Body Mapping for Clarinetists . . . serves as a pedagogical guide to both teachers and students of the clarinet. The book contains helpful diagrmas of the various parts of the body and regular “experiences” in which the reader is guided through practical activities that implement the topics discussed. . . . This is one of the most important books on Body Mapping since the 1998 publication of Barbara Conable’s What Every Musician Needs to Know about the Body. Every clarinetist will be better off after reading Body Mapping for Clarinetists. Every musician will be better off after reading it as well.

—Rebecca Rischin
    The Clarinet (September 2024)

Body Mapping for Clarinetists has amplified exponentially the thoughts and ideas I’ve had about playing the instrument, especially as regards physical pain. . . . Your book is remarkably well-organized and detailed, and I am confident that the clarinet community will appreciate the work you have done and the art will greatly benefit from your contribution.

—Charles “Chuck” West
    Professor Emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University
    Past President, International Clarinet Association

Clarinetists devote hours to honing their craft—from learning correct fingerings, embouchure, and tonguing, to the history of the instrument, music theory, and musicianship.

While there are many ways to approach playing the clarinet, almost all emphasize the clarinet as the musical instrument but do not consider how the body supports movement for making music. What if instead we viewed the body as the instrument and the clarinet as a tool?

Body Mapping for Clarinetists, written by two Body Mapping and Alexander Technique specialists, approaches clarinet playing from a full body perspective. Authors Shawn L. Copeland and Jackie McIlwain show how healthy, coordinated movement leads to more expressive music making while preventing injury.

All sound is the result of movement. When playing clarinet, the release of air causes the reed to vibrate. The movement of the facial muscles shapes the embouchure. The movement of the fingers creates pitch and rhythm. And our thoughts initiate and organize these movements.

We work best when our whole body is integrated and coordinated around a musical intention. This book will guide clarinetists back to bodily wholeness, resulting in healthier bodies, improved technique, and better music making.

Shawn L. Copeland, DMA, is Associate Professor of Clarinet and Alexander Technique at the University of Idaho’s Lionel Hampton School of Music. Jackie McIlwain, DMA, is Associate Professor of Clarinet at the University of Southern Mississippi School of Music. Both are Licensed Body Mapping Educators.