Being that I had shoulder surgery back in 2000, I was really excited to see what would happen today as we discussed the shoulders.

Dr. Conable worked with me and before I knew it, I felt taller and like I had more room in my upper chest. My arms hung and swung without any effort. I felt really relaxed. Body mapping is amazing and the cool thing is that it's all mental!

Today we took apart Bobbitt, a body model with removable insides. I found it fascinating how the organs are so compact and how they just fit. We also discussed breathing and the location of the lungs. I had no idea that lungs were so high in the body. It makes me think about breathing in a different way now!

Also, I learned quite a bit about some of the lesser known organs such as the pancreas and it's role of adding enzymes to help in digestion.

Dr. Conable worked with students on feeling their pelvis, but I there wasn't enough time to get to me today.

I did notice a "floating" quality when students walked after finding their pelvis bones.

Today we moved up our body map, attempting to feel our upper leg bones. This was a weird phenomenon - I didn't realize that

I am happy to say that I can quickly find my feet and lower leg bones. I can get them to relax quickly, which has made relaxing much easier

It was a bit ackward helping others find their leg bones because we had to touch their rear ends, however we are all professionals and take the class seriously so all was good.

Today we "found our feet." It was an interesting phenomenon -- when a student touched my feet, I was able to get a better understanding of where they really were and how they felt. It made me feel as if my feet grew about two sizes that day. I also realized that my ankle joint was much further back than I thought which made a difference in the way I balanced myself.

Once again, I'm discovering a lot through this course.

When it was my turn to hold another student's feet, it was a bit awkward for me, but I dealt. My biggest problem is that I couldn't feel if I was actually doing any good. I guess I just need more experience in this area.

Today we discussed body maping, what it is, and how it can effect how you think about your body.

I found it interesting how Dr. Conable discovered body mapping - through a violin student with a stiff bow arm. The violinist didn't ben at the elbow very much. When Dr. Conable pointed out that the student needed to bend from the elbow and had the student feel where to bend, it made all the difference and the student was fine.

Many times, we have errors in our own map which makes us move in an unnatural way.

I have had a similar experience with errors in my own violin students' body maps. There are two examples I have seen:

1. When a student upgrades his/her violin from a 1/2 size to 3/4 or the like. They have to readjust all of their measurements and it is especially noticeable in the right (bowing) arm. In general the arm needs to be extended and the motion of the shoulder and elbow must be adjusted to "fit" the new instrument.

2. When a student experiences a rapid growth spurt. Unfortunately, for the the violinist, the instrument does not grow with the student. This leads to all sorts of body mapping issues in both the right and left hands. Adolescents can be somewhat uncoordinated in general, but adding the minute movements of the violin bow and position, and shape of the left hand can sometimes be overwhelming.

Making the student actually feel the pivot of the elbow has helped me teach the student about where a majority of the bowing motion should come from.

Today I witnessed some significant changes in playing/singing due to simple posture correction with the Alexander Technique.

* Viola spiccato bowing on the viola was much more precise, clean, and accurate. Tone was a bit more full.

* Flute tone was more open and rich, accents were more forceful and convincing, and breathing looked more relaxed.

* Vocals were more free, less stressed.

While there was not enough time for me to go today, I'll get my chance soon. I did have my baton ready, but based on what I heard from the instrumentalists, I'll be taking my viola next time!!