When I was a kid, my dad took me to hear orchestra concerts and we sat in the front row so I could watch the violinists up close. ? I loved the music, but that’s actually when I decided NOT to play in an orchestra. The musicians looked so unhappy – and that’s not how I wanted to make music!
As an adult, I did actually end up playing in many orchestras in addition to my solo performances. Add that to my experience as an Alexander Technique teacher and life/artistry coach for musicians, and I’ve come into contact with literally thousands of musicians in my lifetime. ? ?
It’s always been my impression that most musicians are suffering from some kind of physical pain, performance anxiety, and/or depression.
It turns out that research from the University of Sydney in Australia surveying orchestral musicians backs up my experience: 84% (!!) of the orchestral musicians surveyed experienced pain severe enough to impair performance.
Professor Dianna Kenny, who undertook the study, said, “The implication of these findings is that physically based treatments of performance-related musculoskeletal pain that do not address associated anxiety and depression might not prove to be effective.” ?
As a healer, I couldn’t agree more.
Musicians who come to me for help with their various ailments have always tried “physically-based” ? approaches first, with varying success – rarely enough to resolve their pain. Depending on the severity of their pain, they may have tried anything from general exercise, simple stretches, changing their posture and musical technique, physical therapy, to specialized medical care or even surgery.
Even if some of these approaches help the musician in pain, they are unable to get to the root cause ? of the problem, because their perspective is based on the fundamental misunderstanding that a problem can be physical without there being any mental or emotional component involved.
From a holistic perspective, it’s simply impossible to separate the so-called “physical” from the “mental” and the “emotional”. Every person is an indivisible whole, and everything that affects the person affects ALL of the person. ☯️
A partial approach cannot help the whole person in any fundamental and lasting way. Even if a problem seems to be solved, it will only be a temporary solution. It’s likely to crop up again later, in the same way or in another guise.
My method, The Art of Freedom® Method for conscious living and masterful artistry, helps musicians overcome their pain by incorporating the Alexander Technique, which has been proven effective for back pain and more.
The more I work with musicians, the more I find this approach to be an ✨almost-magical solution✨ to all kinds of suffering.
Many of my students come to me ready to give up music altogether, or their doctors have told them they would always be in pain. After working with me their pain is often completely gone, and they have tools to steadily improve on their own on a daily basis.
Now, there is an end in sight, with hope and music in their future. ?️
If you want to learn more about how The Art of Freedom® Method can help you feel better and enjoy your music again sooner, message me for information about the “Special Pain Edition” of The Musician’s Advantage™ Jumpstart program beginning in April, with special Early-Bird bonuses when you register by April 1st. Message me here or email me at Jennifer@ArtofFreedom.me now and ask me for details!
Joyfully,
Jennifer
p.s. Does anything in this post resonate with you? I’d love to hear from you – let me know in the comments!