Minor in Effortless Mastery
Offered through the Effortless Mastery Institute, this minor teaches students how to liberate their performances through the study of effortless mastery techniques and somatic (body-focused) disciplines. The skills learned in this minor aid in eradicating overwhelming performance anxiety and put students on a course towards being the best players, producers, writers, composers, and decision-makers they can be. Students develop the confidence to express themselves freely and openly, and not be afraid to make mistakes in the process. Students in this minor connect with their deepest and most musical selves in service to their art.
There are no entrance requirements for this minor. Students must follow the regular declaration of minor procedure as outlined in the Registration Guide. This minor is managed by the Professional Performance Division.
Upon completion of this minor, students will:
- apply highly efficient practice methods to connect more deeply to the material at hand;
- play their instrument from a deeper space than conscious thoughts, and merge with their bodies, the instrument, and the sound;
- play their instrument in a performance setting feeling internally guided and free from performance anxiety;
- analyze and understand their own inner voice and its relevance to society at large, and how to use this understanding to connect with an audience;
- demonstrate proficiency in moving with complete confidence (with or against the other music in the room) during a free and open group improvisation;
- collaborate with other musicians without fear and develop a unique group sound based on reactions/interactions to and with to each other;
- develop and apply new motor skills and muscle memory as a hyper-efficient way of practicing new material;
- apply metacognition and let the body play the instrument as the mind receives the sound and becomes one with it;
- enjoy the sound of their instrument as they improvise, compose, practice, and perform instead of trying to manage it; and
- understand and apply methods to make both sounds and decisions without fear.
Core Courses (6 credits):
- PSEM-100 Intro to Effortless Mastery (2 credits)
- PSEM-200: Effortless Mastery 1 (2 credits)
- PSEM-300: Effortless Mastery 2 (2 credits)
Somatic Discipline Elective (choose three; 3 credits):
- PSH-238: Awareness Training for Musicians (1 credit)
- PSH-338: Awareness Training for Musicians 2 (1 credit)
- PSH-240: Body Mapping for Musicians 1 (1 credit)
- PSH-242: Body Mapping for Musicians 2 (1 credit)
- PSH-260: Tai Chi Chuan for Musicians 1 (1 credit)
- PSH-360: Tai Chi Chuan for Musicians 2 (1 credit)
- PSH-250: Yoga for Musicians 1 (1 credit)
- PSH-252: Yoga for Musicians 2 (1 credit)
Effortless Mastery Institute Electives (choose one course; 1 credit):
- ILGT-119: Guitar Style Skills Lab: Qigong for Guitar Performance (1 credit; check section number during registration)
- PSH-263: Qigong, Musicianship, and the Mastery of Creativity (1 credit)
- An additional somatic discipline elective from the above list