In 1988, the International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians surveyed orchestral musicians and found from the 2,212 respondents that 76 percent had a significant medical problem that affected their ability to play.
The Alexander Technique has a long history of helping instrumentalists and singers to perform with less stress and likelihood of injury. Musicians do some of the most complex and demanding physical movements of any profession. In recent years, the term Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) has come into popular use, but musicians have always had to face the challenge of performing the same complex muscular actions over and over again.
By helping musicians improve the quality of the physical movements involved in playing an instrument or singing, the Alexander Technique also helps improve the quality of the music itself. A violinist's stiff shoulders and arms will get in the way of a pleasing sound; a singer's tight neck or jaw will cause the voice to become less resonant. By helping musicians release undue tension in their bodies, the Alexander Technique makes possible a performance which is more fluid and lively, less tense and rigid.
Over the years, a number of prominent musicians have publicly endorsed the Alexander Technique:
Yehudi Menuhin, Paul McCartney, Sting, Julian Bream, James Galwayand the conductor Sir Adrian Boult, to name but a few.
The Technique is taught at:
Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York, The Royal College of Music in London, The Boston Conservatory of Music, The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and at many other schools of music, universities and colleges.
General Interest Articles for all Musicians
Poise in Performance: The Alexander Technique for Musicians
The Alexander Technique
Preventing Music Performance Injuries and Tension
The Alexander Technique - A Technique for Musicians
Marshalling Your Body's Intelligence - Alexander Technique for Musicians
A Musician's Journey with the Alexander Technique
A Musician's Journal Into Wellness
Principles of the Alexander Technique and their Relevance to Music Education
Working with Musicians and the Alexander Technique
Some Talk of Alexander
The Alexander Technique has a long history of helping instrumentalists and singers to perform with less stress and likelihood of injury. Musicians do some of the most complex and demanding physical movements of any profession. In recent years, the term Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) has come into popular use, but musicians have always had to face the challenge of performing the same complex muscular actions over and over again.
By helping musicians improve the quality of the physical movements involved in playing an instrument or singing, the Alexander Technique also helps improve the quality of the music itself. A violinist's stiff shoulders and arms will get in the way of a pleasing sound; a singer's tight neck or jaw will cause the voice to become less resonant. By helping musicians release undue tension in their bodies, the Alexander Technique makes possible a performance which is more fluid and lively, less tense and rigid.
Over the years, a number of prominent musicians have publicly endorsed the Alexander Technique:
Yehudi Menuhin, Paul McCartney, Sting, Julian Bream, James Galwayand the conductor Sir Adrian Boult, to name but a few.
The Technique is taught at:
Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York, The Royal College of Music in London, The Boston Conservatory of Music, The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and at many other schools of music, universities and colleges.
General Interest Articles for all Musicians
Poise in Performance: The Alexander Technique for Musicians
The Alexander Technique
Preventing Music Performance Injuries and Tension
The Alexander Technique - A Technique for Musicians
Marshalling Your Body's Intelligence - Alexander Technique for Musicians
A Musician's Journey with the Alexander Technique
A Musician's Journal Into Wellness
Principles of the Alexander Technique and their Relevance to Music Education
Working with Musicians and the Alexander Technique
Some Talk of Alexander