What's an
Actor Care Specialist & How Does it Apply to Musicians?
This is a very new development that happened quite unexpectedly in September 2022 while speaking on my ACES model at the MHPC conference in Oslo Norway. I was asked by a senior advisor at the Norwegian Academy of Music to expand on my model and how exactly does it work with actors. She was very interested in knowing if there was a way to adapt ACES for musicians wanting to get in touch with their authentic expression. The next day, we had an exploratory hands-on session with a musician with very powerful results.
Dramatic story narratives can force actors out of their comfort zone demanding them to engage with more of their emotional pallet. As an Actor Care Specialist, I support this process during character development while keeping the actor's well-being a priority. If we consider, for example, classical music as potentially doing the same thing to a musician, i.e. pushing them out of their comfort zone and unable to connect emotionally to what they are playing, then ACES can assist in supporting their performance so their playing will literally resonate through them to their instrument and connect with their audience.
I am now actively seeking participants to continue adapting ACES for musicians. If you are a freelance musician at any stage of your career, playing in an orchestra or band, or a student at an academy I would like to hear from you.