
PLAY WITH MORE EASE & RELEASE YOUR EXPRESSIVE POTENTIAL!
Enrollment for this challenge is closed.
SEE THE OTHER 2023 CHALLENGES!Have you ever felt like no matter what you do, you can’t reach the next level in your practice and performance? Maybe your practice routine is dialed in, but... you're just not advancing the way you want. Or, maybe your performance feels stuck and tense. You may feel like you’re leaving so much of your expression backstage. All of these scenarios are so frustrating.
And if you’ve felt any of this, you’re definitely not alone… we see so many musicians face these challenges, and we have absolutely faced them ourselves! Naturally, all of us want tangible solutions: do more of this exercise, practice this many hours, take a few lessons with X teacher.
Here's the truth: the way you take your playing to the next level is by adapting a holistic approach that allows you to bring your whole self to your musicianship. And at the very foundation of you lies your body & breath, which are both central to your music making.
Your body vibrates to help you create sound, your breath leads the way, and both your body and breath work together to bring your creative ideas to life.
We designed this challenge to help you develop a body and breath that is open and free, allowing you to remain healthy, play with more ease and expand your expressive potential.
All the Thrive Challenges are designed to support you with specific action steps and accountability because the real results come when you SHOW UP in a big way! You’ll learn from experts in live classes and through weekly lessons, and if you apply the tools you gain to your practice, performance and life, we know you'll see a difference. Heck, you may even see a big difference!
Are you ready? Let's go!
During this challenge you will:
► Learn breathing techniques to help you play better, stay centered and increase focus in the practice room and on stage
► Learn about the anatomy of breathing
► Explore how to embody your music making, bringing your musical ideas to life in tangible ways
► Open up new avenues of not only remaining healthy, but elevating your ability to communicate to an audience
► Gain techniques to release tension and prevent injury
► Learn a set of mobility exercises specifically for musicians
► Investigate how Alexander Technique can help with you play with more ease and manage performance anxiety
Like specifics?
THE PLAN 👇

ENROLLMENT DEADLINE IS SUNDAY, MARCH 19!
How does it work?
Inside the challenge you get:
- Easy-to-follow weekly lessons via email
- Live events from us and world-class guests surrounding the challenge's topic with recordings to watch later
- PDF and video resources to support your learning accessible in our online platform
- A space of accountability and support within our digital platform, Facebook group and emails
- PLUS a LIVE Q&A to get all of your questions answered about the challenge
JOIN BEFORE MARCH 19!
You're in the right place if you want to:
🙋♀️ Take specific action to develop strategies for playing with more ease, releasing tension, and becoming more expressive in your playing
📖 Gain knowledge and get access to up-to-date resources curated to support your journey as a 21st century musician
🌱 Get accountability and support while staying focused on a specific goal. Remember: no excuses here, just messy action!
🌎 Learn from thought leaders and musicians that are doing incredible things from all around the world. Who you surround yourself with impacts your mood and trajectory!
ARE YOU READY TO PLAY WITH MORE EASE & EXPRESSIVENESS?!
$49
March 20 - April 21
Have more questions?
How does the Challenge work?
I'm already in school - do I have time for this?
What if I don't complete during the time allotted for the Challenge? How long do I have access?
How long are the lessons/what's the time committment?
What's the refund policy?
Is this right for me if I'm a beginner? Who is it for?
I'm a Thrive member. Do I get this for free?
You mention a Facebook group. Do I need it to participate?
Meet your coaches,
Ixi, Tiffany, Ted & Nick!
Hi! We are Ixi, Tiffany, Ted and Nick! We've got a diverse set of experiences under our belts and want to share them with you. As your Thrive hosts, we curate your content and find incredible guests and topics that we know will offer you important learning. We look out for trends and things we think you need to know and then bring them to you!
Ixi Chen (top left) plays clarinet in the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and teaches at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Dr. Tiffany Valvo (top right) is the former clarinet professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, is a freelancer and teacher and the Social Media/Digital Content Specialist at Cal Performances at UC Berkeley. Ted Nelson (bottom left) is a cellist in the Cincinnati Symphony and Producing Artistic Director of Concert Nova with a lot of experience understanding the roles of orchestral management. Nick Photinos is a multi-Grammy Award-winning cellist, a founding member of Eighth Blackbird, and has collaborated and toured with an astounding array of artists.