Life Coaching at Tonebase?
Overall my experience with Tonebase has been a very positive one. Experts in the field of music, and my instrument (piano) have delivered content on the material they have expertise with/on. I was deeply disappointed to see an upcoming livestream event that features a âFlutist and Mindset Coachâ giving advice on performance anxiety. I have no problem with Chelsea Tanner speaking about performance anxiety from her own personal performing experience. However, âLife Coachesâ are completely untrained individuals posing as lay psychologists, this is both insulting to the professional psychological community and also dangerous to certain vulnerable individuals looking for genuine help. It would be similar to me saying I am a âmouth coachâ proffering advice on dental matters without any training beyond experience to do so. Did Tonebase not think they might have some psychologists as members who would be offended by this? Additionally, why not reach out to a genuine performance psychologist who works specifically with anxiety and biofeedback so that members could learn some concrete skills and tools that are actually evidence-based and not anecdotal or hearsay? Come on Tonebase, you can do MUCH better!
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What a snarky, reductive take. Chelsea's content on these matters is useful and valuable to me and others. May I suggest you skip it?
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Thanks for the heads-up. I think I already paid for the entire year up front but after reading this finally figured out how to turn off my email notifications.
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I canât speak to the credentials of the person to whom you refer as I have not looked at this, but your blanket statement that Life Coaches are not trained, is actually not accurate. There are superb, comprehensive trainings in coaching, requiring significant class attendance, reading, the practicing of coaching techniques, being supervised and evaluated as well as exams. Certification is not easy in the life coaching field.
Although I am heavily trained, educated and licensed â â as a lawyer, mediator, and clinical social worker, Iâm currently in a coaching training with the meditation app, Headspace because I like the emphasis on drawing out the strengths of the client- there is a lot to learn in this modality..
You may, or may not find the skills of any professional to be to your liking, but to denigrate a field so sweepingly, and without knowledge of actual requirements of coaching programs just spreads negative sentiment without substantiation.
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Marla Allisan I assume that as a lawyer, you are aware that some titles are legally protected- I believe âLawyerâ is one of those titles wherein not everyone can claim to have a JD without actually having one, nor can they practice law in a given state without passing the Bar exam. Should an individual claim to be a lawyer, and a practicing one at that, yet not have the accreditation then there are serious legal repercussions. The same is true with licensed psychologists and yet it is NOT the case with âLife Coachâ. Why might that be do you think? Anyone can claim the title with or without taking classes/evaluations, etc. Iâm sure there are things you can learn from courses that are geared to life coaches, the problem is that the general public has no way of knowing whether someone has mastery/competency or is purely a charlatan. Anyone with a knowledge in medical history is probably aware of the problems of individuals cheating people out of their health in order to gain profit which is why there are so many regulatory bodies in place in American medicine today (for good or ill). Life Coaches are to Psychology what Snake Oil Salesmen were to the medical profession over 100 years ago. Sure, some individuals might have good intentions and even some decent education, but you have no way of knowing this. Furthermore, there have been several instances of life coaches being out of their depth and giving advice to clients which is not evidence-based and downright dangerous. Lives have been ruined because of this. If Chelsea is really interested in helping people with their mental health, why doesnât she simply enroll in a school that offers PhDs in Psychology or go for a PsyD? As I said in my post, I have no problem with music advice from a musician, but a person offering psychological advice should be a trained, LICENSED psychologist (or at the very least a counselor/social worker). If you feel differently then you should talk to the American Bar Association and ask them to drop their regulations and let well meaning individuals give out legal advice with or without legal training.
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It's tough taking criticism. Sometimes we ask for it. And often, it's delivered without our consent.
Music is a performance art. Never forget that the people who choose to play in front of others will always qualify as experts on the subject of performance.
That being said, I'm also an expert eater of cheeseburgers. If you don't need help dealing with your experience or if you arent seeking helpful perspectives, then keep it agnostic yo.
Maybe a better question is why choose anything, ever? Because today you chose life. And after watching as many tonebase videos as you have, in these past months, if you still don't see the value in what professional musicians do, take a sabbatical. I've spent months at a time doing everything but music. Currently, I am doing very little else other than music. Find your groove. Maybe learning music isn't for you, right now. But to me, life is often bereft of meaning without it. And just maybe, youre going to find yourself on stage in front of a crowd of people, next to a flutist who has it all "buttoned up". And you're supposed to have brought your 'A' game. But you're mentally drained and not wearing any pants.
It's ok to be frustrated, it's ok to stop. Don't force it. If this video made your skin crawl, something is going on. And since you've identified as a musically inclined human for five minutes or more, I'm convinced the issue is deeper than this.
A friend of mine recently shared that they're dealing with perfectionism at the drums. In a group setting, yes please, stay in the pocket. But throwing sticks at home because of a missed accent. It's time to reevaluate. The mechanical "lever" motion of a pianist, makes you better at juggling. The same goes for drums, gymnastics, checking groceries. What does playing music qualify you to do, otherwise?
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This is a little harsh unless you know categorically, not anecdotally, that the presenter is not qualified to present on this topic, for whatever reason. I am on the flute and piano platforms. We are so privileged to have such first rate tuition and coaching from so many gifted people across all the TB platforms. Chelsea has put the TB flute platform on the map and the quality of her guest presenters is thoroughly excellent.
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Roy,
As I stated before, I have no issue whatsoever with an expert musician providing advice/help with musical matters. Though I have advanced degrees in music, I still welcome the advice of other musicians on musical matters (obviously or I wouldnât be a TB member). However, I have no way of ascertaining if Chelsea is an expert on human behavioral science because a Life Coach is not legally required to take courses in an accredited program and pass a profession-wide licensure exam. I am able to check the CVs of several of the instructors here and know without doubt that they are well-trained given their degrees and/certificates from institutions with long histories of excellence and rigor. My surprise is that a platform like ToneBase, which has given us courses from the likes of Fleisher, or Lugansky, or Ohlsson, cannot find a licensed performance psychologist to provide us with superb insights on performance anxiety, the so-called âflowâ state, and other issues of heightened emotional states. This would carry a LOT more weight to me and would be consistent in terms of the level of professional and academic quality provided by their other illustrious contributors.
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Hello Everyone,
First of all, thank you for starting this discussion Timothy
We feel that it is always important to voice questions/concerns/advice, and I am happy that you are doing so!
At tonebase we certainly pride ourselves on bringing an eclectic array of guests who are experts in their field. All 5 of our instrument leads are professional musicians with years of professional teaching and performing experience.
For topics outside that realm we have had other professionals contribute their knowledge.
Two notable examples:
We had Noa Kageyama (founder of the bullet proof musician) give a presentation on best practice strategies. He is a performance psychologist who years ago, put down the violin to commit to psychology and is helping people overcome certain obstacles.
You can watch the event here!
https://app.tonebase.co/piano/live/player/noa-kageyama-becoming-bulletproofWe also had a the founder of the Indiana hand to shoulder center, Dr. Bill Kleinman join us to speak about dealing with injuries/injury prevention and more with his decades of experience (and proficiency as a pianist!)
You can watch the event here!
https://app.tonebase.co/piano/live/player/healthy-musician-bill-kleinmanWith the upcoming stream featuring Chelsea Tanner, she will be focusing on drawing from her years of professional experience as a flute performer. She will be sharing the tools and advice that have helped her overcome certain musical and performance challenges with the hopes that it may aid others!
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Dominic,
Thank you for taking the time to read my post and address my concern.
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For those who still arenât sure why there is an issue with the term âLife Coachâ, here is an article (and really there are many) that outlines the problems quite well. Please educate yourselves before you defend this rather controversial profession. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/marketplace-life-coach-1.6364745
