What is it like to be in the body of a practicing musician, day in and out?

SANDRA: It’s more physically demanding than most people would imagine. Repetitive stress syndrome is the best description of the end result of using the same small and large muscle groups for many hours a day. Fortunately, the magic of music is that the end result is satisfying both physically and mentally.

REBECCA GILBERT: I am the Principal Flutist of the Rochester Philharmonic and I play my flute between 4-6 hours a day and hours at a time when I am performing. Flute playing requires an asymmetrical body position and a matrix of large and small muscles in the upper body and face. There are muscle groups in the back, arms, shoulder and fingers in addition to the many tiny facial muscles required to blow the air just right to get a beautiful flute sound. My performance schedule changes a lot from day to day and from season to season, so I have learned to be strategic about my fitness practices. To maintain optimal conditioning for playing the flute, I make my fitness choices with three goals: 1) to maintain strength and flexibility, 2) cardio work to cultivate breath capacity and 3) recovery work after intense performance periods.

REBECCA QUESTAD: Currently I spend more time teaching oboe than preparing to perform. But lately, I’ve been reflecting on my college days, when I would prepare for a recital as a music major on oboe at Indiana University. I had to design a program that met the degree requirements: an hour of varied repertoire from different musical genres. This was fun, picking my favorite music! But wind players need to be realistic about the physical and mental stamina of preparing an hour of solo playing. I wish I had known about Pilates during that time of my life! The insights Pilates offers on breathing, mental focus, and building strength while listening to the body would have been so valuable.

What keeps you curious about making music?

SANDRA: The fact that new songs keep getting released on a daily basis! Knowing that multiple lifetimes would never be enough time in which to learn all the vocal music that’s out there is actually exciting: like learning to swim in the kiddie pool, and then one day, you’re shown the Pacific Ocean off the beaches in Hawaii — oh, freak-out with joy time!

REBECCA GILBERT: I am most fascinated with how personal music is. How different any given performance sounds from artist to artist and how different the performance is received from person to person. It is as variable as each person’s emotional landscape and is constantly changing.  Music, like no other art form comes the closest to imitating emotions. I find the nuances of emotional expression incredibly fascinating and inspiring. 

What is it like to move and make music with others?

 REBECCA GILBERT: It’s very energizing! I am grateful to have dedicated my professional life to developing my artistry in the music-loving Rochester community. Sound is vibration and the great orchestral music that the Rochester Philharmonic plays is an incredible kaleidoscope of beautiful sound vibration. When I am playing with my colleagues, I feel the power and energy of some of the greatest music coming to life all around me. It is a profound privilege to contribute to that amazing collaboration. The vibrational energy of live music is like plugging into the heart energy of people connecting together in the performance.

Has Pilates given you any tools or resources you're able to use or inspire your music practice? Are the disciplines similar in any way?

REBECCA GILBERT: Pilates helps me deepen my core strength which seems to make everything so much easier…and with the flute, that means I have more freedom and expression available to share with the audience. I’ve found more relaxation in my posture which helps me to release more creative energy. My Pilates practice helps me understand the interconnection between all the different parts of my body. For example, if I am having pain in my knee, it might be coming from some tension in my hip that could come from my posture during my flute playing sessions. And, I can release tension in my hip by just rolling out my feet.  Everything is connected!

SANDRA: Pilates and yoga both offer me approaches and combinations that help me and, by association, my students in music. Core strengthening helps with diaphragmatic breath support and with postural mindfulness, whether sitting or standing. Shoulder movement work helps tremendously with the muscle tension brought on by playing piano and by holding choral folders for long stretches of time in concerts; and some of those choral score are NOT lightweight!

REBECCA QUESTAD: The first question Kate and Eugenia ask at the beginning of class is, “How are you/your body feeling today?” While they are asking for a physical assessment, I know from personal experience they are also attuned to our daily life and how that might affect our movement. As an oboe teacher I assist my students technically: with difficult music, fixing reeds, etc. But my job is not only to grow the musician, but to support the whole person. As Pilates teachers, Kate and Eugenia do an amazing job of teaching us to become calmer and stronger while instructing the WHOLE person - something I hope to do with every music student.

What's your favorite piece of advice from a music or Pilates teacher? 

SANDRA: The vocal coach with whom I worked on my master’s and doctoral vocal recitals once told me that Baroque music wasn’t lace and blown glass; it was steel and rawhide. He said this because I was approaching it with delicacy as if it were angel food cake, when what I needed to do was approach it as if it were a hearty beef stew! It made a world of difference to my vocal technique, and as a result, I garnered a reputation as a highly competent Baroque vocal repertoire specialist. Advice from a Pilates teacher? Well, it isn’t so much what Kate says as what she demonstrates in her approach to instructing so many different physical bodies with different needs and limitations; her patience is ENORMOUS! And her manner is gentle yet insistent, in a way that keeps us going even when we think we’ve reached our limits. I have a great debt of gratitude to pay her for that.

REBECCA GILBERT: “Breathe In/Breathe Out!”

REBECCA QUESTAD: A valued piece of advice from my teacher was to play straight through my musical selections daily for 25 days prior to a recital. This repetition built mental and physical stamina, and confidence for the performance.

What upcoming events / concerts do you think our client community shouldn't miss?

SANDRA: The Hochstein School just began its 100th year in 2020, so there are TONS of great centennial concert celebrations coming up: hochstein.org will take you to the website, which has a listing of upcoming shows, and the best thing is that they are almost all FREE! And family-friendly!

REBECCA GILBERT: Besides all of the music I am performing with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra  I am preparing a solo concerto called Shadow of Sirius by living American composer Joel Puckett which I will perform with the Nazareth College School of Music Wind Symphony on March 29 at 3pm in Benton Hall on the Nazareth College Campus. I am also preparing music for an exciting chamber music collaboration to be presented by The Society for Chamber Music in Rochester. The program is called La Harpe Francaix which features many of my RPO colleagues on March 22 at 4pm at the Hochstein Performance.