Music Education and the Alexander Technique
Music Education and Alexander Technique! How possibly it could be connected? Well, the truth about Alexander technique is that it works with any activity that involves complex enough body movements and posturing. And music is one such domain that puts lot of physical demands on a musician, a fact substantiated by the number of repetitive strain injuries (RSI) cases occurring in this class of people.
Apart from curing injuries, Alexander technique also helps the artists to perform better. For example, a violinist’s stiff arms and shoulders could hamper his/her rhythm sizably during a stage concert, and a singer’s tight neck might cause his/her voice to be less resonant, and still the person might not realize what actually could be going wrong with his/her performance, even after putting in so much effort in practice and rehearsals. Alexander technique solves this issue; it makes them realize the undue stresses in their bodies and teaches them how to posture in the most natural way. Once the person learns to relax himself, the performance automatically becomes natural and hence better.
Now, Alexander technique is a part of the curriculum in coveted institutes such as The Royal College of Music in London, Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York, and The Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. And it is widely being inducted into the syllabi of many other music colleges across the world.
Tail Piece: Julian Bream, Yehudi Menuhin, Sting, Paul McCartney, James Galwayand, and Sir Adrian Boult are some of the ardent followers of Alexander technique and the biggest advocates of its relevance in music education. |
