welcome
Welcome to The Well Musician; I am so glad you’re here! 🥳
My name is Amanda, and I created The Well Musician to help the marching arts (and music community at-large) become a safer, more inclusive activity where ALL students can thrive.
I am particularly passionate about supporting performers in marginalized communities, such as those who identify as LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, neurodiverse, or live with a physical or mental health condition.
My “Why”
The first time I saw a drumline at age 14, I was in awe; the synchronicity, the power… I had to be a part of it. I joined my freshman year of high school and never looked back. The experiences I went on to have throughout my marching career as a female percussionist has had a profound impact on who I am today and informs much of my work with The Well Musician.
Performing with elite ensembles like DCI, BOA, and collegiate groups helped me become a better musician, leader, and citizen. I had countless once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that I wouldn’t trade for the world. However, I also encountered unacceptable instruction methods, toxic group dynamics, sexism, and injuries that could have been avoided. As a young performer, these were very difficult to navigate and had a real impact on my love for the activity and my confidence.
In those days, I felt powerless to make a real change. Now, armed with the necessary education and experience, I am determined to shape a better path for future generations of performers.
Welcome to the movement -
Amanda Watson (she/her/hers)
Credentials
Board-Certified Occupational Therapist
Certified Mental Health First Aid Provider
Essentials of Performing Arts Medicine Certificate through Performing Arts Medicine Association and the American College of Sports Medicine
Certified Brain Injury Specialist
Professional Bio
Amanda Watson is a performing arts medicine specialist with expertise in the marching arts and percussion. She founded The Well Musician to help address the lack of quality and relevant healthcare education for performing artists. Amanda provides cutting-edge educational clinics on injury prevention, mental health, and psychological safety in high-performance ensemble environments.
As a performer, Amanda fell in love with the marching arts in high school where she was a member of the renowned Plymouth-Canton Educational Park Marching Band Drumline, participating in four BOA Grand Nationals Finals and WGI World Championships. She went on to march snare drum in the MSU Spartan Marching Band from 2009-2012, earning the distinction as the first female center snare in the history of the university. Amanda also marched with the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps in 2011 but sustained a hip injury that cut her DCI career short at the age of 19.
Since aging-out, Amanda has stayed active in the marching arts community as a percussion and visual instructor. She is a faculty member at esteemed national camps such as the Yamaha Music for All Summer Symposium and the MSU Performing Arts Camp where she operates as a both a percussion instructor and musician wellness educator. With over a decade of experience teaching in the activity, her health and wellness clinics are powerfully relevant for her marching arts clients.
With her advanced training in performing arts medicine coupled with her performance and teaching background, Amanda brings a unique expertise to her work as a musician wellness educator. Most of all, she is passionate about making the marching arts a safer and more inclusive environments where ALL students can thrive.