I have had the pleasure of working closely with many classical musicians- young and old, students and well known professionals- and  have had many opportunities to observe them and their colleagues in practice and performance.  All too frequently I see musicians who are clearly playing in pain, musicians who are dangerously unaware of their bodies and musicians whose sound is compromised by layers of tension and stress.

Many musicians, regardless of their instrument, play from the mid-chest up, oblivious to the fact that their sound and technique is affected by the placement of their feet and legs, the stress in their lower backs, their shallow breath.  It is important to understand-mentally and physically-how one part of the body effects all other parts.  Often a practitioner’s diagnosis comes as a surprise; the presenting chronic pain felt in the neck is often manifested by chronic holding in the middle back.

When a musician developes tendonitis in her elbow and seeks help, it is crucial the goal be not only to become asymptomatic but to find the root cause.  Once this is determined, one should pay as much attention to that part of body, and surrounding areas, as is paid to the original pain.  Common issues, such as carpal tunnel, cumulative trauma,and tendonitis can be greatly decreased by using this whole body approach.

There are some ‘body issues’ that are generational, they come and go.  One of them is the enormously heavy backpacks students have become all too accustomed to; I don’t believe they were in fashion twenty-five years ago.   Although things are beginning to change, packs on wheels seem to becoming more acceptable, the majority of students still carry their books  on their backs.

I want to talk today about what happens when one is not carrying a backpack.  I’ve noticed when students are sitting-be it in a chair, on the bus, in a car-that their back assumes an ‘as if’ shape;  as if it still has a backpack attached to it. They are slumped, their spine is shortened, their neck is tight.  This is not good.  This collapsed posture effects all of the body, from the alignment of the head and spine, to the breath, to the sense of groundedness.

It is also carried over to the way the young musician stands or sits while playing their instrument-yes, how you sit on the bus is reflected in the way you approach and play your instrument.

So notice-when you don’t have a load on your back, try to feel the base of your spine touching the back of your seat and your spine long.  Notice your chest and your breathing.  And when you play, before you lift your arm, feel your long spine in the chair.

The lynchpin of my work rests on two crucial factors; awareness of one’s body in all aspects of life and ‘whole body consciousness.’  The way a musician uses his/her body in everyday life is reflected in all aspects of  technique and musicality.  It is not possible to have a solid body/instrument technique without daily body awareness.  As you read this, do a quick body scan-notice your feet, legs and how you’re sitting in your chair.  Then bring awareness to your spine and neck-just notice what you notice.  How about your shoulders, your jaw, your eyes?  Notice the parts of your body that feel comfortable in the chair; maybe your back supported by the chair; maybe the backs of your legs on the seat;  your feet on the ground.  If you have a few minutes, continue to focus on these ‘grounded’ places and breathe in for a slow count of 4 and out for a slow count of 4.  Notice how the grounded or comfortable places feel.

Whole body consciousness means an understanding of the relationship between, for instance, the feet and neck or the lower and upper back. The pain you feel in your wrist may well come from weak abdominals, fallen arches or a compressed chest.  It is not enough to fix the part of the body that is tight or painful- healing can only occur with whole body integration.