This week’s episode is a personal one for me, since Jennifer Johnson has been helping me gain more ease and comfort in violin playing and living in general. An understanding of Body Mapping will help you whether you play an instrument, sing, or simply go about your daily life. Jennifer Johnson is a violinist, film maker, and the author of several books including “What Every Violnist Needs to Know About the Body”. She’s an internationally sought-after Master Teacher and Teacher Trainer in Body Mapping and is renowned for her expertise in helping musicians to move according to the design of their bodies to prevent playing injuries and promote ease.

I also wanted to shine a light on Jennifer’s film Music, Movement & Transformation: The Body Mapping Story,   which is partly a beautiful tribute to her inspiring mentor Barbara Conable; the link to rent the film is in the show notes. 

I’m sure you’ll find this conversation with Jennifer is full of actionable tips and insights to help you, including some of the best advice about dealing with stage fright that I’ve ever heard. This transcript is linked to the podcast and video versions of the episode, and the show notes.

The full transcript of my interview with J. Walter Hawkes. The podcast, video and show notes are linked here. J. Walter Hawkes is a 4-time Emmy-winning composer for the PBS series Peg + Cat and Wonder Pets, is a renowned jazz trombone player, and also performs as a jazz vocalist, ukulele player, and pianist. As a young man, he survived a horrible accident which changed the course of his life. We talk about this and his mentors including the legendary Slide Hampton, how he got into composing for Blues Clues, and many hilarious and heart-warming personal stories. Those of you who listened to my episode with Pat Irwin will remember his album Wide Open Sky with Walter, and we’re featuring two pieces from that album in this episode along with an impromptu performance of Cole Porter’s Get Out of Town. Walter’s love of adventure really comes through in this conversation, and it’s really inspiring to hear how he’s built such an interesting career in music.