Musicians and the Alexander Technique

 

The Alexander Technique has been at help in work of musicians and singers for decades.

 

It is taught in conservatoires and music academies of numerous countries of the world in order to improve sound quality and support virtuous technique, as well as to prevent typical musician illnesses and stage fright.

 

Our body too is an instrument. If our body is full of superfluous tension, our relationship with our instrument will not be ideal. If we learn to detect our faulty habits causing unnecessary tension, then:

• Our play will become more free and thus more virtuous;
• The quality of sound changes: it becomes more vivid, more rich and diversified;
• We can attend and adapt better (e.g. in the case of playing in an orchestra or chamber orchestra);
• We can avoid causing ourselves pain and injury.

 

We learn to recognise the physical syndromes of stage fright (strain, cramps, rapid and shallow breathing, and a racing pulse) and with the help of the technique we can stop the stress harmful for us. Every kind of tension that is present in our body is created – willingly or unwillingly – under the direction of our mind. The release of tension and the elimination of physical symptoms in the body will affect the brain, meaning that if we do not “cramp”, we will in deed become calmer.