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A 4-Hour Experiential Journey into the Science of Musical Embodiment

Discover how music shapes our bodies and how our bodies shape music in this evidence-based, experiential workshop led by anatomist-musician Michael Hamm, LMP CCST. Drawing from cutting-edge research in neuroscience, evolutionary biology, and somatic studies, this course offers practical insights for anyone interested in deepening their relationship with music and movement.

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Course Overview

This unique 4-hour workshop bridges the gap between scientific understanding and lived experience, exploring how music affects our nervous system, shapes our movement patterns, and influences our emotional well-being. Through guided exercises and evidence-based discussion, participants will discover:

• How our bodies are naturally evolved for musical expression and resonance

• The neurological connections between sound, movement, and healing

• Practical techniques for enhanced body awareness and presence through music

• Evidence-based approaches to reducing tension and preventing injury during musical expression

• Ways to integrate musical awareness into various movement and therapeutic practices

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Who Should Attend

This course is designed for:

• Movement practitioners and somatic educators

• Yoga teachers and mindfulness facilitators

• Dancers and choreographers

• Bodywork professionals and therapists

• Sound healing practitioners

• Musicians and music educators

• Anyone interested in the intersection of music, body, and mind

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What You'll Learn

Participants will gain both theoretical understanding and practical tools, including:

• Current research findings on musical embodied cognition

• Evolutionary perspectives on music's role in human development

• Practical techniques for enhanced body awareness through sound

• Methods for integrating musical awareness into existing practices

• Evidence-based approaches to using music for movement and healing

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Course Approach

Rather than relying on abstract models or traditional anatomical approaches, this workshop emphasizes the living, breathing experience of music in the body. Through a combination of discussion, guided exploration, and practical exercises, participants will discover how to:

• Access deeper levels of embodied awareness

• Develop greater presence and poise through musical understanding

• Apply scientific insights to enhance their professional practice

• Create more effective and authentic connections between music and movement

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Join us for this transformative exploration of how music lives in the body and how we can harness this knowledge for enhanced well-being, movement, and expression.

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what is embodiment?

Embodiment is an exciting new field of study, with numerous useful approaches.  For our purposes we define it as “The skill of perceiving, identifying with, and expressing the internal state of the body in the present moment.”

 

To speak in a grounded way about this subject, it helps to develop artful connections between different scientific modes:

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From the perspective of embryology, how did this body form itself in the first place? What are the deep kinships between the body’s various tissues, and can awareness of these kinships instigate a richer experience of them?

 

From the perspective of somatic psychology, embodiment depends on certain conscious and subconscious processes. Are you aware of sensory changes in your body? Do you respond to them as gifts, as nuisances, as threats? Are you able to relate dynamically with other bodies, and with space?

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From the perspective of neuroscience, the key processes are interoception, proprioception, and affective self-regulation.  Where is the body in space? What are its physiologic signals? How does the brain integrate what it feels and how it feels about that information? Under what conditions do these brain systems learn/adapt? There is tremendous complexity in this field, but we can draw some careful inspiration for our daily embodiment practice.

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continuing education certification

ONLINE OR IN-PERSON

• This 4-hour Online Continuing Education class is open to all clinicians, movement teachers, somatic educators, body nerds and artists, and meets the WA state CE requirements for physical therapy and massage therapy.​

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NOTE: All virtual classes have a 'live' option, or can be viewed on your own time.All attendees will receive pre-class content, live class recording, supplementary materials, and a follow-up quiz for CE credit.

 

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