Have you ever felt stressed or frustrated while practicing? What about having feelings of nervousness or anxiety for an upcoming performance? We are so excited to announce a workshop that will help you with those obstacles: the Powerful Practice Workshop featuring Dr. Mihoko Watanabe! This event is a wonderful opportunity for ALL musicians to learn how to practice effectively while lowering stress in the process.

Learn how to make your practice sessions more effective

“Mindfulness” is about keeping your attention on the present moment. How can you stay in the present moment if you are worrying about an upcoming performance or even a difficult passage of music that you are about to play? Dr. Watanabe will help you learn how to stay in the present moment and learn a growth mindset to take your practice session to the next level.

Take part in integrative exercises

This workshop isn’t only to inform you of what you can add to your practice sessions. It’s about changing your mindset and using exercises to practice “deep listening and deep understanding of yourself”. You will be led through multiple exercises to help you do just that! Who knows, you may end up reducing stress and anxiety, improve your health, and improve your confidence by incorporating these techniques into your practice sessions.

Who can attend?

Musicians of all ages are welcome to attend! Parents and teachers are encouraged to attend as well. Dr. Watanabe will also be showing parents how to help their students through the process.

When and where?

Friday May 16, 2025 at 6:30pm at Paige’s Music.

This is a FREE event!

No instruments required.

About Dr. Mihoko Watanabe

Dr. Watanabe, a distinguished flutist from Japan, is Professor of Flute and Chair of the Entrepreneurial Music Certificate Program at Ball State University. She has previously taught at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the University of Windsor.

An accomplished performer and educator, Dr. Watanabe conducts masterclasses across the USA, Canada, and Japan and has served as an adjudicator for international and national music competitions. In Indiana, she has been a state adjudicator for ISSMA for 16 years. She has performed worldwide as a recitalist, chamber musician, and concerto soloist in Japan, Israel, England, Germany, and Canada. She is the principal flutist with Orchestra Indiana and performs with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and Fort Wayne Philharmonic.

Dr. Watanabe is also an active researcher, contributing to ethnomusicology with her article Essence of Mei, published in Flutist Quarterly and translated into German and Dutch. She chaired the 66th College Music Society (CMS) National Conference in Miami in 2023.

She holds degrees from prestigious institutions, including the University of Michigan, the Eastman School of Music, and Musashino Academia Musicae in Tokyo, where she studied with esteemed mentors Prof. Leone Buyse, Prof. Bonita Boyd, and Mr. Takao Saeki. A certified meditation teacher, she also offers mindfulness workshops, demonstrating her commitment to holistic education and well-being.

More about her work: www.mihokoflute.com.