The Balanced Musician: Integrating Mind and Body for Peak Performance

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(as of Dec 29, 2025 08:02:05 UTC – Details)

For musicians to attain the level of peak performance that they know is within their reach, they need to do more than spend time in the practice room. The most accomplished and healthiest musicians lead a balanced and satisfying life in which they place equal emphasis on three areas of musicianship: physical technique (body); analysis and knowledge (mind); and musicianship and creativity (soul). By integrating all of the parts of this triangle, you can learn to communicate creatively and with seeming effortlessness during performance. Organized into four main parts, this book first explores the mind-body connection and then separately discusses the mind, body, and soul of musicians, scholars, performers, and teachers of all voices and instruments.

By delving into research literature in both sport psychology and music, you will learn to use mental rehearsal and imagery away from your instrument and deliberate practice at your instrument. You will also learn such relaxation techniques as meditation, centering, stretching, and deep breathing. Drawing on findings from scientific studies, particularly in the area of sports medicine, McAllister offers practical tools for your practice, performances, and daily routine. By learning these techniques, you will also find enhanced confidence, concentration, endurance, and control over your own music-making.

With terms, questions for reflection, and assignments at the end of each chapter, this book may be used as a textbook for a course or as a supplement to music lessons. Both novice and experienced performers alike will learn ways to meet career demands and reach their full potential. Appendixes at the end of the book contain worksheets, scripts, questionnaires, self-evaluation forms, and journal entries that help you to individualize your work. Every musician who spends countless hours practicing deserves to learn these techniques, which will forever change the way you approach both practice and performance.

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00A74DZWO
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scarecrow Press
Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 21, 2012
Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 8.5 MB
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0810882942
Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #1,525,300 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #420 in Music Theory Exercises #595 in Music Techniques (Kindle Store) #668 in Health Reference
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