This workshop was designed specifically with the performance health needs of flutists in mind. Topics include repetitive stress/overuse injuries, performance anxiety and its effect on movement and muscle tension, and corrective exercise strategies to help remedy faulty movement patters and relieve muscle imbalances. Participants will leave with a greater knowledge of the human movement system as it pertains to the flute, as well as a toolbox of exercises and strategies to keep themselves and their students strong and injury-free.

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Amanda Sage is a flutist and private teacher in the Greater Pittsburgh area. She has served as principal flute with the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, principal flute and second flute/piccolo with the Undercroft Opera, as well as substitute flute/piccolo for the Westmoreland and Johnstown Symphonies. She also performs in various solo, chamber, and/or larger ensemble roles in a variety of venues throughout the Pittsburgh area, including the woodwind quartet, Bel Suono Ensemble, of which she is a founding member. An advocate of early music and historical performance, Amanda also plays the baroque flute. She has performed in masterclasses for baroque flutists Kim Pineda, Janet See, Barthold Kuijken, and Claire Guimond. As an educator, she has nearly 15 years of experience in private instruction, in addition to her many years of experience teaching both instrumental and general music (K-12). As well as having her private studio, Amanda also serves as adjunct professor of flute at Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA, Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, and Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. She also teaches at West Virginia Northern Community College as an adjunct faculty lecturer in music. Beyond music, Amanda is a Certified Personal Trainer and Corrective Exercise Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She strives to incorporate her knowledge of health and fitness into her teaching, especially stressing the importance of proper body alignment, breath, and injury prevention with her students. Amanda has presented on the topic of performance health at several different events including the Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention in Washington D.C., the annual National Flute Association Convention, and in December 2019, published her first book called “Performance Health for Musicians: Exercises and Techniques for Staying Strong and Injury-Free."