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Featured Guest Writer is: Nora Nausbaum is a professional free-lance flutist and a teacher of the Alexander Technique. She was certified in 1988 by NASTAT, North American Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique and by STAT, Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, London, England. |
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An Introduction to the Alexander Technique
by Nora Nausbaum
Teacher of the Alexander Technique
certified, NASTAT, STAT
Introduction
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." Who hasn't absorbed this
popular wisdom? Yet, as musicians, if we try too hard to follow this
advice, we may make things worse, increasing our tension and frustration.
The Alexander Technique offers another approach to succeeding -- learning
to "do less." Through this 100-year old educational method, we can develop
an awareness of how much muscular effort is needed to produce a sound.
Instead of restricting our focus to the music, we learn to expand our
attention to include ourselves while playing.
Although useful to musician and non-musician alike, the Alexander Technique
can help the player or vocalist improve tone, coordination, and enjoyment.
During a series of individual lessons, the student learns how to identify
and change patterns that lead to neck ache, back pain, tendonitis, shallow
breathing, performance anxiety and other problems of tension and habit.
Even without the motivation of pain, musicians often gravitate to the
Technique to help facilitate growth.
For example, most musicians are familiar with the frustrating downward
spiral of repeating a difficult passage over and over again without
improvement. Instead of getting stuck in this rut, we are more likely to
succeed if we can first identify what needs changing and then to learn how
to overcome our habitual response.
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A Brief History
| The Alexander Technique began with the observations of Frederick Matthias Alexander in the 1890s. He was a Shakespearean recitalist, which was a popular form of theater at the time, in his native Australia. Early in his career, he often became hoarse on stage. When he sought medical help, doctors could find nothing physically wrong -- resting his voice worked only temporarily. The underlying root of the problem revealed itself, little by little, as he became determined to discover the cause of his hoarseness. Over a period of nine years, he observed his actions and reactions closely, often using a three-way mirror as an aid. What he discovered was a pattern of tension that applied not only to himself but to many of us. |
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The Startle Response
The startle response is a common pattern that involves the head-neck-back relationship: tension at the neck, head unbalanced relative to the top of the spine, and the compressing and narrowing of the whole back. If we observe what happens when we are startled, we can see why this pattern is so widespread. The startle response is a reflex that is activated by an outside force, for example, a door slamming. The physical response is universal: our head, weighing eight to twelve pounds, reflexively moves back and down, compressing the small vertebrae in the neck. This compromised situation affects our our whole body. While the startle response is a natural reaction to fear, it is not necessary to remain in this state after the stimulus has passed. We can learn how to free our neck and allow our back its full length and width. Awareness is the key. Three Musicians: Every instrument has its unique demands and many of us have habits that interfere with musical development. Here are three musicians who chose to study the Alexander Technique for different reasons and how lessons improved their playing.
THE FLUTIST
The last inch of bringing the flute up is the trickiest. Krystal thought
she was doing what I asked, but habit misled her. At this point an
Alexander Technique teacher is crucial for accurate feedback and guidance.
Krystal went home after that first lesson with some new ideas and continued
to explore these until her second lesson, in which she learned more about
herself. After a series of individual weekly lessons, Krystal's neck no
longer hurt and her playing reflected the ease in her body.
THE BASSIST
While playing, Bill sat on two very soft cushions, which prevented his "sit
bones" at the bottom of the pelvis from releasing down. This playing
set-up produced a narrowing and contracting in his lower back. Adding to
the compression, Bill hooked his feet under the rungs of the stool. To
help him, I suggested he replace the soft foam pieces with a smaller,
firmer one. I also advised Bill that somehow he had to get his feet in
front of him on a level surface, not under the rungs. This would enable
his "sit bones" to release down and allow his lower back to widen. He
needed a practical solution that would be light to transport. His creative
idea was to use small, upside down plastic trash cans on which to place his
feet, using black ones for performance. After several weeks of lessons,
Bill's lower back pain was gone and he had, in addition, developed a new
awareness of himself while playing.
THE VOCALIST
Teacher Certification
Words are no substitute for the experience of lightness and freedom that is
the hallmark of Alexander Technique lessons. A properly trained teacher of
the Alexander Technique can be a guide to a new awareness and freer
playing. Look for Alexander Technique teachers who are certified by one
of the many affiliated worldwide organizations which require 1600 hours of
training over a minimum of three-years (see link below). Alexander
Technique teachers do not need to be musicians themselves to be of enormous
help to musicians and can work with every type of instrumentalist and
vocalist no matter what level or style.
Nora Nausbaum
Here are some complementary links:
Links to online articles:
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE INTERNATIONAL
For References & Description see:
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