Teaching Flute Lessons with Alexander Principles - Part 6

VII.         Breathing

A major aspect of the Alexander Technique is the study of breathing. As flutists, it is especially important to practice good use while breathing. When teaching a newer student, allow her vibrato to develop on its own. Teaching vibrato will create unnecessary tension in the throat. Extra tension in the throat will translate into more stress throughout the body. To further explore playing with less tension, have students play orchestral pieces while sitting and solo music while standing. This way, the students will have a realistic idea of how it will physically feel to breathe while playing the piece. Here is an Alexander procedure called the “Whispered Ah.” It is helpful to practice it before and after playing and at any point when you feel an increase in tension. Try standing/seated Whispered ‘Ahs’ as part of the study, notice the difference and discuss it with your students. See how little they can interfere with their breathing in either case.

The Whispered Ah

1. Spend a few minutes having an awareness of your breathing.

2. Allow your mouth to drop open so that you exhale through your mouth and let your lips come together so that you inhale through your nose.

3. Let your tongue lie easily in the bottom of your jaw with its tip against the back of your lower teeth.

4. Make a whispered “Ah” sound as you exhale.

5. See if you can interfere with your breathing as little as possible.

1. At the end of your exhalation, pause and wait for your body to tell you when it is ready to inhale.

6. Think of something humorous or pleasant to allow a smile to come behind your eyes. This will release tension and allow you to breathe fully

How to apply these procedures during lessons

1. Teach the Whispered ‘Ah’

2. Bring the flute to the mouth

Instead of playing, use the Whispered Ah. In this way, you inhibit the idea that the only response to a flute at the lips is to play. Once you have inhibited your habitual response, you can release old habits and when you do play, you will experience a new freedom.

3. Bring the flute to the mouth and use the ‘La’ articulation to begin a long tone (a tone that begins softly, increases in volume and then tapers into silence)

VIII.    Continuing Your Study/Good Use

It is helpful if children are surrounded by parents and teachers with good use, thus leading by example. If you, as a teacher, practice good use, it will surely influence your students (children and adults). Therefore, take some Alexander lessons and/or have an Alexander teacher work with a group of your students. Be sure to invite more ease into your life by practicing Constructive Rest. See how often you can come back to your sense of awareness and give yourself the gift of effortlessness. Let that feeling of lightness encompass your entire breathing, sensing being.  Your body will reward you in so many ways. Who knows? You may one day wish to become an Alexander Teacher.

Returning to an Instrument After an Injury

Sorry for the delay, everyone. I've been on vacation and it was wonderful. Let me know if you have had any questions since my last post. 

While I was working on my Master’s degree in Flute Performance, I had to file for disability. The Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD) I had developed made it impossible for me to maintain my rigorous playing schedule. The university allowed me to cut my recital time down to 30 minutes instead of a full hour. After my recital, I put my flute in its case and didn’t take it out for three years.

During that time, I took Alexander Technique lessons and gradually began to feel some relief from TMD. Once I started training to be an Alexander teacher, my body reorganized itself and I could consider playing the flute.

But I couldn’t “go back” to playing the flute. I had to find a new way to play that would not cause pain. When I started, I could only pull out the case, open it, close it, and put it away. Excess tension crept in as I anticipated playing, so I needed to retrain my brain and body to release tension with each action. I did this a few times until I could do so with freedom. Then I added assembling my instrument, and finally playing.

I learned a bit from Alexander Murray (a flutist and Alexander teacher from Chicago) but also from the wonderful teachers at the American Center for the Alexander Technique (ACAT). Eventually, I could play slow passages, but struggled to play fast technical in music. I found that two other ACAT trainees who were musicians experienced the same difficulty. What we found was that our fingers needed to be retrained.

When you apply your Alexander thinking, you move slowly because it’s a new experience. Increasing your tempo without clenching muscles won’t happen on its own. Each finger needs to be retrained by using short, quick movements. One note at a time, one finger at a time.

One note at a time, one finger at a time.

I know you’re thinking this sounds too pedantic to be something you’d want to try. Maybe it isn’t something you need, but for the musician who is returning to an instrument after an injury it might be necessary in order to prevent re-injury. No matter what state your body is in, training yourself to use the right amount of tension will benefit your body, your musicianship, and your career.

If you get stuck, contact me!

Teaching Flute Lessons with Alexander Principles - Part 2

II.             Finding Balance

1.  Back and Down                              2.  Over-straightened                     3.  Balanced

To begin to improve the daily use of your body, you must understand how your body works against gravity. When your whole self is poised and easeful, your body will naturally spring up against gravity. You will know your entire system is easeful when your neck is relaxed, your head moves forward and up, and your back is widening. This is the opposite of a collapsed head, neck, and torso that appear to be defeated by gravity, or what Alexander teachers call being “back and down.”

Here are three examples of head/neck/back relationships while in an upright position. (View from left to right.) 1. The first image is of a head back and down. As you can see, the spine would become compressed in this position and breathing would be taxing. People who appear this way may be tired and feel that collapsing as pictured will be restful. The extra effort needed to breathe and move in this state would make playing the flute a difficult endeavor. 2. The second image is of a head over-straightening. People sometimes pull their spines into this position in an effort to have “good posture.” The spine is not allowed to have its cervical curve and it would take extra tension to maintain this arrangement. Once again, breathing and moving would require excess tension. The extra tension travels into the shoulders, arms, and fingers making technical passages a nightmare. 3. The third image is of a balanced head. Keep in mind that this is not a position to be held, but a free neck where the head can constantly balance and re-balance as you move. Just as a tall building is designed to move, so should you. As you are “standing still,” you can let your whole self be free so that your body moves slightly in what Alexander teachers call the “standing dance.” Your head/neck/back relationship is just a part of that dance. When your head is balanced on your torso, you can breathe and move with freedom. FM Alexander called this head/neck/back relationship Primary Control. Primary Control is the body’s basic, innate mechanism for support and poise. It ensures that your limbs can move freely with minimal effort and without compromising your free neck, balanced head, and lengthening spine.

III.           Constructive Rest

Constructive Rest Position

This is one variation of the Constructive Rest, or Semi-Supine position. Lie on the floor with a comfortable number of paperback books under your head. Your head and neck should feel balanced and free, just as in the previous diagram. Allow your knees to be bent with your feet to be as close to your torso as is comfortable, and placed wider than your pelvis. Allow your body to expand onto the floor. Let your hands rest on your abdomen so that you can feel your breathing. Your neck can be easy so that your head can balance on the books with minimal effort. Your spine can maintain its curves and therefore certain places on your back may not touch the floor. Allow your spine to lengthen within its curves. Remember that these directions are not orders that you must follow, but wishes. There is nothing for you to do but be aware and see if you can inhibit and gradually direct yourself to release any unnecessary tension. Continually ask yourself if you can do less. Later, when you are upright, see if you can use awareness, inhibition, and direction to rediscover this feeling of ease in your joints.

For example, if you become aware of tension in your neck, inhibit the desire to move it around, pull it to each side and crack it. Say “no” to all of the old habits and instead, pause. Think of your Alexander directions: Neck to be free, head balancing, spine to lengthen, legs releasing, and shoulders widening. Have the wish for your neck to be soft. Begin again with awareness and repeat the whole process.

Constructive Rest shows us that there is another state in which to live besides awake and tense or asleep. Since we are lying down, we are not struggling with gravity and can release more muscle tension than we would be able to while standing or sitting. Practicing Constructive Rest regularly (for 15 minutes a day) can teach you how to become aware of excess tension and let it go while being in a prone position and consequently, you will begin to do less while upright.

IV.    Dancing with Gravity

Tripod of Balance

When you stand, think of the bottom of your feet expanding. Consider the “Tripod of Balance,” or the ball of the great toe, the ball of the small toe, and the heel. Sensing these points can help you feel more contact with the floor. Once you have that connection, you can have lightness and ease of movement throughout your body.

When we have a good connection with the ground, we have the ability to move up internally in opposition. Once we have awareness and have inhibited doing anything, we can think our directions. The neck can be soft so that the head can balance delicately at the tip of the spine and the spine can lengthen so that the knees can release forward and the shoulder girdle is supported by our sense of “up.” Think of how a fountain works: energy is drawn up from its strongly connected base and the water moves up from its center and then cascades down on the outer circumference. Our bodies work in a similar way. The strong connection of your feet to the ground allows your legs to move up from your ankles and your spine moves up all the way to its uppermost point, the atlanto occipital joint, where your head also releases up and your outer musculature can release, allowing your spine and legs to bear your weight. Therefore, your arms can be light since your shoulder girdle is not responsible for keeping you upright. So there is an upwards and a downwards flow throughout your body. To find the feeling of lightness within your shoulder girdle, try the following procedure.

Pearl Ausubel’s Arm Procedure

Pearl Ausubel was a teacher at the American Center for the Alexander Technique. She developed the following procedure for her musician students to help them learn to release excess tension in their arms.

1.     Stand with your neck free so that your head can be balanced at the tip of your spine and your torso can lengthen and widen and your legs can release away from your torso and your shoulders can widen.

2.     Let the fingers of your right hand lengthen towards the floor.

3.     Allow the thumb of your right hand to lead your palm to face away from your body.

4.     Let your fingertips lead your straight arm away from your torso, out to your side in a lengthening arc until your arm is perpendicular to your body. Be sure that your torso is not compromised by the movement.

5.     Feel your feet release into the floor as your head releases towards the ceiling and your arm lengthens away from your body.

6.     Allow your thumb to lead your palm to face the floor.

7.     Let your fingertips lead your straight arm in a lengthening arc back to your side.

8.     Notice the difference between your arms and your shoulders.

9.     Repeat with the left arm.

I will add more of the paper soon. Stay tuned!