How Can I Keep Myself Safe From Music Related Injuries?
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Angela McCuiston
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Founder of
Music Strong -
Personal Trainer;
Corrective Exercise Specialist
90-95% of musicians end up injured as a direct result of playing their instrument! Vocalists and conductors also have unique needs. So do string players, keyboard players and wind instrument players. Even percussionists develop their own instrument- related injuries. And some prevetable injuries can end a musician or singer's career!
Angela McCuiston, the founder of Music Strong provides tips on how to avoid the most common music related injuries.
Valuable Advice Angela Shares In This Video
Common Injuries
Protecting Yourself
Mistakes Musicians Make
Alexander Technique
Why She Specializes
Podcast
Angela McCuiston
Angela McCuiston is a NASM-CPT, CES, SFS and CETI-CES (Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist, Senior Fitness Specialist and Cancer Exercise Specialist) and owner of Music Strong, a business that specializes in personal fitness training for musicians.Winner of the 2007 NFA Piccolo Master class, Angela received her Master of Music in Flute Performance from Florida State University and her Bachelor of Music in Flute Performance from Tennessee Technological University. An avid performer, Angela is Assistant Principal/Piccolo of Sinfonia Gulf Coast of Destin, Nashville Philharmonic, Columbus Symphony and Nashville Flute Choir. Joining the military soon after 9/11 she recently became a member of the 313th Army Band in Huntsville, AL, after completing a 16-year tenure in the 129th Army Band in Nashville, TN. In addition to her solo performances, she has performed with such celebrities as Kristen Chenowith, Pink Martini, Jamie Bernstein, Morgan James, Chris Mann, Nancy Griffith and Mary Wilson of the Supremes.
As a trainer, Angela maintains several training locations in Nashville and also travels to give her workshops and presentations, most notably presenting at the National Flute Association Conventions in Salt Lake City, UT; Las Vegas, NV, Washington, D.C. and Orlando, FL. Among her recent workshops, she has travelled to present at Arizona State University, Florida State University, Stephen F. Austin University, Ft. Lewis University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga among others.
Recently she was sought out by the Old Guard, Army Fife and Drum Corps as a special consultant to prevent playing related injuries. She has since taken up residence on the faculty of the Stetson University flute camp and has been sought out for numerous other positions including her recent appointment Fall of 2018 as Chair of the National Flute Association Performance Health Committee and adjunct flute professor at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN in August 2020.
In February 2019 she published her first book: The Musician’s Essential Exercises, and in early 2020 started her own podcast, The Tuned and Strong Podcast, with CoHost, fellow musician and strength coach Dr. Jen Kabbas May. Branching out from her book, during the pandemic of 2020 she recorded over 20 instrument specific workouts that are now available for download.
When she is not performing or training, Angela can be found riding her Trek road bike as many hours as there are sunshine. She recently completed her 4th century ride (100+ miles) and has a goal to ride between 5-12 centuries and log 5,000 miles.
Angela is constantly on the search for new research and her studies include Alexander Technique, Barbara Conable’s “What Every Musician Needs to Know About the Body” Body Mapping Class and Eva Amsler’s classes in Dynamic Integration in addition to live workshops with NASM, most recently traveling to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada to complete coursework in Neurokinetic Therapy.