Achievements

Global live on social networks About music injuries and the solutions of the Meusemasel method for it

These meetings were held live through Instagram in 2020. During many meetings with professional musicians and elders of scientific-artistic schools around the world, the representative of Musemusl talked about research solutions to deal with physical-mental injuries in music. The professional degrees of each of the interviewees have been prepared in the statistical community section of the Musemuscell method. Watch part of Professor Schumacher’s live lecture in this series of sessions.

Professor Tess-Rémy Schumacher’s opinion about myomuscle and the health of musicians
http://m.aparat.com/v/tKdbh

Aparat – video sharing service (http://m.aparat.com/v/tKdbh)
Professor Tess-Rémy Schumacher’s opinion about myomuscle and the health of musicians

ABOUT ARIEL:

Ariel Weiss has maintained a lively private practice in Philadelphia since certifying to teach in 1988. She is a teaching member of Alexander Technique International and teaches with an innovative and practical approach in the style of her mentor Master Teacher Marjorie Barstow. An inveterate mover, Ariel earned her Master’s degree in Movement and Dance from Wesleyan University and moves to music whenever possible.
In addition to her private practice, Ariel coaches musicians at The Curtis Institute of Music and trains teachers at the Philadelphia School for the Alexander Technique. She teaches weekly classes for skaters at The Philadelphia Skating Club and for seniors through Friends in the City and at Crosslands and White Horse Village retirement communities, serves as faculty for the Well Balanced Pianist, and coproduces the Freedom to Make Music Alexander Technique conference for musicians annually in NYC (www.freedomtomakemusic.com). She has created numerous Alexander workshops for different communities regionally and internationally, including Threshold Choir, the Santa Fe Opera, and Alexander Alliance/Tokyo and Aru Quality Pro training programs in Japan.
Active as a dancer and choreographer for most of her life, Ariel brings well over 40 years of movement training to her practice with an extensive background in Modern Dance, Ballet, Contact Improvisation, T’ai Chi, Pilates, Ideokinesis, Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff Fundamentals, and more recently West Coast Swing. She has developed an expertise working with performing artists, bringing her choreographer’s creative and playful sensibility to problem-solving, her performer’s sensitivity to the many demands of a performing artist on and off stage, and a keen eye and sensitive ear to deciphering the subtle interferences in a student’s coordination.
Active as a presenter, Ariel has presented annually for World Voice Day and Endoscopy Airways Course at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and has presented at Grand Rounds at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, at the Freedom to Act conference, the 2105 ATI Annual General Meeting and will be presenting at the upcoming 11th International Congress of Alexander Technique. Seeking to further enhance the local Alexander community, Ariel also helped launch and is a founding member of Alexander Technique Teachers of Greater Philadelphia.

www.alexandertechniquephiladelphia.com

ABOUT FRANCESCA:

Francesca Leo is a cutting edge flutist, entrepreneur, and educator. She has given solo and chamber performances internationally in Italy and France and has performed as a soloist with the New Albany Symphony Orchestra and the Manhattan School of Music Chamber Sinfonia. A Michigan native, she has won top prizes in many competitions including the Manhattan School of Music Eisenberg-Fried Concerto Competition, the Central Ohio Flute Association Young Artist and Collegiate Division Competitions, the Lima Symphony Young Artist Concerto Competition, the New Albany Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition, the MTNA Solo Division Competition and the Puerto Rico Flute Symposium Young Artist Competition. A fierce advocate of contemporary music, Francesca has appeared as a soloist at the Society for Composers International (SCI) and the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) Conferences, where her performance won a recording spot on the 2018 Music From SEAMUS, vol. 27 CD. She is the flutist and a founding member of the Quintilia Ensemble, a quintet committed to pushing the boundaries of contemporary chamber music. Francesca has participated in the premieres of many new works in solo, chamber, orchestral and operatic settings, including the Mid-American premiere of Kaija Saariaho’s opera Émilie. She is currently working with a variety of composers to premiere new repertoire for solo flute. As an orchestral musician, Francesca has performed under the baton of renowned conductors such as Roderick Cox, George Manahan, and Leonard Slatkin. She specializes in performing arts health and is the founder of www.playingwithoutpain.com, an award-winning interactive web resource designed to provide collegiate music students with information to treat and prevent performance-based injury. She has presented her research at various institutions across the United States including the Manhattan School of Music, West Virginia University, Ohio Northern University, and the Puerto Rico Flute Symposium as a Lecturer in Performing Arts Health. Francesca currently serves as a board member on the National Flute Association Performance Health Care Committee and is the Program Coordinator and Social Media Assistant for the Art of Practicing Institute. She holds teaching positions at Flute Specialists, Inc. and the Fortissimo Academy of Music. Francesca holds a masters degree in Classical Flute Performance from the Manhattan School of Music as a former Joseph F. McCrindle scholarship recipient and a bachelors degree in Music Performance and Entrepreneurship from Bowling Green State University. Francesca’s primary teachers and mentors include Linda Chesis, Conor Nelson, and Jeffrey Zook.

www.francescaleoflute.com

www.playingwithoutpain.com

ABOUT AUSTIN:

Austin Pancner is the CEO and founder of The Functional Musician, an online health and wellness business that helps classical musicians holistically perform without pain for the rest of their lives. Austin holds several health and wellness certifications in personal training, corrective exercise, and nutrition. As a musician, he is the process of completing a Doctor of Music in trombone at Indiana University.

www.thefunctionalmusician.com/

ABOUT EDDY:

Eddy Malave is an active freelance violist based in New York City. A native of Long Island, he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Viola Performance from The Juilliard School, where he studied under acclaimed violist William Lincer and received the Willaim Gluck fellowship. His past instructors have also included Irene Stitt, Patinka Kopec, and Margaret Pardee. Mr. Malave’s work as a freelancer has carried him around the world performing in prestigious concert halls throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, the South Pacific, and the America’s. He’s performed alongside a diverse array of artists, some of who include Sir Elton John, Patti LuPone, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, and Dmitri Rostropovich and has also collaborated with various artists such as DJ Victor Calderone, composer, producer A.R.Rahman, and others. In New York City, Mr. Malave is a sought after performer who plays in a variety of ensembles. In the past, he’s performed with the Se Jong Soloists and currently plays with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the New York City Ballet, ABT, the New York City Opera, the New York Oratorio Society and the Grace Church Choral Society. He also performs in a number of Broadway shows. In addition to his work as a freelancer, Mr. Malave is an AmSAT- certified teacher of the Alexander Technique. He has presented the technique in countries around the world, including Austria, Italy, Jordan, Singapore, Argentina, Canada, and at institutions in the United States such as The Juilliard School and at New York University. He Teaches privately in New York City. Mr. Malave is also a certified teacher in the Suzuki Method for both the Violin and Viola. In addition to his private teaching studio, he’s a faculty member at both New York City’s Third Street Music Settlement and New York University’s Department of Music and Performing Arts in the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.

www.eddymalave.com

ABOUT ILIAN:

Ilian Iliev is hailed as one of the leading clarinetists of our generation, earning worldwide acclaim for his renowned performances across Bulgaria and the United States. “True greatness is rare. Mr. Iliev possesses it abundantly.” — Jens Nygaard, Conductor, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players A clarinetist in high demand, he has worked with some of the most reputable musicians in the industry and performed in prestigious ensembles including the Florida Grand Opera (as Principal Clarinetist), Symphony in C (formerly Haddonfield Symphony Orchestra, as Principal), Jupiter Symphony, and The Lyric Orchestra of New York (as Principal). Ilian was born to a musical family in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, playing the clarinet from a young age under the tutelage of his father, Nikola Iliev, one of the most acclaimed folk clarinetists in the country. Following his studies in the Music School of Plovdiv, he earned his Bachelor of Music from the National Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria. He continued his studies in the United States, attaining a Master of Music from the Mannes College of Music and the highly-coveted Professional Studies qualification from The Juilliard School in New York. In 2001, Ilian was granted a permanent residency in the US as “an outstanding artist of extraordinary ability”. In addition to his classical repertoire, Ilian is also known for his performances of Eastern European music, combining modal improvisations with jazz swing, “crooked” rhythms, plummeting key changes, and ecstatic speed. Over the last decade, Ilian has continued to develop the “Cat Tongue” method, an innovative ‘whole tongue’ approach to articulation and the total mechanics of playing the clarinet. His instructional methods are recognized by the Mannes College of Music (New York), Curtis Institute of Music (Philadelphia, PA), and the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Russia). “Ilian is an excellent clarinetist with outstanding technique and a beautifully expressive musicality. Because of the high regard in which his fellow musicians hold him, he is in constant demand as a performer. He has my highest respect.” — Charles Neidich, World-Renowned Clarinet Soloist Notable Appearances Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie Hall, New York Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Centre, New York Merkin Concert Hall, New York Troy Music Hall, Albany New York Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago The Capitol Hill, Washington, DC Tsentralynыy Home Uchёnыh, Moscow Guest soloist, AIDS Benefit Concert, The Lyric Orchestra of New York Notable Collaborations Frederica von Stade / Herbie Mann / Kurt Masur / James Levine / Ives Abel / Alan Gilbert / Daniel Hege / Ruth Laredo / Theodosii Spassov / Paul Haas / Rosen Milanov / Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra / The Haddonfield Symphony Orchestra (NJ) / Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players (NY) / LARK Quartet (NY) / San Antonio Symphony (TX) / Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (AK) / Florida Grand Opera (FL) (First Clarinetist, 2012-2014) Professional Achievements Artists International (Winner) Golden Fund Award for Ljubomir Pipkov’s Clarinet Concerto for Radio Hanover (Nomination) International Foundation “Cyril and Methodius” (Scholarship) Radio Chamber Music Competition, Sofia-Salzburg (First Prize Winner) National Competition for Instrumentalists and Singers, Bulgaria (First Prize Winner) Artist International Competition (Winner) Education Master of Music, College of Performing Arts, The New School University, New York Professional Studies, The Juilliard School, New York Bachelor of Music, National Music Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria Representation Albert Kay Associates, Impresario International (USA) Selmer (Paris) Conn-Selmer (USA)

ilianiliev.com

ABOUT SABA:

Saba Yousefi is an Iranian-Canadian Violinist with a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Solo Violin Performance from the University of Toronto. Saba started her Orff training at the age of four and began Violin studies at the age of seven in Iran-Tehran. Saba has participated in several competitions and was the receivers of the first prize in Iran’s classical music competition for both solo and chamber performances. Saba is also a member of the UofT pedagogy school and over the last few years has continued to research new methods for professional musicians to overcome physical injuries, and develop innovative methods for professional musicians’ mental health. Saba is a member of the Ontario Philharmonic and has performed both as solo and chamber musician around Canada, the middle east, and China.

Musician rushes to help the musicians

Healing crisis

If you are in pain while you are playing or in your rest time, no matter they are severe or not, you have to stop right there and seek treatment!

The marathon rehearsals that musicians pride themselves on, have great potential to hurt them and the research reveals that overtraining actually decreases performance! These pains usually occur due to lack of knowledge about our body and the way we push ourselves too hard for every small activity we do. Since we are used to these unnecessary forces we consider them totally customary but actually they are not! For instance, we all have experienced uneven shoulders while playing or typing but we do not care about it because we are not aware of the importance of these alignments to our body. We have talked about the origins of these chronic pains before, but in this article we are going through the first step of their remedies according to Muse Muscle’s approach. The first thing we recommend in this condition is a rest time that includes relaxation, sufficient rest, rich diet, not playing or even thinking about it, and let go of the debilitating conditions. The rehabilitation time differs from person to person and during it you will be given a recommendation list with detailed descriptions to follow. During the rest time you may experience healing crisis in the form of pain, tingle, burning sensation, itching, numbness, etc. which continues until the injured parts reach their normal condition according to body’s instinctive understanding.

But what is healing crisis?
According to “UNDERSTANDING THE HEALING CRISIS” article by Ginger Chalford, “the body has an inherent desire for perfect health. We have the ability to earn our way back to that state, no matter how “normal” or bad our health is now. But in the meantime, the body must go through an elimination process to achieve good health. The elimination process is often referred to as the “healing crisis.” Once the healing crisis starts, reactions may be mild or severe. Expect ups and downs as it takes a while to get good health back. In a healing crisis, every body system works together to eliminate waste products and set the stage for regeneration. Old tissues are replaced with new.
Symptoms of the healing crisis may at first be identical to the disease it is meant to heal. But there is an important difference: elimination. A cleansing, purifying process is underway and stored wastes are in a free-flowing state. The body, mind, and spirit are no longer “locked.” Sometimes pain and symptoms during the healing crisis are more intense than that of the chronic disease, but it is temporary and necessary.

The healing crisis will usually bring about past conditions and personal issues. People often forget the diseases, issues, or injuries they have had in the past, but are usually reminded during the healing crisis so that they can heal their unfinished business. This arises in whatever order the body is capable of handling at that time.
One crisis is not always enough for a complete cure. The person in a chronic “locked” disease state will often have to go through cycles of healing crises, with each one improving the condition some. It has taken time to develop a chronically diseased state, and time is required to let go of the “locked” energy, piece by piece. A healing crisis is like peeling the layers off an onion.”
More Details on Healing Crisis can be found at Ginger Chalford’s article accessible below:
https://upwardquest.com/blogs/information/understanding-the-healing-crisis
The more severe the pains are, the longer the healing crisis would take, and meanwhile some people may experience inability in their hands but it is not worrying because in Muse Muscle class you will be thought physical re-education and gain more power with the right kinesthetic sense. Please note that until your final physical stability, you need to take care of your hands and not do hand-intense activities because you do not want to experience re-injury.

In Muse Muscle the healing crisis usually occurs in three phases (based on your pains and injuries) as following: Phase one is the time your pain is not severe and has not involved many muscles groups, so the healing crisis symptoms would finish completely in your rest time. Phase two is when you have more serious injuries and your muscles, nerves, and tendons are involved, in this case the healing crisis symptoms still remain after the rest time, but do not worry it will finish up to session 10th of your Muse Muscle class. Phase three is after your physical re-education, at that time the final healing crisis happens in the deepest contracted muscles and the body reach its normal conditions which is vulnerable and needs close attention. Some people may experience pain after phase three and they may confuse it with another healing crisis, to prevent this confusion we have categorized these pains into three groups. The first ones usually happen when body alarms malnutrition and insufficient rest. The second ones happen in the mind rather than in the body because the elimination process has not been completed in the mind and therefor whenever we get angry the healed parts become painful again. The last ones happen due to our auditory memory, whenever we play the piece that we have experienced the most pain in, we feel exactly the same and it usually takes a lot of time before getting back to normal!

Inventions

Muse Muscle Special Tools

In Muse Muscle, we have designed plenty of specific tools that are unique to this method and are used for different purposes. Through years of serious trial-and-error, we have shaped and improved the accuracy and practicality of these tools to make them as efficient as possible for the Muse Muscle teachers and students in the learning process.

Muse Muscle’s special desk

This is an adjustable height desk with a textured surface of 60×40 cm to fit the hands and forearms, and prevent fingers from slipping.

Weights

These special weights differ in shape and heaviness, and help the performer to relieve the tension, find the energy lines, and straighten the related muscles. They fall into two main categories: 1. Ball-shaped Weights (5gr) that are used for concentration on a specific sensory point 2. Almond-shaped weights (7, 15, 20, 30 gr) that are used for inculcation of the energy lines

Special tapes

These medical tapes have been designed for omitting the wrong strain places and introducing the energy lines in the body. They have different width and length which help the Muse Muscle teacher to use them according to performers needs.