As a professional violinist and a certified Alexander Technique teacher, I’ve had countless conversations and worked with musicians globally: soloists, ensemble players, students, and music educators at every level—from private studio owners to university-level faculty. From this, I’ve gained a unique perspective into the myriad challenges that musicians face today. It’s because of the solutions I came up with that my coaching practice is devoted exclusively to helping musicians. 🎻

Even though I enjoyed a lot of success as a musician before the age of twenty and was called “a rising star” by TIME magazine, with solo appearances at Carnegie Hall and with world-renowned orchestras, my career hasn’t always been smooth sailing. Discovering the Alexander Technique in my early thirties was a real before/after experience for me. It changed everything for the better. ✨

Until I discovered this technique, I used to think of music-making as primarily a mental activity. For some reason, I had an irrational prejudice that so-called mental activities were “better” than physical activities, which was tantamount to judging the mere idea of running away from a tiger as more valuable than actually running away—as if you could have one without the other!

I knew I needed to use my arms and fingers to play the violin. Naturally. But what did my legs or hips have to do with playing octaves in tune?!? I was oblivious as to how the rest of my body was involved. After all, my feet seemed so far away . . . 🤔

Unfortunately, being ignorant of what was happening throughout my whole body while playing the violin meant that I didn’t notice when my toes were curled and gripping the floor, my knees were locked, or my hips were thrust forward, creating a swayback posture (which I thought at the time was “good posture” but now I know introduces tremendous strain on the body), thereby breaking the flow of energy throughout my system, compromising the free flow of my musical technique. 🌿

I was unaware of a chain of tension beginning in my neck, jaw, and shoulders, which continued down to my arm muscles, causing them to contract and my fingers to be stiffer than necessary, all of which made it harder to play fast, technically demanding passages. I also didn’t realize how often I held my breath when I played. My shallow breathing, too, was preventing me from shaping musical phrases with the natural ease, subtlety, and flowing beauty I expected of myself . . . but I had absolutely no idea all of this was going on! 💡

If you're curious about exactly how to bring full-bodied, soulful ease into how you play your instrument (or anything else), I have one coaching opening for a new student beginning in September. Just comment below if you're interested and we can have a chat about what's possible.

With Love & Light,
Jennifer ❤️