30-Second Exercises for Musicians!
Rochelle Gracilla, BS, PT
Why 30-Second Exercises
Studies indicate 55% to 93% of Musicians in a lifetime experience pain (Journal of Occupational Rehab 2024; Frontiers in Psychology 2020 Dec 16:11; German Medical Science 2017 Jan 12;15 ). This musical playing-related physical Pain can affect not only practicing and performance, but also mental health, sleep, income, and family security, as well as short-term and long-term happiness. I developed 30-Second Exercises to help Musicians address this significant problem.Stretching and exercise can help prevent pain and promote wellness.However, people don't exercise because:
- "it takes too much time,"
- "too much effort,"
- "don't want to get sweaty,"
- "don't know what to do,"
- "don't have equipment,"
-" too far to travel to a gym."
- and "I'm just not an Exerciser."30-Second Exercises for Musicians overcome these objections!Continual practice of exercise, in bite size pieces, are the 1st step to transforming into a new identity as an “Exerciser”. They promote awareness and the habit of Exercise and Self-Care.
What are 30-Second Exercises
"Musicians are Elite Athletes." - Alessandra White, Practice-Not-Perfect, British Clarinet EnsembleElite Athletes Cross-Train to enhance performance and prevent injuries. Do Musicians Cross-Train?How does someone who doesn't regularly exercise transform into an Exerciser, then into an Athlete or a Cross-Trainer (because Musicians ARE Elite Athletes)?"One 30-Second Exercise at a time!"30-Second Exercises enable the Awareness and Habit of Exercise and Self-Care. Easy written descriptions and illustrations (depicting the non-threatening white foxes Kit & Marley) help answer the question “What Exercise should I do?” and "Can you show me how to do it?"Kit & Marly demonstrate exercise can be quick, easy, and fun!
Who am I
My mission is to help Musicians establish physical self-care to prevent pain and enhance lifelong happiness!Hello and welcome to my site!I am Rochelle Gracilla, PT, CLT, BS, with +30 years of experience in Physical Therapy, Exercise Physiology, Lymphedema, Natural Horsemanship, meditation and Yoga Instruction.As a student of Assistant Professor Dr. James Flowers from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, as well as Principal clarinetist at St. John's Episcopal Church in Sharon, Pennsylvania, USA. I am aware of the importance of preventing pain in musical performance.Thus, I developed "30-Second Exercises for Musicians."Wanting to help more Musicians, I presented at the International Clarinet Association Conference 2025 in Fort Worth, Texas, on the topic of “30-Second Exercises for Musicians”.