The Mystery of the Musical Mind explores the interplay of the conscious and subconscious minds in our human make-up. Amanda shows how we can deliberately utilise their distinguishing features for highly effective learning and rewarding performance.

Providing anecdotes from her studio, Amanda emphasises the importance of crafting language wisely to penetrate the subconscious mind with well-defined intention.

Simultaneously, by delving into the power and impact of metaphor, she shows how lasting emotional and physiological change can be created - transforming unhelpful habits and eliminating impediments to musical progress.

Teachers will discover ways they can positively influence their students’ subconscious minds for authentic, expressive and confident music making. Ultimately, it's about using our full human potential as we teach with kindness and genuine intentions with regard for those in our care.

 Amanda highlights how the body’s natural physiological response mechanisms can be maximised through the imagination. She also addresses why our neurology calls for sharpened awareness during repetitive practise in order to gain neurological security and avoid self-sabotaging behaviours.  

Two distinctive rehearsal protocols will be demonstrated. She has formulated these from hypnotic techniques for use with students preparing performances. This friendly presentation/workshop allows ample time and space for questions and discussion arising from the topics.

The principles explored in Amanda’s approach have emerged from her training as a clinical hypnotherapist. She believes that by adopting an objective to work holistically for musical excellence, we may well be surprised and delighted to see magic happening in the studio every day.

AMANDA HANDEL

Amanda is an active composer, pianist, singer and teacher based in the Blue Mountains with thriving teaching practices in Katoomba and the Penrith Conservatorium. She has also lectured in harmony, analysis and composition at Western Sydney University, where she graduated with a compositional research Masters’ degree in 2004.

Published by Wirripang, her compositions represent a wide range of diverse and eclectic influences. She has composed numerous pieces for piano, a number of chamber works in various combinations - including string orchestra - as well as many solo works for classical guitar and woodwind instruments. Some of these appear in AMEB publications and syllabi.

Amanda has written many works commissioned by various performers and arts organisations for festivals and recordings. She has released two original piano-based CDs: Ghosts & Angels and Gardens of Stone, collaborating with an electronic artist and a didjeridu player respectively. Both albums received excellent SMH reviews and extensive ABC radio airplay.

Her music has been described as “hauntingly beautiful, creative, cohesive and compositionally advanced”, “engaging and evocative, seductive with a Spanish tinge, and a lot of grit”.

Beginning with classical piano, Amanda’s knowledge and experience now extends into other world genres. As vocalist, she led Canto Latino Quartet performing a repertoire of traditional Argentinean tango and Latin music for over ten years.

Having graduated with her Diploma in Hypnotherapy and Neuro-Linguistic-Programming (NLP), her musical profile now has new dimensions of expertise - including certification as a BodyMinded™ (Alexander Technique) practitioner. These fascinating new fields of knowledge have become the cornerstone underpinning her musical life.

Currently Amanda is adapting these powerful tools and techniques to provide specialised studio teaching and intensive training workshops for musicians. Her vision incorporates writing a book, elaborating on how to deliberately engage and optimise the subconscious mind in learning and performing.

Please visit

https://www.amandahandel.com

https://www.youtube.com/@amandahandelmusic/videos