Music and Hanna Somatics

Wendell Hanna 4-20-2013

This session will explore how music can aid the use of pandiculation in Hanna Somatic Education. Harmonic and rhythmic aspects of music, in particular, will be used to enhance the motor cortex's ability to slowly release contracted muscles. The session will emphasize a first person experience with music materials and Hanna Somatics.

Harmonic aspects of tonic, sub-dominate and dominant chord structures will be explored as a means of refining self-panticulation techniques. Rhythmic aspects of music will be experienced as a way to entrain Hanna Somatic exercises into the cerebellum. By practicing exercises with musical phrasing in mind, muscles are both reset at lower resting levels and entire movement sequences are re-programmed as freer patterns of coordinated movement. Using music with Hanna Somatics also makes doing the exercises enjoyable and may inspire more consistent practice.

Wendell Hanna, Ph.D is an Associate Professor of Music Education and Bassoon Performance at San Francisco State University. Her degrees are from the University of Oregon, Ph.D. (2000), Yale University, M. M. (1987) and a B.A. from the University of South Florida (1985). Her scholarly and op-ed articles on music education have appeared in such peer-reviewed outlets such as the Arts Education Policy Review and The Journal of Early Childhood Connections, Tempo Magazine, and The American Music Teacher. Her article, The new Bloom's taxonomy: Implications for music education, has been cited by 37 publications and downloaded by over 2,580 people worldwide. Wendell is also the youngest daughter of Thomas Hanna and completed the Novato, CA three-year Hanna Somatics training in 2011.