The Alexander Technique, Music and the Piano notes from my teaching practice The Alexander Technique can give the pianist -- young or old -- a different experience of playing.

The AT begins by observing the connection between head, neck and back (torso). From this primary relationship we extend out to the arms and legs. We've all seen babies demonstrate what Alexander called "good use." The Technique works essentially to take away that which interferes with this natural state.

The beginnings of keyboard work . . .

To help the young pianist (re)discover the natural sense of a seated balance which supports the arms while playing, he or she needs to be elevated (eg., books, cushions, or the ball). Further, foot stools should be used so that smaller students can receive more sensory input from their feet. Without these connections--both through the sitting bones and the feet, students are frequently not properly grounded, either in themselves or in their playing.

Achieve good posture by taking away
the bad . . .

Music teachers often concern themselves with their students' posture, trying to get their students to stop slumping, for example, or sit up straight. Remarkably, trying to fix postural problems directly usually makes matter worse. This is because making superficial, temporary adjustments, often creates even more tension. In contrast, the Alexander Technique attempts to go to the source of students' misuse by in an unique way calling attention to it, both with the teacher'a hands and with simple verbal directives.