The Mindful Musician - Vancouver Piano Sessions

"The Mindful Musician"

integrating the skills of mindfulness into the artistic process

Mindfulness classes tailored specifically to: Emerging Artists, Adult Sessions, VPS Faculty and Teachers, Parents and People who love Musicians

There is a certain disconnect plaguing almost everyone nowadays. Our body is doing one thing while your brain is miles away. Our body moves through the motions of life, but our head is off somewhere else. A lack of mindfulness can deprive us of a deep connection to our music and the most meaningful experiences it brings to our lives. Not being grounded in the moment, instead allowing our thoughts to skip from place to place, is an open invitation for stress and unpleasant emotions to permeate our work and our lives. As artists, we cannot afford this absentmindedness.

Enter mindfulness. Generally defined as turning our attention inward and maintaining awareness and attention to our thoughts, bodily sensations, and environment, the benefits of a consistent mindfulness practice are vast and far reaching. For centuries, it has been widely accepted that the implementation of simple mindfulness skills into our daily lives helps to lower stress, reduce anxiety, increase our creativity and capacity to savor positive experiences, promote more focused concentration, and so much more. Establishing a regular mindfulness practice engenders alignment with the body, heart, and mind connection, that when intertwined with the euphonious richness of music, cultivates a more meaningful and rewarding experience as an artist.

Other ways to explore how pianists can apply mindfulness:
– To reduce stress
– To increase concentration
– To improve technique – To reduce the impact of negative thoughts on practicing
– To reduce performance anxiety
– To enhance musical creativity
– To better convey the emotional content of music

Daily Morning Gatherings:

– Introduction of simple mindfulness skills
– Exercises that promote relaxation and an alert mind
– Setting an intention for the day ahead

Mindfulness Classes for Students

– Our classes are designed to create conditions for self-discovery through self-inquiry in a most supportive and safe atmosphere.
– Mind, body, and present moment experiences such as conscious dialogue, body awareness activities, and the practice of simple mindfulness skills as vehicles for transformational learning.
– Recognition of becoming choosers and deciders, understanding there is freedom in how we can relate to ourselves and others by being more mindful of our thoughts, behaviors, and actions.
– An invitation to be present – not perfect – by embracing our humanness with loving-kindness towards ourselves and others.

Mindfulness Classes for Parents, Teachers, and Performers

– Introduction of mindfulness skills to reduce stress and improve the quality of your life.
– A safe space to temporarily shift your attention away from your child or student and focus on cultivating your own sense of well-being.
– Using the skills of mindfulness as a means of engaging with your child or student in a more meaningful and beneficial way.

Our Mindfulness Sessions facilitators

Terri Hagar Scherer, RSPS

Terri is a certified holistic life and recovery coach, mindfulness meditation facilitator, teacher, writer, and speaker. She has been an active part of the theatre community in the DFW area of Texas for over fifty years. Terri is co-creator of Arts with a Heart, a mindfulness-based performance arts lab, offering a series of creative workshops dedicated to developing and advancing the integration of mindfulness skills into the artistic process, thus enhancing the artist’s performance and overall well-being.

Raymond T. Shelton, PRS, RSPS, ICPR

Raymond is a certified Peer Recovery Specialist and mindfulness and meditation facilitator. From the time he was ten years old, he trained and performed as an actor. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the prestigious School of Drama at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He spent the next fifteen years working in the New York theatre, first as an actor, then as a writer and producer of large-scale events on Broadway for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. After leaving a successful twenty-five-year career working at the top levels of the entertainment and live event industries, Raymond founded Recovery On Course, providing services to persons new in recovery from substance use and other mental health disorders, as well as groups and workshops focused on developing the skills of mindfulness and meditation practice.