Away from the Instrument

After a long hiatus, I’m back writing again. Many thanks to all those who have been reading and listening to the podcasts even though nothing has been happening, at least not visibly.

In the past months, I’ve been hearing from other musicians and even Feldenkrais colleagues, that in order for the FM (Feldenkrais Method) to be useful for musicians, it must be more directly applied to the actual playing of an instrument, or to singing. As I wrote in a previous blog, I had heard that some would even say that doing something like Feldenkrais (or any other somatic practice) is a waste of time, even if the practicing causes pain. This certainly may be true for some but I do encounter musicians who have other sentiments. I must admit, when I was in undergraduate school, I thought music theory was a waste of time because it took  away from practicing. Fortunately, I have seen the benefits of having studied music theory and wish I’d paid more attention in music history, but I digress.

 

Back to the original question: does the study of movement and somatic awareness need to be directly related to playing or singing to be useful in enhancing performance? The answer I came up with is, yes and no, depending on the individual. As mentioned before, there are those who feel that the FM is a waste of time and others who seem to benefit from it. I even know of a piano teacher, named Alan Fraser, who has produced a video on piano technique using ideas from the FM but chose not to call it such because he knew that the mention of the FM might scare away potential customers. I’ve only watched the video on his website but find his ideas very interesting. Richard Corbeil’s “Vocal Integration with the Feldenkrais Method®” (see blog) is another example of a nice blend between the FM and music pedagogy. I have been developing lessons for brass players combining elements of Awareness Through Movement lesson and playing that seem to be quite useful.

 

However, I have been chewing on the question: What benefits can the FM have for musicians when it’s not directly applied to singing or playing i.e. done away from the instrument? Through this reflection, I’ve come up with a list of ideas.

 

1.            Developing a broader sense of awareness, for one’s self, his/her surroundings, and fellow musicians. One example,  a voice teacher told me she heard the piano more clearly after a Feldenkrais lesson that focused on a freer turning in her neck.

 

2.            Cultivating the sense of well-being. This applies to most of the people who come to my group classes. They say that the weekly lessons help them to feel better, more relaxed etc., during the week. This kind of benefit has obvious implications for a person’s life with and away from the instrument.

 

3.            Supporting recovery from the stress and strain of practice and performance. Taking the time to do something, again, away from the instrument, which is enjoyable can have positive effects on the body’s ability to recover and regenerate. This is something athletes know and use extensively.

 

4.         And speaking of athletes, most train in other ways away from their specific sport. Most every athlete does some kind of strength training and many include coordination and balance exercises, and mental visualization into their training regimens.

 

This list is not complete and I’m curious to hear from other musicians as how they do or do not find useful ways to enhance their performance away from the instrument. If you are interested in trying out some FM lesson for musicians, you can get mini lesson from my DMS podcast and you can order “The Dynamic Musician Series: Dynamic Stability and Breath, Volumes 1 & 2” digitally or in hard copy from the links below and to the right.

 Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out the DMS podcasts, Feldenkrais mini lessons for musicians and speakers.

From iTunes

or direct

If you have any specific questions or comments on breathing and posture, send me e-mail and I’ll try to respond in a future blog. Until then, breathe well!

Comments

[Margaret Marcuson]

I'm an amateur singer (have been studying for about a decade), and have been taking Awareness through Movement classes for over a year now. I find I am present in my body in a different way in general. I am making significant progress in my singing, too. Not sure of the direct connection, but I do notice things while I'm singing, like how I'm standing on my feet, that I didn't used to.

[John Tarr]

Dear Margaret,

Thank you for your comment and observations about your experiences in taking Awareness Through Movement classes. Your comment got me to thinking about the idea that we don’t actually know what we don’t know. What I mean is, when we start learning something new, we don’t know what the results will feel like. In taking voice lessons, we begin to learn about different qualities of sound, breathing, and expression, but none of those things are singing, they are nice and important side effects of our study. However, learning about them can affect how we sing. The same is true for Feldenkrais lessons or any other somatic practice (like yoga, Alexander and even sports). Being more present in your body and aware of the way you are standing will indeed have some affect on your singing. The caveat is that you can never go back and find out what it would be like to sing not having had those experiences.

All the best, John