Wellness at Eastman is a monthly seminar series from Eastman Performing Arts Medicine (EPAM) featuring artists and clinicians speaking to physical and mental wellness for performing artists.
Inspired by the Healthy Conservatoires movement in Europe, presentation topics this year include: the benefits of warming up and cooling down; peak performance on stage, nutrition’s effect on performing; incorporating mindfulness in your everyday music practice; mental health in music schools; and caring for your voice.
The next Wellness at Eastman seminar will be on December 1 at 6 p.m. Peak Performance with Ann McCulloch, MS, RN, CPHQ and Justin McCulloch (ESM ’02 and DMA candidate ‘21).
Ann McCulloch
Nearly all musicians will face issues in confronting stage fright and attaining peak performance, but there are strategies and options to help you perform at the top of your game. Ann McCulloch works on peak performance from the clinical caregiver’s perspective and created a capstone project at the Simon School focused on strategies for the performing artist, including developing a performance simulator prototype with her husband and colleague, Justin McCulloch, and University of Rochester colleagues. Justin comes to this conversation with a wealth of experience on stage as an orchestra musician; he created his doctoral lecture-recital on the topic of performance anxiety.
Ann McCulloch is a Registered Nurse Certified Healthcare Professional in Healthcare Quality with a master’s degree in medical management. Her final project was a hybrid between business operations and performing arts medicine, creating disciplines and strategies for peak performance for Eastman in support of her spouse’s interest and expertise in the topic of Performance Anxiety.
Justin MCulloch
Justin McCulloch is pursuing a Doctorate in Double Bass at Eastman in the studio of James VanDemark. A professional double bassist since 2008 with the Sarasota Orchestra, he has played in many youth and professional orchestras, most recently the Buffalo and Rochester Philharmonic Orchestras. He was recently a consultant in the development of a business plan for peak performance strategies.
More information is available on the Wellness at Eastman site.
Wellness at Eastman seminars are held monthly in Howard Hanson Hall (on the fourth floor of the Eastman School of Music main building) and on zoom. To register for the zoom link, click here.
For more information, or to request accommodations, contact EPAM Program Manager Gaelen McCormick at gmccormick@esm.rochester.edu or (585) 274-1233.