In my musical background, I have previously been exposed to the Alexander Technique.
F. M. Alexander, the founder of the technique, was a performer who discovered the basic principles of human coordination and evolved his technique in the quest to improve his own performance. Interestingly, the basic principle holds for all vertebrates and has been documented by scientists working with various other animals. Alexander's discovery was that optimum coordination is obtained by establishing a certain dynamic relationship between the head and the neck which then allows a certain relationship between the head, neck and torso, allowing a certain relationship between the head, neck, torso, upper and lower limbs. This he called the primary control. It sounds complicated but can be demonstrated by any good Alexander Technique teacher. This relationship, or primary control, is characterised by lightness and ease. It is working in the effortless fluidity of the cat, the alert sensitivity of the young child, and in rare cases in the masterful performances of a few adults. Heifitz and Rubenstein are good examples of this.

But for most of us the primary control is not working well and we need to learn to get it working well again. For a variety of reasons we have developed habits of interfering with this natural coordinating organization, habits which result in too much tension in some parts and too little in others, making it more and more difficult to improve in our activities no matter how hard we try. We habitually stiffen our necks which interferes with the larynx and with the singing voice. It also throws the torso and arms out of coordination making the simplest movements difficult and laboured.

All of this malcoordination is known as misuse. We misuse our arms in trying to play the piano, we misuse our jaw in trying to play the flute, we misuse ourselves as a whole. Not only does misuse limit our performance, but it also has serious consequences for our health. The prevalence of tendonitis, joint problems and repetitive strain injuries amongst musicians attests to widespread coordination problems, and gives warning of the actual dangers of making music without giving attention to coordination. It's a bit like driving with the hand brake on: eventually something's going to give. Although I am focusing primarily on musical issues here, misuse will negatively affect performance in all aspects of life and can affect all areas of health, as well. This may be a consideration for functional abilities in ANY type of physical performance and how improvements can be realized.

As in music, once gradual improvements have been made over a long period of time, these improvments will feed into all other activities. The time scale reflects the fact that habits of coordination are established over many years and take time to change. This is because wrong habits actually feel right instead of wrong, and to make an improvement involves doing something that feels wrong, unfamiliar and unnatural. The technique succeeds by teaching students to use their reasoning instead of relying on their feelings. As we are so unused to using our reasoning in this way, it takes us time to develop the skill.

In order to help overcome the nearly universal inclination to follow the sense of feeling in trying to do something, the teacher of the Alexander Technique uses hands-on guidance. This helps the student to gain a new experience in improved co-ordination and move away from established habits. At the same time the teacher is teaching reasoning skills to direct the student's coordination without guidance. The similarity of a hands-on approach to a variety of physical therapies should not be misunderstood. The Alexander Technique is not a therapy, and requires learning a skill, not just having something done to you. Success will depend on how how much attention is applied to the development of this skill. If the procedures are followed, success will be assured. For this reason, the students who are active in understanding what they are doing and how the technique works will make more progress than those who are passive or disinterested. Reading the four books written by F. M. Alexander is an essential part of studying the technique.

Finally, the technique is a general skill. Lessons typically consist of simple activities such as rising from a chair or lying on a table. There is a great deal more that could be said about the Alexander Technique. The limits of a short article however mean that the explanations are necessarily brief. Those who wish to learn more or investigate in greater detail would be well advised to read any of the books by F. M. Alexander or to get in touch with a teacher of the technique. Music is a great art, and it is a great tragedy that so much potential goes unfulfilled due to ignorance of the principles of our own coordination.