Performing Arts and the Alexander Technique
Who uses the Alexander Technique?
Answer: The Juilliard School, The New York Philharmonic Orchestra, The Royal College of Music, Sir Colin Davis,
Julie Andrews, Sting, Robin Williams, James Earl Jones, Kevin Klein, William Hurt, John Cleese, Kenneth Branaugh,
and many others!
Performing artists have found the Alexander Technique particularly helpful, as the Technique shows them the optimum way to use themselves in their endeavor. This is no small matter, because the way performing artists use themselves has a direct bearing on their success, both in terms of artistic representation and physical stamina. Whether it is dance, music, theater, horseback riding, or indeed any artistic (or even athletic) discipline, the goal is to use a coordinated whole self to perform. Instead, what often happens is a series of tension or contraction patterns which greatly interferes with the natural mechanism available to any artist.
The Alexander Technique shows an artist how to engage a more correct, overall pattern so that s/he can let go of the unnecessary tension s/he is holding. In the attempt to “get a result,” it can be very easy to compress or tense on ourselves, usually without even realizing it. Over time, this takes its toll on our bodies, leading to pain as well as diminished performance capacity. It is sometimes tempting to dismiss the pain as typical or expected, but this is not necessarily so. When the organism is being used in a coordinated fashion, the workload is distributed evenly throughout the body. When coordination is lost, the only alternative is to use tension to produce a result. This can seem so second nature that often it is considered normal, not unlike infection was before germs were discovered. The Alexander Technique teaches us how to unlearn these damaging tension habits and replace them with a coordinated use of the whole self. This does take time, but once learned, it is time well spent.
A very nice example of coordinated use of the whole self is what you will find in healthy babies and toddlers. Think of a baby gripping your fingers: it’s unexpectedly strong! What you are feeling are not just strong fingers, but really a perfectly coordinated body. There are no tension patterns to get in the way of the power available when everything is working in sync. That’s what we want when we are performing and practicing. Even if we don’t get back to “being the toddler,” every improvement we make will take us that much farther away from old tension patterns and the limitations thereof.
On a personal note, I studied piano for 14 years, taking private lessons through grade school, high school, and college, where I earned my Bachelor of Music. During my third year in college, I nearly had to give up my study of piano because the pain in my back had become so severe. After discovering the Alexander Technique, I finally understood that I was trying to produce sound via a few tiny muscles in my hand and neck instead of engaging all of my muscles (including the ones in my hand and neck) to produce sound. In other words, I had been introduced to the use of my whole self, not just bits and pieces of my self.
Upon graduation, my back pain was gone, and I understood how to be physically present at the instrument. I realized what I really wanted to do was teach others this very discovery. I trained for three years at Alexander Technique Urbana with Rose Bronec and Rick Carbaugh. Urbana, IL, is rich in artistic life, and I had the opportunity not only to work with other musicians, but also to assist in two University of Illinois Department of Dance classes during my third year of training. Since becoming certified to teach the Alexander Technique, I have had the privilege of working with a variety of music students from my alma mater, Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
I have noticed particular tendencies in my performing artist students. Instrumentalists very typically use tremendous tension in the fingers and hands instead of supporting the torso and shoulders, allowing the hands and arms to become an extension of the whole self. For vocalists, correct head-neck poise is crucial to allow the full capability of the vocal mechanism. Also, breathing shouldn’t be something unnatural, but rather a natural function of the organism. In my experience working with lung capacity in vocalists, when we get the support (not tension) through the torso going, that is what frees the rib cage. Toddlers can also impress us with their vocal power, and again, it is not coincidence. Overall coordination is key no matter what the discipline.