Working on Yourself

“Working on yourself” is an expression often used by Alexander Technique teachers and students to express the continued learning that can happen outside of private Alexander Technique lessons. Through lessons, you progress in your ability to monitor your muscle tension and stress levels, and develop ways to re-train cramped playing habits into freer movement patterns. In order to do this well, it is important to work on yourself outside of weekly lessons, taking time to practice moments of re-setting through lie downs and other procedures.

As musicians we are our own instrument. Through our bodies and minds we channel musical impulse through our imagination and release it in sound through movement and breath. That is why it is important to fine-tune our mind-body connection, learning to calm, focus and orient ourselves while we work, to create an efficient, expressive playing and singing technique.

All of ours senses, the usual five, plus our balance mechanism in the inner ear, our kinaesthetic sense (spark of nerves in joints and muscles that tell us how we are moving), pressure sensors under the skin, and other factors all contribute to the rich pool of feedback to the brain as we play or sing. We monitor ourselves and our environment through all these senses, which report to the brain and are coordinated there to create a constant stream of reaction. This process is called proprioception. Proprioception means “self perception” and it is how we know we are here, what we are doing and how we are doing it.

See the section on Orientation, Balance and Coordination for more information.

The problem is that it is very easy to overload our system. So many impressions and stimuli come from outside of us, and swarm inside us. We tend to rush around, which dulls the fine-tuned perception that we need to steer the fine art of music making. This can lead to many wasted hours of practicing against a background of tension and mis-coordination.

That is why it is important to raise the state you are in before practicing. This gives you a chance to be your best self when facing the challenges of your instrument or voice. You can also do some work on yourself by take active breaks to refresh body and mind for the next task. Be sure that when you stop for a few minutes your brain keeps on learning. It needs the break to process all you have been teaching it! And your body likes a break too, which helps prevent injury by allow muscles to de-contract and reset.

In our classes and lessons we also teach ways to also work on yourself while at your instrument. you can find these tactics in the Flashcards section, combining them with working on yourself without your instrument for the best results. Ask your Alexander Technique teacher for advice about which Flashcards would be the most useful for you.

Working on Yourself Procedures:
We have made some films that give examples of working on yourself. The films are made to allow you to participate in real time with the instructions as if you are in a class. You may notice that the films slow you down, allowing you the time to notice and come to rest. The slow stretches create messages to the brain, which enhance the mental picture you have of yourself. You get to know your most important instrument better: yourself!

Try these films to stimulate your own practice of working on yourself:

Orientation Procedures:
These films have been made for the students at Utrecht Conservatory. One set of professional films was created after many years of education research with students and teachers from Utrecht and their counterparts from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance. The instructor is Tony Thatcher, Head of choreography and teacher of the Alexander Technique. Some of these you may have done in class, or in your lesson. You can read the descriptions of the films on youtube under each film to give you a clear idea of what they are for.

Class films: (lined to playlist)
We have filmed short sections of classes at the conservatory for you to get a bird’s eye view of how we warm-up during class. You can use these more simple versions to get you started.