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Alexander Technique, Musicians’ Injuries and Tension in Performance
Most musicians at some stage in their life experience some physical pain, tension in performance, stage fright or other anxiety, which can hinder the playing of their instruments to the best of their ability. For many, these problems are short-lived and manageable, but for others it can start to build a pattern that ultimately can lead to serious difficulties with their playing and as a result their career as a whole.
What ailments can the Alexander Technique help musicians with?
The Alexander Technique is a tool that can have benefits for any musician, from those who simply wish to prevent future problems by attaining greater fluidity and ease with their instrument, to those who are overcome by quite serious playing-related injuries.
Being a holistic process, the Alexander Technique can help musicians in a number of areas:
· Physical - repetitive strain injury, focal dystonia, tenosynovitis, carpel tunnel syndrome, general tension, cramps and pain
· Psychological –nerves, performance anxiety, fatigue, strain and stress
· Emotional -self esteem, sense of identity, addictions, relationships
How does the Alexander Technique work?
Although it certainly has therapeutic effects, the Alexander Technique is not a therapy as such. It is different from osteopathy, chiropracting, massage and such treatments in that it is a process of re-education that can help a musician see what it is that they are doing that constantly reinforces the pain or problem which they experience as a result of continual patterns of misuse. Habits can grow gradually, like stalactites, unnoticeable in the beginning, but often develop to such an extent that they demand to be noticed and can become a serious impediment to instrumental playing or to other areas of life.
The technique deals with the specific requirements and habits of each individual. It is not a quick fix, but a process involving the deepening of sensory awareness and the recognition of the habitual use of ourselves. Alexander teaching is similar to being a detective looking for clues, often well buried and hidden, that give an indication of deep-rooted habitual responses to the events of life, such as mannerisms or a sharp intake of breath before speaking (as one trombonist admitted F***! I’ve just realised I’ve lived my entire life staccato, no wonder there’s no flow”). The technique is a psycho-physical one, treating the mind and body as one unified whole.
Maintaining a Balance
Alexander Technique works with ‘balance’ in the broad sense of the word. The physical demands of playing an instrument coupled with the pressures and strains of performing can be huge. For musicians to cope with and sustain this lifestyle, retaining a sense of balance and perspective is essential. A few late nights away from home is manageable, but an unstable lifestyle can swing the internal pendulum well away from the central steady balance point. Once the pendulum swings, it may get stuck, and life carries on throwing up the same obstacles and hurdles until it collapses under the strain, or the pendulum swings violently in the other direction, reacting against those events. Alternatively the pendulum can be directly related to the behaviour and demands of those around. None of these recognise where the healthy, stable balanced place is any more, from where the musician can operate at their peak.
How long should I take lessons for?
There is no set amount of lessons that will produce benefits from the Alexander Technique. This very much depends on the person and the extent of their problem and level of misuse. However, as the Alexander Technique is not a quick-fix treatment, but a method for psycho-physical re-education and developing greater awareness of one’s own use, it is recommended to have lessons for a number of months. Changes and benefits, however, are often felt after just a few sessions.
Cat Jary specialises in working with musicians’ injuries and tension in performance.
For details of lessons and workshops in the UK please click:
AMS workshops in the U.K.
For details of courses and individual programmes of study at AMS, Spain, please click:
Courses
"Gripped by the Music" is a week long course in Spain specifically for musicians suffering from performance related injury and tension
Alternatively contact us. |
