12 Weeks
Level 1
3-Credit Tuition
$1,545Non-Credit Tuition
$1,290As artists, we are constantly using our mental and physical abilities to communicate our artistry. In order to have a sustainable, successful, and joyful career, it is imperative to take exquisite care of our minds and bodies. Through the Four Pillars of Wellness for Artists: Mindfulness, Movement, Nutrition, and Sleep, you will build a strong foundation in understanding your own mind and body to better support a long and happy career in the arts. By exploring the mind-body connection, movement and body function, sleep and nutrition habits, as well as nurturing healthy relationships and a sense of community, you will gain the tools to prevent injuries, stay present in your artistry, and navigate both emotional and physical challenges throughout your career.
By taking a look at mindfulness techniques, meditation, breath work, and the nervous system, you will learn how to manage performance anxiety and optimize practicing and performing through these techniques.
Through movement modalities like yoga, Alexander Technique, strength training, and intentional movement, you will learn how to efficiently move, stretch, and build muscle strength as well as apply the concepts to your practice and performance.
Sleep is crucial to balancing and supporting a demanding performance and artistic career. Harvard Medical School notes that “People often overlook the potential long-term health consequences of insufficient sleep, and the impact that health problems can ultimately have on one's time and productivity.” Recovery is an important facet of overall wellness and in this course you will learn healthy habits for both sleep and rest.
Nutrition is also an important part of the equation and can be highly bio-individual with everyone having their own unique needs. It is valuable to develop an understanding of what foods are best for each individual mind, body, and soul. You will learn how to incorporate these vital nutrients to build a healthy foundation to support your artistic career. The course will introduce concepts and practices of seasonal eating as well as food as fuel.
Fostering healthy relationships and being part of a supportive community is essential for artists. The creative process can often be isolating, and having a network of meaningful connections can provide emotional support, inspiration, and collaboration opportunities. Healthy relationships encourage personal growth and constructive feedback, helping artists push their boundaries while feeling grounded and understood. A community also offers a sense of belonging, where shared experiences and challenges can be openly discussed, providing strength during difficult times. For artists, who often face unique pressures, a strong support system is invaluable for sustaining their creativity, mental well-being, and long-term success.
Throughout the course, you will build and strategize your own movement and mindfulness plan for your instrument and performance/practice. You will learn how to prioritize healthy routines in mindfulness, movement, sleep, and nutrition and to carry these tools with you while traveling on tour, through changes in your career, and managing injury and/or illness.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- establish practice techniques for instrument and voice performance
- explore the science behind the nervous system and different movement modalities
- build healthy eating habits and routines by recognizing the value of nourishing the body, soul, and mind with healthy food choices
- develop mindfulness, movement, nutrition, and sleep routines with resources and practices to support a robust musical career and artistic purpose
- assemble daily and weekly practice and wellness schedules
Syllabus
Lesson 1: The Four Pillars of Wellness for Artists
- Mindfulness
- Assignment 1.1: Performance Skills Self-Assessment
- Movement
- Practice Exercise: Body Awareness
- Nutrition
- Sleep
- Practice Exercise: Sleep Awareness
- Introduction to Journaling: Your Own Daily Practice
- Assignment 1.2: The Four Pillars of Wellness and You
Lesson 2: Mindfulness – Breath Practice
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- What Is a Breath Practice?
- Intro to a Simple Breath Practice – A Tool for Our Artistry
- Practice Exercise: Breathing/Meditation
- Breath as the Generator – Freeing Your Voice
- Breath for Focus and Energy
- Breath for Relaxation and Down Regulation
- Assignment 2: Breath Awareness
Lesson 3: Movement – Yoga
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- What Is Yoga and Why Is it Important for Artists?
- Practice Exercise: Eye Strain Reducer and Eye Strengthener
- Beginning Your Yoga Practice
- Sustaining Your Yoga Practice
- Yoga Anywhere – Taking the Practice with You
- Assignment 3: Developing a Sustainable Practice
Lesson 4: Mindfulness – Meditation
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- What Is Meditation?
- Different Kinds of Meditation
- Why Meditation Is Important for Artists and How to Start
- Integrating Meditation into Your Performing/Practicing Routines
- Assignment 4: Two Types of Meditation
Lesson 5: Nutrition – A Holistic Approach
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- Food: Nourishment
- Individual Needs for Performance – Nourishing Yourself Through Food and Lifestyle
- Introduction to Ayurveda – Self-Care Foundations
- Cooking Skills, Recipes, and Pantry Staples
- Nutrition on the Road and on a Budget
- Assignment 5: Sustainable and Mindful Nutrition
Lesson 6: Movement – Alexander Technique
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- What is Alexander Technique?
- Body Awareness in the Performing Arts – Intentional Movement
- Alexander Technique to Improve Posture and Instrumental Technique
- Alignment with Your Instrument
- Assignment 6: Integrating Alexander Technique into Your Own Practice
Lesson 7: Movement – Strength Training
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- Artists are Athletes
- Strength Training for Musicians
- The Feet: Our Foundation
- Using Your Own Body as an Instrument
- Assignment 7: Strength Training Exercise
Lesson 8: Rest and Recovery
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- What Happens When You Sleep?
- Why Is Sleep Important for Artists?
- Recovery and Rest
- Yoga Nidra – Meditation and Deep Rest
- Assignment 8: Sleep Study
Lesson 9: Primary Food – Supporting Your Individual Artistry
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- What Is ‘Primary Food’ and Why Is it Important for Artists?
- Building and Fostering Your Community
- Healthy Financial Habits as an Artist
- Listening to Your Own Needs
- Mental and Emotional Health
- Assignment 9: ‘Primary Food’ for Artists
Lesson 10: The Mind-Body Connection
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- What Is the Mind-Body Connection?
- The Impact of the Nervous System on Performance and Practice
- Music Therapy
- The Vagus Nerve
- Assignment 10: Our Body’s Responses to Stress
Lesson 11: What Is Wellness for Artists?
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- What Is a Mindful Artist?
- Wellness and Society
- Social Media Challenges
- Practice Exercise: Authentic and Strategic Social Media Plan
- Not Getting the Gig – Managing Rejection
- Mindfully Working Through Injury and Illness
- Assignment 11: Facing Adversity as Artists
Lesson 12: Coordination of the Four Pillars
- Weekly Section: Your Own Daily Practice
- Using the Four Pillars to Empower
- Nurturing Your Social Life
- Different Approaches to Health and Wellness – Bio-Individuality
- Putting it All Together – Artist Self-Care
- Assignment 12: Creating Your Own Wellness Routine
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
This course does not have any prerequisites.
Textbook(s)
- Budda's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love and Wisdom by Rick Hanson (New Harbinger Publications, 2009)
- The Mindful Musician: Mental Skills for Peak Performance by Vanessa Cornett (Oxford University Press, 2019)
- Musicians Yoga: A Guide to Practice, Performance, and Inspiration by Mia Olson (Berklee Press, 2009)
- Recommended: Barefoot Strong by Dr. Emily Splichal (EBFA, 2015)
- Recommended: Complete Vocal Fitness by Claudia Freidlander (Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2018)
- Recommended: The Everyday Ayurveda Cookbook by Kate O’Donnell (Shambhala, 2015)
- Recommended: Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor (Riverhead/Penguin Random House, 2020)
- Recommended: The Champion’s Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive by Jim Afremow, PhD (Rodale Books, 2015)
Recording
- Students are required to record video for their assignments. Options for recording video include:
- Smartphone
- Digital camera
- Webcam (using either video recording software, or the video recording tool that is built into the learning environment)
Software
- Insight Timer meditation mobile app or web version (free)
- Sleep tracking app, such as Sleep Cycle or Sleep Score
- Presentation software, such as Microsoft Powerpoint, Google Slides (free), Apple Keynote, Apache OpenOffice (free), etc.
- Word processing software, such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs (free), Apple Pages, Apache OpenOffice (free), etc.
Other
- A yoga mat is required. In addition, the following accessories are recommended:
- Yoga blocks (2)
- Yoga straps (1)
- Yoga blanket
- Meditation pillow
- Paper or digital journal. Digital options include Google Keep, Penzu, Notes for Mac, Notepad for Windows, Evernote, etc.
- Digital calendar manager or paper planner. Digital options include Google Calendar, Bordio, etc.
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author & Instructor
Jennifer Caraluzzi is a versatile vocalist, educator, and health and wellness professional. As a performer, she is an award-winning vocalist who has appeared with Opera Theatre St. Louis, White Snake Projects, Boston Opera Collaborative, and regularly sings with the Boston Pops. Known for her versatility across musical genres, Caraluzzi has sung the roles of Laurie in Oklahoma, Marty in Grease, Eliza in My Fair Lady, as well as standard operatic favorites like Cunegonde in Candide, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Zerlina in Don Giovanni, and more. Caraluzzi is featured in the title role on the critically acclaimed recording of Seymor Barab’s children’s opera, Little Red Riding Hood on Centaur Records.
Passionate about the interconnectedness of wellness and artistic expression, Caraluzzi is certified through the Institute for Integrative Health as an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach. She is also a 500-hour certified yoga instructor, dedicated to educating musicians on the importance of mind/body awareness and taking care of their whole instrument.
With more than 15 years experience teaching and coaching musicians in voice, wellness, and career development, Caraluzzi says she believes one’s artistry can be fully expressed through practicing healthy habits in movement, mindfulness, nutrition, and sleep, as well as fostering healthy relationships and being part of a community. Through her own journey with several orthopedic injuries and chronic conditions, she has shaped her own artistry, becoming the artist she is today by practicing these four pillars of wellness.
Caraluzzi holds a joint MBA in Music Business from Berklee College of Music and Southern New Hampshire University, and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from New England Conservatory. She has worked for Berklee College of Music since 2019 and Berklee Online since 2021, and currently is the Director of Academic Operations and Student Success at Berklee NYC. Visit her online at jennifercaraluzzi.com. Read Less
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Wellness for Artists: Music, Movement, and Mindfulness can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:
Related Certificate Programs
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
