“How am I using myself?” is a question that Danielle Thomas urges her students to think about when being introduced to the Alexander Technique. Developed by Frederick Matthias Alexander in the 1890s, it’s a technique of postural and movement awareness that can benefit everyone, but especially musicians, who sometimes engrain harmful habits and positions during long hours in the practice room.

“Alexander Technique is a really crucial part in a student's development,” Thomas says, “Because it helps them better understand how they're physically designed to play their instrument.” Since, with the exception of singers, musicians are often so focused on the minutiae of their instrument and changing their technique to enhance it, Thomas adds that Alexander Technique “redirects that attention back into the student's body, so they learn how to organize their joints, their muscles, their ligaments, every time they're at their instrument.”

F.M. Alexander initially developed his methods to help himself from losing his voice during public oration, making it especially helpful for vocalists. “Danielle has completely transformed the way I perform,” voice student Anna Carney says. Before studying Alexander Technique with her, my posture was my biggest insecurity. I used to suffer from frequent, intense back pain, and a noticeable hump in my back significantly hindered my performances. In classical singing, the body plays a crucial role, and thanks to Danielle, my confidence and breath support have improved dramatically.”

But Thomas has worked with a wide variety of musicians, and says that the core fundamentals of Alexander Technique remain consistent. “When our head, neck, and back are in a proper alignment, all of the other joints are able to be flexible and mobile. So if the head, neck, and back are not fully elongating, then the ribs can't really have their full range of motion, and that’s when anyone who has to use their breath for their instrument will start to tense muscles; in between their ribs,  their abdominals or even recruit their arms to manufacture a change of breath pressure.”

For violinists and violists, Thomas says since they have to bring up their instrument up to the top of their torso and over their ribs, often players will shrink their torso back or otherwise misalign their ribs over their hips to try to make room. “All of the nerve endings fibers for the fingers and the hands go underneath through the thoracic outlet [the space between the collarbone and the first rib]. So if we're shrinking and closing that space, we're not sending a full signal to our fingers. With those students, I try to teach them how to open up their rib cage, move their arms well, and make sure it’s balancing properly over their hips.”

Our bodies , through years, unconsciously develop postures that inhibit our natural movement, regardless of our instrument, Thomas says. For example, something as simple as how we extend our arms away from our bodies can affect pianists. “If extended arms aren’t properly balanced, they’ll act like a weight on the neck,” she continues. “A lot of the pianists have neck tension or head tension or headaches, so teaching them how to move from their hips will really help that head-neck-back relationship so that their spine is aligned to support them.”

The enhanced postural awareness filters into everyday life, composition student Max Marcus says. “In applying the Technique to activities as diverse as speaking, singing, playing the cello, piano, harpsichord, walking, and so on, I have begun to synthesize these different modes of expression into a more holistic understanding of body mechanics, of the breath, of connecting our inner and outer experiences, and ourselves with our environment.”

Pianist Cesonia Da Rosa echoes this: “From body to mind to soul, Professor Thomas has taught me what it truly means to cultivate awareness and connection, both internally and externally. Through our Alexander Technique sessions, she has fundamentally transformed my trajectory in perceiving art and life.”

Da Rosa’s answer is a large-scale version of Thomas’ ‘How am I using myself,’ but it gets at the scope of how she wants her students to approach life. “I’m hoping to educate the student about how their body is designed to move so that they can think logically and plan accordingly. If they're rehearsing something over and over and over again and they realize, ‘Okay, this is tweaking my elbow,’ they can start to think of their body in a way that will open up new possibilities. Alexander Technique gives the musician the tools and autonomy to say, ‘What can I achieve here if I’m using my body to the best of its abilities?’”

Learn more about Thomas’ work and how SFCM’s Arts & Humanities Department educates the whole musician.