![Can Boxing Breed Better Musicians?](http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/tsminteractive.com/files/2011/12/eastman-boxing-musicians.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Can Boxing Breed Better Musicians?
Students at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY often spend more than half their waking hours practicing their respective instruments. What’s not common practice, however, is a different kind of training spearheaded by one of the university teachers — boxing.
Professor James VanDemark believes boxing improves musical ability, so his students spend an hour a week at a no-frills gym with longtime trainer Dom Arioli. There’s no actual sparring with each other, but Arioli instead focuses on basics like bag work, jabs and push-ups.
Students say the sessions have improved their posture, relieved stress and increased their cardiovascular fitness, helping them produce bigger, more precise sounds on their instruments.
After Mr. VanDemark, a double bassist, took up the sport two years ago, it became clear to him that boxing and music intersect. “It’s all about muscle coordination and rhythm,” he said of his decision to make boxing part of his class curriculum.
But the benefits may sometimes be even more primal. Danny Ziemann, a 21-year-old senior double-majoring in music education and jazz performance at Eastman, said, “I love having this one hour where I don’t have to worry about anything except punching stuff.”
More From Newstalk KGVO 1290 AM & 98.3 FM
![Need an Energy Boost? Skip the Coffee, Take a Nap](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/catnap.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Wondering What Most Use the Internet for?](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/internet-for-fun.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Griz Win Big, Now Play N. Iowa In Third Round](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/griz-stadium.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![American Heart Association Announces Montana’s Fit-Friendliest Companies [AUDIO]](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/hearthealth..jpg?w=980&q=75)
![What Are the Most Popular Baby Names of 2011?](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/nametag.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Would You Vote for a Presidential Candidate Who Had the Extramaritals?](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/herman-cain.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Two Confirmed Influenza Cases In Montana [AUDIO]](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/flu-shot.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Police Looking For Woman Who Vandalized Church [AUDIO]](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/st.-anthony.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Tester Says Full Transparency Is Necessary To Earn Trust News](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2011/12/transparency.jpg?w=980&q=75)