Alexander Technique + Musicians
An article by Heather Walker, a CanSTAT (The Canadian Society for Teaches of the Alexander Technique) certified teacher operating out of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada, describes her experience with the Alexander Technique. She started taking lessons for one hour per week and “noticed significant changes” in her coordination and use of whole mind and body. Her tendonitis and pain went away and she actually grew taller! She says, “I became much more pain-free, I grew taller, and my shoulders widened significantly enough for me to not fit in my shirts anymore!” In line with the fact that the mind and body cannot be separated, what Alexander calls psychophysical unity, she found she also benefited in her ability to focus, her self-confidence, and her overall well-being.
Something I find particularly interesting, that I talked a bit about in this blog post is what Heather mentions in this passage:
“It is strange that as musicians, we are often trained to pay attention to certain senses to the detriment of others. We train our ears to hear the subtleties of tone, intonation, and attacks. We train ourselves to visually read music and relate it to rhythm, range, and pitch. We even train ourselves to work on technique—fast fingering, tonguing, breathing and all sorts of other skills. But often we are very unaware of general co-ordination, tension, and movement patterns that are a prerequisite for overall good functioning.”
Students of music benefit from the Alexander Technique partially because it helps them identify their habitual tension and constricting patterns. It is for this reason that students often do not start in lessons with their instrument, as “the ingrained tension patterns are there all the time.” Working more simply, especially in the beginning, helps to have a better appreciation for the process as opposed to a specific end to be gained (playing without tension, getting a musical passage correct, etc.).
A thesis presented by Kristen Urbanski found that Yoga, Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method were all helpful in overcoming performance anxiety. Methods from each were employed for performers and tracked throughout performances to see what noticeable effects they had for the performance, the performer, and voice teachers and professors in the audience. The individualistic nature of these practices means that the benefits are wholly subject to the individual and their conceptions, willingness, and desire to use these methods to overcome performance anxiety. However, principles of self-awareness, habit re-coordination, and an emphasis on process over the end certainly all can aide in overcoming anxiety of any kind.
Sanjiv Jain, Kristy Janssen, and Sharon DeCelle presented a critical overview of the Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Method. They highlight the fact that whether or not we are aware of it, the body is always in motion. Oftentimes we take this movement for granted until we are injured that we pay attention to certain movements. The Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais methods involve including “heightened awareness of movements.” This is especially crucial for musicians as our movements change the quality, tone, and pitches of what we are performing and if we do not include awareness of our full selves, outside of the dedicated process of music making, whether we want them to or not, our habits and non-coordinated movements have an effect on the music being played.
A study done by Loo Fung Ying, Gabriel Isaac Evens, Mohd Nasir Hashim, and Loo Fung Chiat explored the “effectiveness of Alexander Technique in reducing tension in piano playing.” Fifteen undergraduate piano majors from a university in Malaysia were given fourteen weeks of lessons. They results indicated “a positive outcome that Alexander Technique may help pianists to reduce tension.”
If you are interested in the Alexander Technique to help in your musical endeavors, reach out here!
Something I find particularly interesting, that I talked a bit about in this blog post is what Heather mentions in this passage:
“It is strange that as musicians, we are often trained to pay attention to certain senses to the detriment of others. We train our ears to hear the subtleties of tone, intonation, and attacks. We train ourselves to visually read music and relate it to rhythm, range, and pitch. We even train ourselves to work on technique—fast fingering, tonguing, breathing and all sorts of other skills. But often we are very unaware of general co-ordination, tension, and movement patterns that are a prerequisite for overall good functioning.”
Students of music benefit from the Alexander Technique partially because it helps them identify their habitual tension and constricting patterns. It is for this reason that students often do not start in lessons with their instrument, as “the ingrained tension patterns are there all the time.” Working more simply, especially in the beginning, helps to have a better appreciation for the process as opposed to a specific end to be gained (playing without tension, getting a musical passage correct, etc.).
A thesis presented by Kristen Urbanski found that Yoga, Alexander Technique and the Feldenkrais Method were all helpful in overcoming performance anxiety. Methods from each were employed for performers and tracked throughout performances to see what noticeable effects they had for the performance, the performer, and voice teachers and professors in the audience. The individualistic nature of these practices means that the benefits are wholly subject to the individual and their conceptions, willingness, and desire to use these methods to overcome performance anxiety. However, principles of self-awareness, habit re-coordination, and an emphasis on process over the end certainly all can aide in overcoming anxiety of any kind.
Sanjiv Jain, Kristy Janssen, and Sharon DeCelle presented a critical overview of the Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais Method. They highlight the fact that whether or not we are aware of it, the body is always in motion. Oftentimes we take this movement for granted until we are injured that we pay attention to certain movements. The Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais methods involve including “heightened awareness of movements.” This is especially crucial for musicians as our movements change the quality, tone, and pitches of what we are performing and if we do not include awareness of our full selves, outside of the dedicated process of music making, whether we want them to or not, our habits and non-coordinated movements have an effect on the music being played.
A study done by Loo Fung Ying, Gabriel Isaac Evens, Mohd Nasir Hashim, and Loo Fung Chiat explored the “effectiveness of Alexander Technique in reducing tension in piano playing.” Fifteen undergraduate piano majors from a university in Malaysia were given fourteen weeks of lessons. They results indicated “a positive outcome that Alexander Technique may help pianists to reduce tension.”
If you are interested in the Alexander Technique to help in your musical endeavors, reach out here!