Health and wellbeing for musicians
A network for Australian music students
Music, movement science and the Alexander Technique
In my work as an Alexander teacher in music, musicians will often say they play best in situations where they are fully present in the music and with their surroundings, free from interference of unnecessary tension. However, performance nerves and some level of musculoskeletal pain from extended practice are a fact of life for a large proportion of musicians (Hartsell & Tata, 1991; Kaneko, Lianza & Dawson, 2005; Zaza, 1998).
Are there strategies which improve one's ability to remain well-coordinated in the face of performance nerves? Is it possible to change practice patterns so that learning and skill refinement are maintained at the highest possible level, but the chances of injury are minimised? Are there ways to reduce unnecessary muscle tension when playing?
If we begin by considering just the physical aspects of music-making, sports science provides us with ready information on training, injury and recovery. The Manager of Research and Innovation at the Australian Institute of Sport says that injury levels are considerably lower when training intensity is carefully managed, and fatigue recovery is built into the training schedule.
Injuries aside, skill refinement and efficiency of movement receive as much emphasis as strength and stamina training in pursuit of optimal performance at the AIS. Music research is catching up with the fact that although long practice hours are a trademark of high-performing musicians, differences in practice time between musicians of similar skill is not significantly related to quality of performance, suggesting that qualitative factors are more critical (Williamon & Valentine, 2000). The parallels between musicians and athletes have been discussed in the performing arts health literature for two decades (Fry & Rowley, 1989; Newmark & Lederman, 1987), but music pedagogy has so far largely failed to take advantage of this knowledge.
It is rare for musicians to understand, let alone implement safe and effective practice regimes, particularly leading up to a performance or an examination. Fatigue recovery is virtually unknown in the music world. Instead, it is straight on to the next deadline. And although music teachers have an understanding of the importance of good posture and technique, they are generally not experts on coordination or reaction effects. As a rule, musicians often find it difficult to manage unnecessary habits of tension, only becoming aware of problem areas once they are actually in pain. Long before pain begins, there are tension patterns, both conscious and unconscious, which obstruct the student’s ability to play at their best, and which often generate problems down the track.
There are two difficulties with trying to change muscle recruitment patterns. The first is that most approaches tend to be piecemeal rather than treating the body as a whole coordinated unit. Focal problems definitely need focal attention, but unless the demands of the activity are met by the body as a whole, some part or other will be over- or under-worked. The second difficulty is that the body has an automatic tendency to return to its usual patterns which are unconsciously registered as being ‘normal,’ whether those patterns are useful or damaging.
The complexity and intensity of demand placed on musicians means that, unless they are educated in self-management, they stand in danger of injury that has the potential to become incapacitating. This is especially traumatic in a situation where raison d’être is so enmeshed with vocation. The good news is that proper self-care not only mitigates against injury; it also lifts your performance quality. That is why an increasing number of tertiary music courses overseas offer comprehensive interdisciplinary self-care programmes as part of the undergraduate curriculum. These programmes teach movement science and body/mind techniques, variously including exercise physiology, anatomy, Alexander Technique, yoga, meditation, Feldenkrais, and injury management. In other words, how to stay in shape to play!
The Alexander Technique teaches a principle which reorganizes coordination so that the tendency to brace and stiffen is replaced by dynamic support and more fluid movement. It is literally altering the way that you engage yourself in activity to gain greater overall efficiency, using the body’s balance and stretch reflexes. An Alexander teacher uses gentle manual guidance alongside verbal instruction to guide the muscles into an experience of greater ease, and demonstrate a means of renewing it. As the principle is adopted, movement becomes lighter and more poised. With the entire body engaged, it becomes easier to support or stabilize a musical instrument, and breathing generally improves. Less physical interference means that the body becomes more available to the musical moment and to the audience. As the musculature recalibrates, the pain which often plagues musicians frequently fades or becomes easier to manage. It is also a useful tool for managing the adverse effects of performance nerves.
The Alexander Technique is a learned skill which is accompanied by therapeutic outcomes. The process of learning it is not unlike learning a musical instrument. Although you can gain a working knowledge of the Technique in just a few sessions and you will most likely feel some immediate benefit, it requires attention and practice in order to be effective over time. You may learn as much as you need in four to six sessions, or you may choose to continue on for an extended period until you have a sophisticated level of skill. There is no fixed number of lessons. The most sensible way to approach it is to attend an introductory group session or individual lesson, see if you think it is worth pursuing, and do so as long as it is worthwhile. The length of an individual lesson is between thirty and forty minutes, with the first one generally taking an hour.
Because of its effectiveness in improving performance quality and helping to manage nervousness and pain, Alexander Technique tuition is provided as part of the regular music curriculum at international institutions at the forefront of music training, including the Juilliard School in New York, and Guildhall and the Royal College of Music in London.
References
Fry, H. J., Rowley, G. L. (1989). Music related upper limb pain in schoolchildren. [Comparative Study]. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 48(12), 998-1002.
Hartsell, H. D., Tata, G. E. (1991). A retrospective survey of music-related musculoskeletal problems occurring in undergraduate music students. Physiotherapy Canada, 43(1), 13-18.
Kaneko, Y., Lianza, S., Dawson, W. J. (2005). Pain as an incapacitating factor in symphony orchestra musicians in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 20(4), 168-174.
Newmark, J., Lederman, R. J. (1987). Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect: incidence of overuse syndromes in amateur instrumentalists. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 2(4), 142-.
Williamon, A., Valentine, E. (2000). Quantity and quality of musical practice as predictors of performance quality. British Journal of Psychology, 91(3), 353.
Zaza, C. (1998). Playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians: a systematic review of incidence and prevalence. CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Journal, 158(8), 1019-1025.
Are there strategies which improve one's ability to remain well-coordinated in the face of performance nerves? Is it possible to change practice patterns so that learning and skill refinement are maintained at the highest possible level, but the chances of injury are minimised? Are there ways to reduce unnecessary muscle tension when playing?
If we begin by considering just the physical aspects of music-making, sports science provides us with ready information on training, injury and recovery. The Manager of Research and Innovation at the Australian Institute of Sport says that injury levels are considerably lower when training intensity is carefully managed, and fatigue recovery is built into the training schedule.
Injuries aside, skill refinement and efficiency of movement receive as much emphasis as strength and stamina training in pursuit of optimal performance at the AIS. Music research is catching up with the fact that although long practice hours are a trademark of high-performing musicians, differences in practice time between musicians of similar skill is not significantly related to quality of performance, suggesting that qualitative factors are more critical (Williamon & Valentine, 2000). The parallels between musicians and athletes have been discussed in the performing arts health literature for two decades (Fry & Rowley, 1989; Newmark & Lederman, 1987), but music pedagogy has so far largely failed to take advantage of this knowledge.
It is rare for musicians to understand, let alone implement safe and effective practice regimes, particularly leading up to a performance or an examination. Fatigue recovery is virtually unknown in the music world. Instead, it is straight on to the next deadline. And although music teachers have an understanding of the importance of good posture and technique, they are generally not experts on coordination or reaction effects. As a rule, musicians often find it difficult to manage unnecessary habits of tension, only becoming aware of problem areas once they are actually in pain. Long before pain begins, there are tension patterns, both conscious and unconscious, which obstruct the student’s ability to play at their best, and which often generate problems down the track.
There are two difficulties with trying to change muscle recruitment patterns. The first is that most approaches tend to be piecemeal rather than treating the body as a whole coordinated unit. Focal problems definitely need focal attention, but unless the demands of the activity are met by the body as a whole, some part or other will be over- or under-worked. The second difficulty is that the body has an automatic tendency to return to its usual patterns which are unconsciously registered as being ‘normal,’ whether those patterns are useful or damaging.
The complexity and intensity of demand placed on musicians means that, unless they are educated in self-management, they stand in danger of injury that has the potential to become incapacitating. This is especially traumatic in a situation where raison d’être is so enmeshed with vocation. The good news is that proper self-care not only mitigates against injury; it also lifts your performance quality. That is why an increasing number of tertiary music courses overseas offer comprehensive interdisciplinary self-care programmes as part of the undergraduate curriculum. These programmes teach movement science and body/mind techniques, variously including exercise physiology, anatomy, Alexander Technique, yoga, meditation, Feldenkrais, and injury management. In other words, how to stay in shape to play!
The Alexander Technique teaches a principle which reorganizes coordination so that the tendency to brace and stiffen is replaced by dynamic support and more fluid movement. It is literally altering the way that you engage yourself in activity to gain greater overall efficiency, using the body’s balance and stretch reflexes. An Alexander teacher uses gentle manual guidance alongside verbal instruction to guide the muscles into an experience of greater ease, and demonstrate a means of renewing it. As the principle is adopted, movement becomes lighter and more poised. With the entire body engaged, it becomes easier to support or stabilize a musical instrument, and breathing generally improves. Less physical interference means that the body becomes more available to the musical moment and to the audience. As the musculature recalibrates, the pain which often plagues musicians frequently fades or becomes easier to manage. It is also a useful tool for managing the adverse effects of performance nerves.
The Alexander Technique is a learned skill which is accompanied by therapeutic outcomes. The process of learning it is not unlike learning a musical instrument. Although you can gain a working knowledge of the Technique in just a few sessions and you will most likely feel some immediate benefit, it requires attention and practice in order to be effective over time. You may learn as much as you need in four to six sessions, or you may choose to continue on for an extended period until you have a sophisticated level of skill. There is no fixed number of lessons. The most sensible way to approach it is to attend an introductory group session or individual lesson, see if you think it is worth pursuing, and do so as long as it is worthwhile. The length of an individual lesson is between thirty and forty minutes, with the first one generally taking an hour.
Because of its effectiveness in improving performance quality and helping to manage nervousness and pain, Alexander Technique tuition is provided as part of the regular music curriculum at international institutions at the forefront of music training, including the Juilliard School in New York, and Guildhall and the Royal College of Music in London.
References
Fry, H. J., Rowley, G. L. (1989). Music related upper limb pain in schoolchildren. [Comparative Study]. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 48(12), 998-1002.
Hartsell, H. D., Tata, G. E. (1991). A retrospective survey of music-related musculoskeletal problems occurring in undergraduate music students. Physiotherapy Canada, 43(1), 13-18.
Kaneko, Y., Lianza, S., Dawson, W. J. (2005). Pain as an incapacitating factor in symphony orchestra musicians in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 20(4), 168-174.
Newmark, J., Lederman, R. J. (1987). Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect: incidence of overuse syndromes in amateur instrumentalists. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 2(4), 142-.
Williamon, A., Valentine, E. (2000). Quantity and quality of musical practice as predictors of performance quality. British Journal of Psychology, 91(3), 353.
Zaza, C. (1998). Playing-related musculoskeletal disorders in musicians: a systematic review of incidence and prevalence. CMAJ Canadian Medical Association Journal, 158(8), 1019-1025.
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