Posts Tagged ‘Music Teacher’

This ebook, Taking Care of Yourself and Your Students: Alexander Technique Guidelines for the Music Teacher, is published on this website in a PDF format. It is very detailed and practical. It will give you the physical tools you need to take the limits off of your ability to teach with great posture, ease, and comfort.
This ebook is also for sale on all AMAZON websites in a KINDLE format.
Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A. (MOVEMENT THERAPY)

WHAT MAKES THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE A UNIQUE MOVEMENT MODALITY IS THAT ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE TEACHERS TEACH FULLY EXPANDED UPRIGHT POSTURE AND GREAT USE IN ALL ACTIVITIES WITHOUT IMMOBILIZED MUSCULATURE.

An Alexander Technique teacher guides the client/student into postural balance with a fully upright posture, unlocked neck, and lengthening spine. What we do so well at as Alexander Technique teachers is teach the student to do this in all activities ideally.

What most people do in everything from brushing their teeth, to running, to playing a musical instrument, is default into habits that are so tension-filled they wear out their joints and experience pain.

Given that the Alexander Technique teacher teaches clients to do the least amount of physical work with balanced posture, I’d like to talk about doing too much work to find out how to do the least amount of work with high energy.

Example of doing too much work to create a lengthened balanced spine: Sit down in profile to a mirror and get a sense of your torso’s alignment by glancing in the mirror. Now fix your posture! “Fixing” or “holding” are not terms the Alexander Technique uses, because these are words that create immobilized muscles. That is exactly what I want you to do here!

So, hyper-extend your spine to make your head neck spine over-lengthened and over-straightened. Notice all of the tension you’ve introduced into you back and torso. Now, release a lot of the excess tension WITHOUT COLLAPSING, without visibly changing the lengthening spine and fully upright posture.

WHAT YOU HAVE JUST DONE IS TOO MUCH PHYSICAL WORK TO FIND YOUR WAY BACK TO GREAT POSTURE AND THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF LESS WORK, SO YOU DON’T WEAR OUT YOUR JOINTS AND EXHAUST YOUR MUSCULATURE.

What I’ve just had you try is NOT a perfect substitute for finding a certified Alexander Technique teacher, but it is helping you get a greater sense of how to use your body with greater kinesthetic consciousness.

The reason it would be nice to find a teacher, you need the feedback from a certified Alexander Technique teacher to help you create a truly balanced back and spine, and not over-straighten your back or stress your neck.

Also, the Alexander Technique teacher would guide you through your activities, so you don’t slip back into poor posture and poor habits that cause pain and strain.

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO DO TOO MUCH WORK TO DISCOVER YOU’VE ALWAYS DONE TOO MUCH WORK WITH BAD POSTURE AND BAD HABITS. I HAVE NEVER WORKED WITH ANY CLIENT WHO DIDN’T DO LESS MUSCULAR WORK AND FEEL BETTER AFTER APPLYING THE MOVEMENT PRINCIPLES OF THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE.