chapter is about instrument modifications and examinessplints, slings, supports, chin rests, straps, harnesses and orthotics.New products for bassoon, saxophone, guitar, flute, piano and violin arealso added. A section titled "Janet's Favorite Stretches"is added to the chapter on practicing and the last part has a new andupdated resource list. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Audience: all musicians MOST RECENT BOOKS * Alba, Lois. (2005) Vocal Rescue: Rediscover the Beauty, Power,and Freedom in Your Singing. William Andrew Publishing. www.williamandrew.com. 209 pp. ISBN: 0-8155-1506-5 The purpose of this book is not only to tell the secrets ofbeautiful singing, but to explain them in a seven-step system thatprovides a clear and healthy approach to singing. The book is dividedinto five parts, and what makes it particularly unique is thepublication of some rare and original vocalizes in the third part. Part One--"The Secrets to Beautiful Singing" examinesAlba's seven steps: breathing, resonance, registers, vowels andtimbre, legato, agility, recitatives and cadenzas. Part Two--"VocalFreedom" is about discovering and training your voice, listening toother singers, applying these vocal principles to popular music and howto release your creativity. This section ends with a correlation of theSeven Principles of the Arts of Leonardo da Vinci to Singing. Part Three--"A Collection of Rare and Original Vocalises"contains vocalizes by Alba, Rosa Ponselle, Giovanni Battista Rubini,Luigi Lablache, Enrico Delle Sedie, Marietta Brambilla, Adelina Patti,Lilli Lehmann and Clara Kathleen Rogers "Clara Doria." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Part Four--"Vocal Types, Singing Roles, and Learning From theBest" reviews the differences between female and male voices. Thefollowing type of female voices are examined: the coloratura soprano,the lyric and lirico spinto sopranos, the dramatic and Wagneriansopranos, the mezzo soprano--lyric and dramatic and the contralto. Thefollowing types of male voices are examined: the leggerio tenor, thecomprimario tenor, the lyric tenor, the spinto tenor, thebaritones--lyric and Verdi and the basso-cantante and bass. Part five--"The Professional Singer" contains threesections: preparing for a role, voice rescue (stage fright and vocalhealth) and a career in singing. Suggested Readings titled "TheSinger's Library" is included at the end. Two accompanyingDVDs of both video and audio aria performances are also included ofdifferent singers. Audience: voice * Anderson, Shelia E. (2005) How to Grow As a Musician: What AllMusicians Must Know to Succeed. Allsworth Press; (212) 777-8395;www.allworth.com. 193 pp. ISBN: 1-58115-416-X Anderson is a jazz musician who hosts programs for radio andtelevision. The book is divided into six parts. Part One--"OnDevelopment as an Artist" has five chapters: "GettingStarted," "Learning One's Craft," "FormalEducation Versus Learning on the Bandstand," "Is There Such aThing as too Much Practice?" and "Survival 101 : from sidemanto leader." Part Two--"On Composing and Recording" has threechapters: "When and How to Record," "The Art of Writing aSong" and "The Empty-Vessel Theory." Part Three--"On Personal Growth" contains four chapters:"Overcoming Success and Failure," "Ego Check,""Self-Assessment" and "What Are You Sure You Don'tKnow)" Part Four--"On Putting on a Performance" has fourchapters: "Preparation for a Performance," The Dos andDon'ts of Performing" and "Learning from Elders." Part Five--"On the Business" contains four chapters:"Contracts: Watch Your Money," "How to Promote andPresent Yourself," "The Importance of a Manager and Getting aJob and Keeping It." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Part Six--"Self-Evaluation: Do You Have What it Takes?"is a 30-question survey that asks readers to evaluate how ready they areto hit center stage in a healthy manner. Bibliography not included. Audience: all musicians * Bickel, Jan E. (2008) Vocal Technique: A physiological Approachfor Voice Class and Studio. Plural Publishing Inc.;info@pluralpublishing.com; www.plural publishing.com. 178 pp. ISBN: 13:978-1-597561907 This text contains nine chapters about the pedagogical aspects ofsinging and what is entailed. The approach is clearly physiological andtechnical. Whether one wishes to prepare for a professional career insinging or simply study voice for personal fulfillment, there issomething in this book for all singers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The text begins with a questionnaire of 21 basic backgroundquestions. Chapter one, "Some Answers to Questions Before We Beginto Learn How to Sing," describes the basics of vocal technique, howlong it might take to become a singer, singing flat, wrong notes, voicecracks, the fear of making mistakes and how to prepare to avoid them.How one gains confidence and how to know what to practice is alsocovered in this chapter. Basic suggestions such as standing at the pianoto vocalize, learning poems and learning the rhythmic pattern andpitches separately at first, before putting it all together arediscussed. Chapter two, "Anatomy of the Singer's Instrument: Designand Function," reviews the spine, the rib cage or thorax, theintercostal muscles, the diaphragm and respiratory muscles; shoulders,neck, head and nasal cavities; the larynx or voice box; the mouth andpharynx cavity, and the tongue, jaw, lips and teeth. Chapter three, "Establishing Correct Posture forSinging," suggests warm-up exercises and describes the correctposture for singing. Exercises for developing proper singing posture aregiven at the end of the chapter with a list of seven items your vocalpractice session should include. Chapter four, "Breath Management for Singers," carefullyexamines three incomplete methods of breathing: clavicular breathing,coastal or rib breathing and diaphragmatic or abdominal breathing. Thepurpose of breathing, where to breathe in an exercise or song, exercisesfor developing breath control are also examined in this chapter. Chapter five, "The Physiology of Vocal Tone Production"is about starting and stopping a tone, proper coordination whendeveloping tone, coordination of attack and release; establishingcertain pitches and producing them as well as changing them. Thischapter ends with a discussion about registration, resonance, voiceclassifications, changes in volume, timbre and tone color. A voiceclassification chart for each vocal category with ranges and examples ofcharacters from opera that best exemplify that particular voice range isincluded. Chapter six, "Articulation for Singers (The InternationalAlphabet)," not only examines articulation and the internationalalphabet but gives explicit and clear alphabet charts. Vowels indifferent languages and special vowels such as nasal, diphthongs andtriphthongs, glides, consonants, legato singing are also reviewed. Chapter seven, "Developing Beautiful Tone Quality, Resonance,and Freedom" is about such things as how to properly resonant atone, how to use natural secondary vibrators that act as resonators(like the special acoustics of a room) to one's full advantage. Howarticulation affects resonance and voice placement and can it be done isalso discussed. Chapter eight, "Health Concerns for Singers," reviewsvocal resources such as The Journal of Voice, The Journal of Singing anda few other useful vocal texts. Environmental factors such as hydration,induced salivation, pollution, nutrition, vitamins, sleep and restrequirements, and how to achieve health maintenance and physicalconditioning are also examined. Allergies, the common cold, premenstrualsyndrome, menopause, pregnancy and vocal misuse and abuse among singersare also reviewed. A table of common medications, "The SingersMedicine Chest," is included where the medication, effects andnotes are given. Chapter nine, "Beyond Vocal Technique--Becoming an ArtisticPerformer" is about the need to study additional vocal technique.Here, the author examines interpretation and singing, rehearsing withthe accompanist, the "nuts and bolts" of a performance(including the dos and don'ts of concert attire), performancespace, stage deportment, relating to the audience, as well as do anddon't lists to read for state preparation. This book is a good pedagogical read for all vocalists. However,the basic intention of the author is for this manual to be forfirst-year undergraduate music students. Selected bibliography isincluded at the end of each chapter. A list of important terms to defineand understand is also at the end of the chapters. Chapters two throughnine contain a section titled "Each Practice Session Should NowInclude" and clear diagrams permeate the book. Bibliographyincluded is at the end of the text. Text ends with three appendices:Appendix I: Musical Terminology for the Voice Student; Appendix II:Music Reading Skills for Beginning Singers/Musicians and Appendix III:Vocal Performance Evaluation. Audience: voice * Malde, Melissa, Mary Jean Allen and Kurt-Alexander Zeller. (2009)What Every Singer Needs to Know About the Body. Plural Publishing Inc.;info@pluralpublishing.com; www.plural publishing.com. 218 pp. ISBN:13:978-1-59756-3246 The basic purpose of this manual is to explain body mapping forvocalists and guide both students and teachers in the process. This textis team written by three singers who are well trained in performance andpedagogy, as well as all being certified Andover Educators. The bookalso contains appendices by well known experts in the field of musicianwellness, Barbara Conable and T. Richard Nichols. It is divided into seven chapters. Chapter one, "Body Mapping,Kinesthesia, and Inclusive Awareness (Allen)," examines the originof body mapping, explains mapping basics, and kinesthetic and inclusive(self-perception) awareness. Chapter two, "The Core of the Body andthe Six Places of Balance (Allen)," reviews how this knowledge willhelp with singing. Skeletal mapping, the six places of balance (A-O point, armstructure, thorax in relationship to lumbar spine, hip joints, knewjoints and ankle joints), and mis-mapping is summarized. Chapter three, "The Singer's Breath (MaNe),"examines the singer within the big picture. The nature of air, bodyframework of breathing, the muscle used in breathing, the lungs, neckand vocal tract, as well as the gathering and lengthening of the spinewhile breathing is discussed. The chapter ends with a section titled"Frequently Asked Questions," where common breathing errorsand breathing imagery are reviewed. Chapter four, "Creating a Singing Sound (Malde)," givesan overview of what physiologically happens while singing. The completelarynx and its function are carefully examined via detailed discussionand diagrams. Strident sounds and intonation are reviewed. Chapter five, "Resonating the Voice (Malde)," summarizesthe vocal tract, balancing the head, the pharynx, soft palate or velum,the jaw or mandible, the lips, cheeks, tongue, and developing goodresonance in the voice. Chapter six, "Singing as Communication: Mapping the Structuresof Articulation (Zeller)," examines mapping articulators: thetongue, jaw, velum or soft plate as articulators as opposed toresonators as was done in chapter five. Hard Palate, teeth and alveolarridge, the lips, vocal folds, and the art of articulation are explained.Other areas in vocal communication are briefly mentioned. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chapter seven, "Physical Expression for Singers(Zeller)," is about the use of the body map as a tool forcharacterization and as an essential attribute of singing. Thedifference between emotions and kinesthesia, positive versus negativemovements and spontaneity are reviewed. Concentration versus attentionand use of the score while performing is also looked at. All the chapters have clear layouts, diagrams, a list of"Frequently Asked Questions" and a conclusion section. List ofreferences included at the end of chapters. Two appendices areincluded." Appendix A: "What to Do about PerformanceAnxiety" by Barbara Conable and "The Scientific Basis of BodyMapping by 77. Richard Nichols." Audience: voice * Paton, John Glenn. (2006) Foundations in Singing: A Guidebook toVocal Technique and Song Interpretation, 8th edition. McGraw HillPublishers; www.mhhe.com. 303 pp. ISBN: 0-07-321275-X The additions to this new edition include an update in a chapterabout your vocal instrument, 12 new songs, some major African-Americanfolk songs and a Mexican song, as well as an accompanying website atwww.mhhe.com/paton8 The textbook itself is a combination of text and song anthology. Itaddresses the needs of beginners, language and pedagogy that includeshealthy singing. There are 12 chapters. Chapter one, "Freedom to Sing,"examines physical freedom, stretching exercises and discomfort. Chaptertwo, "Breath and the Body," reviews singing posture, body andhead alignment, breathing and breath support. Chapter three, "FreeTone," looks at vocal acoustics, tones, vocal folds, resonance andhow we vocalize. Chapter four, "Changing Resonances in YourVoice," is about blending registers, the speaking pitch level,voice types and vibrato. Chapter five, "Preparing a Song,"discusses learning techniques, breathing and words. Chapter six,"Understanding Your Vocal Instrument," carefully examinesvocal health, including vocal overuse, damaged voices, defenses againstcolds and hearing. Chapter seven, "Vowels and Vocal Color,"examines the vowels and vocal color. Chapter eight, "Consonants andClarity," discusses hums, consonants, variable sound and containsspeaking exercises. Chapter nine, "Double and Triple Vowels,"is about diphthongs. Chapter ten, "Performing a Song,"examines different musical styles, poise, confidence and overcomingstage fright. Performance preparation, being onstage, mishaps andperforming while ill are also reviewed. Chapter eleven, "ExtendingYour Voice," looks at ways to develop vocal strength, improvebreath control, agility and range. Chapter twelve, "A Vocabularyfor Music" explains the musical ear. Each chapter contains a shortlist of additional reading. There are two appendices: Notes on the Songsand the International Phonetic Alphabet. A poster keyboard and staff aswell as 2 CDs of accompaniments are also included. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Audience: vocalists * Quilter, Deborah. (2008) The Repetitive Strain Injury RecoveryBook. iUniverse; www.iuniverse.com. 240 pp. ISBN: 978-0-5955-2228-6 This manual is about repetitive strain injury (RSI) and includesinformation about carpal tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, tenosynovitis, andmuscle pain and is written by a certified yoga teacher and Feldenkraispractitioner. There are a total of 13 chapters in this book that are about thedifferent aspects of Repetitive Strain Injury, injuries, healing andprevention. RSI and musicians are discussed throughout the manual. Chapter one, "RSI 101: An Orientation," gives a completeexplanation of the basics of RSI, its magnitude and the typical RSIscenario. Chapter two, "Getting Mobilized: The Action Plan,"is about what to do, what to avoid, how to prioritize the problems andthe six warnings about the recovery process--pain versus no pain and soon. Chapter three, "Injury and Healing," gives a complete viewof the elements of injury and healing. This section examines cumulativetrauma, the interconnection of bodily systems, sedentary behavior, poorposture, proper positioning, improper movements and techniques, stressand so forth. On the healing side, this chapter discusses many aspectsto being on this road including proper movement, rest, circulation,breathing, sleep, diet and pacing oneself. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chapter four, "The Emotional Aspects of RSI," views otherissues that come into place when one faces a repetitive strain injury.Anger, depression, fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, grief and the stepstoward emotional healing are looked at. Chapter five, "MedicalTreatments," gives an overview of the current treatments availableand includes focusing on exercise, a proper exam for diagnosingrepetitive strain injury, drug therapies that are currently available,what to consider about surgery, physical and occupational therapiesalong with rehabilitation and what to do about relapses. Chapter six, "Complementary and Self-Care Treatments,"gives descriptions of acupuncture, acupressure, hypnosis, self-hypnosis,biofeedback, the Alexander Technique, massage, myofascial release,relaxation techniques and how to select an alternative treatment that isbest for you and your injury. Chapter seven, "The Healing Power of Exercise and GoodPosture," is about the body and its relationship to regularexercise and good posture. How to begin an exercise program that worksfor you is discussed. Walking, hiking, swimming and pool aerobics, yogaand physical activities to avoid are explained in this chapter. Chapter eight, "Protecting Your Hands during DailyActivities," is about repetitive movements that can aggravate thehands. Basic hand functions such as eating, sleeping, bathing, cooking,reading and the like are reviewed with taking a look at how to saveone's hands. Chapter nine is titled "RSI and Your Sex Life." Chapterten, "Beyond Ergonomics: Solving Common Work-RelatedProblems," examines returning to work after rehabilitation andhighly recommends frequent breaks as well as pain/risk free typeequipment in the work place. Your legal rights in the work place arealso explained. Chapter eleven, "Proper Technique at Work," reviewsproper computer technique, handwriting techniques, voice activatedsoftware and advice for musicians. Chapter twelve, "Creating your New Career," looks atalternative careers to consider for those who suffer from a repetitivestrain injury and discusses job-hunting strategies, as well as how tosuccessfully plan for an alternative occupation. Chapter thirteen, "Hesitations about the InformationSuperhighway" examines the "technological treadmill," anoverworked society, the social consequences of technology an, ways ofpreventing RSI in the midst of such a way of living. This manual ends with an epilogue about ways to live with RSI afteran injury occurs. The manual ends with a glossary of terms and a sectiontitled "further reading." Audience: all musicians * Radionoff, Sharon L. (2008) The Vocal Instrument. PluralPublishing Inc.; info@pluralpublishing.com; www.plural publishing.com.219 pp. ISBN. 978-1-59756-163-1 The purpose of this book is to help vocalists understand theirinstrument and to learn how to take care of it. The author providespractical information on basic anatomy and physiology; identifiesfactors that can contribute to vocal injury and includes guidelines andsolutions to minimize risks and optimize a healthy voice. There are twoparts to the book: "The Vocal Instrument" and "CommonProblems." Part I contains three chapters: "What is My Instrument and Howis it Put together?" examines the instrument frame and thebody/mind/spirit connection. Chapter two, "How Do I"Play" it?" is about vocal technique, different stylesand characterization, learning new music and learning methods andefficient practice. Chapter three, "How Do I Take Care of It,"provides information about arts medicine centers and how to care for thegeneral body and voice. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Part II contains four chapters: "Private StudioTeachers/Students" is all about the studio setup and giving a voicelesson. Chapter five, titled "Music Educators," discussesclassroom teaching, teaching scenarios for elementary, middle and highschool teaching, choral and instrumental conducting beginning withmiddle school though college level, and different teachingmethodologies. Chapter six, "Choral Conductors/Participators"reviews different choral scenarios from religious settings, professionalchoirs to community outreach programs. Chapter seven,"Performers," examines various performance genres fromclassical music (opera, Operetta, stage and concert settings) tocommercial types of music such as music theater type performancesettings. Each chapter ends with a conclusion, references and suggestedreadings list. The book's layout is neat and clear with coloredpictures and diagrams. Audience: voice * Rush, Mark. (2006) Playing the Violin: An Illustrated Guide.Routledge: Taylor and Francis Group. www.routledge-ny.com orwww.taylorandfrancis.com 100 pp. ISBN. 0-415-97886-6 Rush's intention for this book is to explain the physiologicalsetup for playing and performing on the violin that allows the reader tograsp what healthy violin playing is all about. The author presents itin a systematic way so that each chapter builds upon the last. There area total of eight chapters. Chapter one, "The Elements of Good Posture," is about thebasic shape of the spine, the standing and the sitting positions and thearms. Chapter two, "Holding the Violin," examines the basicguidelines for holding the violin in six easy steps with clear diagramsand explanations. The chapter ends with a discussion on the pros andcons of using a shoulder pad and the use of a chinrest. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chapter three, "The Left Hand and Arm," is aboutestablishing the three points of contact: the neck of the instrumentwill contact the base joint of the index finger; the neck will contactthe thumb right on top of the first joint and, as the fingers arebrought to the string, the completed position is established. Use of thethumb, the wrist, placing the fingers on the string, the left hand andarm when changing strings, the elbow motion and thumb when shifting intothe higher positions, the angle of the fingers through the positions andthe weak pinky are also reviewed. Chapter four, "Holding the Bow," examines theFranco-Belgian bow grip and shows how to establish the basic bow gripwith a pencil. Finger spacing on the bow, the index placement,pronation, the thumb counterpressure, clinging fingers, fingerflexibility, the little finger, feeling balance and weight and, rollingthe bow between the thumb and middle finger are discussed. Chapter five, "Putting Right and Left Together," examinesthe difficulties string players have with putting the right and lefthands together while doing radically different tasks. Home position, thestring plane, drawing a full bow, finding the true tip of the bow, thelateral placement of the violin, the alignment of the bow and thecontact point, posture in relationship to the bow and tension andrelease are all explained. Chapter six, "More on Bowing," reviews earlierdiscussions on the bow grip and the integration of the bow arm and theviolin position, and then takes a closer look at the finer points of bowtechniques. Push and pull, the bow change, using the wrist to changestrings, tone production (including contact point, weight and bowspeed), cutting the string, weight versus pressure, attack and release,increasing the degree of the attack and developing the attack are allexamined. Chapter seven is about vibrato. The wrist versus arm, the thumbhinge, the basic vibrato movement and variations of the speed of it aretaught. Vibrating with the pinky is also mentioned. Chapter eight, "On Practicing," gives good practice roomtips. Selected bibliography is included. Audience: violinists * Smith, John. (2005) Structural Bodywork: An Introduction forStudents and Practitioners. Elsevier Churchill Livingstone;www.elsevierhealth.com. 232 pp. ISBN: 0-443-10010-1 This manual is written by a practitioner who has expertise inRolfing Structural Integration, the Feldenkrais Method and other somaticmodalities. The purpose of Structural Bodywork is to provide anintroduction to the field of structural bodywork. It focuses on issuesof posture and structure and the functional limitations that arise fromthem. The author builds on the theories of Ida Rolf (Rolfing) andFeldenkrais and reviews them in the broader context of massage therapyand other complementary therapies based on a wide variety of bodyworktechniques. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There are three main parts to the text and a total of 20 chapters.Part one looks at the background of structural bodywork, how it hasdeveloped and how it is understood today. Part two, "Our SomaticOrganization," looks at the theory of structural bodywork in moredepth and relates it to human anatomy and clinical presentations. Itdraws together various strands of theory and practice that have not beenconsidered together before but that are all related to structuralbodywork practice. Human maps, the techniques of structural bodywork,structure and function, the connective tissue network, oscillatoryproperties of the fascial network and the muscular system are reviewed. Part three, titled "Practical Manual," is a major part ofthe book and provides a practical guide to structural bodyworktechniques. Some common postural dysfunction and useful models forworking with structure are reviewed; assessment, technique and strategyin structural bodywork and a first approximation to balancing structureis examined. Working in the sagittal, frontal and transverse plans islooked at. Working with the shoulder girdles and with the externalrotation of the leg is also discussed. The manual ends with an appendixon a list of membership organizations that provide Structural andfunctional bodywork training. The text is filled with clear diagrams. Audience: All musicians * Sollier, Pierre. (2005) Listening for Wellness: An Introductionto the Tomatis Method. The Mozart Center Press; www.tomatis.com. 397pp.ISBN: 0-9763639-0-9. The text is about the findings of the late French ear, nose andthroat specialist, Dr. Alfred Tomatis, a pioneer in the field of soundand music therapy. Tomatis argued that poor listening is often thefoundation for many educational or psychological problems. AlthoughTomatis's studies have been successfully applied to severallearning disabilities, his method has helped improve the singing voice,boost creativity and maximize learning, and is a good read for musiciansinterested in sound therapy to acquire better listening skills. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The text is divided into six parts. Part One, "The Sound ofWellness," serves as the introduction to the book where the authordiscusses how he became involved in Tomatis's method and why hewrote this text. Part Two, "A Little Course about our Ears,"explains hearing and listening, the role of our ears, the evolution ofthe ear, how we hear, including the external, middle and inner ear; theair and bone conduction, skin and hearing, the eardrum, the vagus nerveand sense of wellbeing, selectivity and the ear, the auditory radar andthe relationship between the ear, the brain and the nervous system aswell as the vestibule-vision link. The last section is about the ear andthe voice and how they are connected. Lateralization, the leading ear,shifting sides, the dominant ear and the overall body image inrelationship to the ear and our language are examined. A summary of thispart is included at the end. Part Three, "The Listening Ear," reviews autism,dyslexia, listening, attention deficit disorder, the gift of languagesand Tomatis's concept of an ethnic ear in mastering languages. PartFour, "The Listening Test," is about the ideal listening testand how to administer it, the meaning of the air and bone conductioncurses, the three auditory zones, selectivity, specialization,lateralization, personality and the listening test, listening to thebody, symbolic ears and the dialogue between the ears. Part Five, "The Psychological Ear," is about thelistening process from birth to adulthood and how we can realize ourfull potential by developing our listening skills to their fullest. PartSix, "The Spiritual Ear," is about the study of the ear, itsdevelopment and part in the process of humanization--including the body,mind and spirit. The art of listening, letting go, listening posture anddeveloping a listening ear via the Tomatis method are reviewed. In theauthor's conclusion he explains the difference between hearing andlistening. Hearing is a "passive activity" while listeningrequires attention along with commitment. Bibliography included at theend with three appendices on Tomatis's research and others. Much ofthe list of resources has to do with the Tomatis method, his research aswell as others who have researched his work. Audience: all musicians * Wan, Ho ran Agnes. (2008) Physical and Mental Issues in PianoPerformance: The Interrelationships between Physical Tension,Performance Anxiety, and Memorization Strategies. VDM Verlag Dr. Muller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG;info@vdm-verlag.de. 93 pp. ISBN: 978-3-639-03402-8 The purpose of this manual is to provide background information foran advanced pianist on injury prevention, the memory process and thenature of performance anxiety and to show how these issues areinterrelated. There are eight chapters. Chapter one, "Introduction,"defines physical tension, physical injury, performance anxiety andmemory strategies; it explains the purpose of this book and gives a listof definitions to the technical terms used throughout the text. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Chapter two, "Physical Tension Related to Piano Playing,"reviews the general phenomenon of how devastating physical injuries arefor a performing pianist and explains the various causes of physicaltension and injuries. Chapter three, "Anxiety in PianoPerformance," is about the various reasons why we have performanceanxiety while playing the piano. Mental stress and exhaustion areexamined, as well as the fight or flight reaction to performing and howit interferes with mental clarity. Chapter four, "MemoryMechanism," reviews the physical mechanism of memory and thevarious types of memory as related to music learning. Aural, visual andkinesthetic memory is discussed. Chapter five, " Interrelationships between Physical tension,Performance Anxiety, and Memory," are examined. This is the heartof the book. How they influence one another and why they are related isalso discussed. How all three phenomena involve physical mechanisms, howmemory is a mental activity and how physical tension affects the bodyand certain chemicals in the brain are looked at in a comprehensive way.The role of good posture and its affect on this is also explored. Chapter six, "General Solutions to Physical Tension andPerformance Anxiety in Piano Performance," and how they can impactthe quality of a performance is investigated. Current medical andbehavioral treatments, cognitive therapies, alternative training andstrengthening of one's overall physical health, musicalpreparation, hand size as well as other factors are looked at aspossible solutions. Chapter seven, "Memorization Strategies for PianoPerformance," examines successful memory strategies employed bypianists and other musicians who are successful performers. Chapter eight, the Conclusion, is a summary of the manual. Theauthor gives a convincing and well researched account of performanceanxiety and its relationship to physical tension and performing bymemory for all advanced pianists. Bibliography included There are twoappendices: Appendix A: "Definitions of Medical and PsychologicalTerms and Appendix B "Common Physical Injuries for Pianists." Audience: pianists DVD * Muldaur, Maria (2005) Developing Your Vocal and Performing Sty/e.Homespun Tapes; www.homespuntapes.com. 90 minutes. Muldaur is a pop/jazz/blues singer who reveals her secrets on vocalwarm-ups and exercises, how to relax, what to eat before a show, how todevelop your personal vocal style, relating to an audience, stagepresence, confidence and sound checks. A second CD is included titled:Maria Muldaur's Vocal Workout. Audience: Vocalists WEBSITES Anxiety Treatment Center, Ltd. www.anxietycoach.com/social1.htm This is the website of Anxiety Treatment Center, Ltd. whichmaintains several clinics in the Chicago area. The web material iswritten by the Center's Director David A. Carbonell, who holds adoctorate in clinical psychology from DePaul University and is theauthor of Panic Attacks Workbook: A Guided Program for Beating the PanicTrick (Ulysses Press, 2004). Much of the material on this website willbe of value to anyone who suffers from anxiety problems ranging fromsimple performance anxiety to major panic attacks. Based on theprinciples of "cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), the materialemphasizes strategies that individuals can use to manage and controlanxiety when it occurs. The home page opens on a brief article with the reassuring messagethat anxiety disorders are highly treatable and that there is much thesufferer can do to alleviate his or her problems. On the sidebar arelinks for articles and videos that describe the various types ofdisorders and their effects on the body and offer valuable self-helpadvice for each. For the beginning researcher, there is an "at aglance" article explaining the various types of anxiety disordersand their symptoms. The "First Steps to Recovery" article,designed to help readers accept and face up to their problem, emphasizesthe importance of working with a medical doctor to determine the actualtype of anxiety disorder involved, whether it proves to be one thatrequires medication or one that can be resolved with simple self-helpstrategies. Of particular interest to performing artists is the articleon stage fright that describes its causes and symptoms and discusses thecrippling effect this disorder can have. A substantial list of cognitivebehaviors follows that will help stage-fright victims to cope with theiranxieties. Another link leads to a brief video showing how to breathefrom the diaphragm, a technique that will be familiar to singers but mayalso help other performing artists to relax. Finally, there is adirectory of resources--clinics, books and online sites--that willprovide further information. Carbonell also offers telephoneconsultations and his workbook, mentioned above, for more extensiveself-help. This site is an excellent place for anyone suffering from anxietydisorders. Those who experience stage fright uncomplicated by moreserious underlying clinical problems will find a wealth of self-helpmaterial that may enable them to control their anxieties through simplecognitive techniques. Others, whose anxieties are more extensive,involving panic attacks or other devastating anxiety reactions, willfind information that helps to alleviate the fear of seeking help andencourages hope that the problem can in fact be resolved. This site alsomeets all the criteria for a reliable source of medical advice: itclearly identifies the author and author's credentials, indicatesthe date when material as revised or added, and offers contactinformation. This site's creators subscribe to the Honor Code ofthe Health on the Net Foundation. Audience: all musicians David Leisner http://davidleisner.com/index.html The website of David Leisner, guitarist and composer, introducesthe user to Leisner's own personal method of coping with severeperformance related injuries. Leisner draws on his own experience ofsuffering for 12 years with a focal dystonia of the hand beforeresolving the problem himself through work with the large muscles of thearm. For years Leisner pursued various remedies from Eastern and Westernmedical traditions, including the myotherapy techniques that had helpedpianist Leon Fleisher, but nothing helped him, and at least one therapyactually made the condition worse. Eventually Leisner resorted to hisown efforts, based on his awareness of the muscles involved in hisplaying. He discovered that an emphasis on freedom of movement ratherthan economy of movement was crucial to his recovery. By directingstress away from the wrist and fingers through use of the large musclesof the arm, Leisner was able to regain control of his hand and return tonormal playing. One link on this site leads to an extensive interview inwhich Leisner describes in some detail the development of his problemand the way in which he developed techniques that led to his recovery.He notes that anatomical knowledge is the key to a performer'sunderstanding of his or her playing techniques and the injuries that canoccur. Another interview, also linked here, describes how histherapeutic technique evolved out of his initial adaptation to theinjury using only his thumb and index finger to play. Then as he beganto sense how the large upper arm muscles were involved in moving thefingers, he discovered that exercising these muscles led to a release ofthe small muscles in the wrist and fingers. Although not a trainedtherapist, Leisner has been able to help others by teaching them hismethods. For readers who would like more information, there is a link toGuitar Review magazine, which published a feature article on him and hisrecovery in issue number 133, available for purchase at a modest price. Leisner is a remarkably resilient individual with an intuitiveunderstanding of his body. His story should not be interpreted as anendorsement for attempting to solve major medical problems alone, butrather a demonstration of how a musician can become involved in his orher rehabilitation and how an understanding of anatomy may actuallyprevent injuries. Audience: all musicians Sing Wise www.singwise.com Created by vocal technique instructor Karyn O'Connor, thiswebsite offers a number of resources for the singer who is concernedabout voice health and performance longevity. O'Connor believesthat beginning with an understanding of how the voice works can enablethe singer to gain control of the muscles and vocal tract so that soundis produced in a natural and healthy way. Her online article "VocalCoaching or Vocal Technique Instruction?" explains in some detailhow an understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the voice canimprove vocal performance while at the same time minimizing the risk ofdamage and how this method differs significantly from vocal coaching,which provides instruction in such matters as diction, phrasing andposture, along with advice for polishing the performance of specificvocal works. Another detailed article, "Anatomy of the Voice,"explains in clear language how the various vocal structures, from thediaphragm to the vocal cords, work together to produce sound and theintricate working of physical structures in the process of breathing.Another article offers advice on choosing the right songs for theindividual voice, based on such factors as knowledge of one's ownvocal range and individual qualities, as well as the suitability ofmusic and lyrics for the audience. There are also articles withpractical suggestions on preparing for an audition (practice techniques,knowing what to expect, health concerns and so on), on using amicrophone properly, and on good breathing techniques. Anotherinteresting article explains O'Connor's philosophy on theteaching of vibrato, which she believes should be allowed to occurnaturally as part of the singer's use of anatomical features ratherthan approached as a "trick to be learned." Other features ofthis excellent website include a cross- referenced glossary of vocalterms and advice on selecting a voice instructor. The site is easy tonavigate and has content language that anyone familiar with voice studywill be able to recognize. It is a valuable resource that should be ofinterest to teachers of voice as well as advanced vocalists. All pagesare functional (no broken links) and updates appear to be frequent andcurrent. Audience: vocalists The Sound Singing Institute www.soundsinging.com/aboutssi.html This website of The Sound Singing Institute, though somewhatmuddled, offers basic information that will be of interest to vocalistsand their teachers. The Institute is staffed by Sharon L. Radionoff, a"singing voice specialist" and director of the institute,along with her associate, Tracy Satterfield. The institute works withall types of singers, from rock to opera, helping them to improve theirskills and enhance their vocal health through understanding the anatomyand physiology of singing. It is not clear where this clinic is located(somewhere in Texas, apparently). The online resources they offer are agood basic introduction to vocal health and improvement. "About theVoice" is a brief, fully illustrated article showing how sound isproduced, while "The Injured Voice" offers medical photographsand a brief explanation of various vocal conditions. Another shortarticle, "Training," outlines the components of good vocalhealth. The "Care of the Voice" link explains the roles ofmembers of an arts medicine management team. Photographs on the sidebarinclude Robert T. Sataloff, MD of Philadelphia, whose involvement inperforming arts medicine is well known, and several other leadingspecialists located in other cities, though there is no indication oftheir connection, if any, with the institute. Although the Sound SingingInstitute is obviously a reputable voice clinic, much improvement needsto be made in the website, including better location and contactinformation and more information about the staff members'credentials in the field of voice treatment. Even so, the informationoffered here will be useful for those who are just beginning to learnabout vocal health or those who want a quick overview of voice healthissues. Audience: vocalists * The items marked with this symbol can be ordered via the MTNAwebsite through our affiliation with Amazon.com. Go to www.mtna.org andchoose Member Services from the Membership option in the main menu barfor more information. Linda Cockey, Department of Music at Salisbury University inMaryland. She has been teaching a Wellness in Performance class for morethan 10 years now that includes injury prevention for all musicians andactors. She also teaches piano, music history and form and analysis. Sheholds a D.M.A. degree from The Catholic University of America.