5 reasons why singers should learn the Alexander Technique:

The Alexander Technique is an indispensable part of my vocal technique and singing teaching; it provided me with the missing link to enable my voice to flourish when I was training as a singer. You can have the best voice teacher in the world, but unless you have good use of your body, which most of us don’t have by default, you will be interfering with your singing technique and getting in the way of your talent.
 
For many singers the Alexander Technique can provide the missing piece of the puzzle once learnt from a good teacher. Here are my 5 reasons how a singer can benefit from taking Alexander Technique lessons: 

1. Gain better awareness of oneself 
As a singer you must be tuned in to your body and how it is organised in order to achieve vocal greatness – after all, your body is your instrument. Many singers actually lack a true sensory picture of themselves when it comes to their own body. The Alexander Technique gives you a more accurate sense of yourself and helps you understand how different parts of your body relate to each other to form a unified whole. It’s not just an intellectual knowledge but an experiential process that gives you a real and deepening awareness of yourself. 

2. Improves breathing 
F.M. Alexander was known by his contemporaries as the breathing man because he improved the breathing of many well-known actors of his day. The Alexander Technique approaches breathing in an indirect way by creating the right conditions in the body for good breathing to occur. Good breathing is a by-product of good functioning of the body, which includes your torso, neck and even your legs and feet! The technique is very effective at dealing with problematic breathing habits when you’re singing and when you’re not. Remember, how you use your body when you’re not singing influences every activity you do! 

3. Helps manage Anxiety & Stress
Anxiety is part of the human condition and certainly part of a singer’s life. The Alexander Technique won’t get rid of your anxiety or stress completely; what is does do is help calm your nervous system and manage physical symptoms thereby ​calming your mind and body. By practicing the skills learnt in an AT lesson you gain more control and command over your body’s reflexes; therefore when you are in a performance or audition situation, you are less overwhelmed by the anxiety and can focus on the task of singing. 

4. Regulate muscle tone and tension
Singers are vocal athletes and singing is a strenuous activity requiring tone and muscle tension. Too much tension though is counterproductive to good singing. The Alexander Technique helps you become aware of your tension levels and gives you specific ways to counteract excess tension  during a performance or afterwards to release any accumulated tension. The lying down semi-supine practice is a classic Alexander procedure, which is great at restoring your body back to a more neutral, springy and less tense state.
 
The technique also gives you the ability to manage the symptoms of performance anxiety which include excess muscle tension. 

5. Improves Posture
Singers need to think about their posture. Bad posture can restrict breathing and cause lack of mobility. Good posture looks good on stage, helps you feel more confident and improves vocal production. The word posture itself carries with it unhelpful preconceptions of trying to sit up straight with rigidity, which only layers on more tension to existing muscle tension and restricts your breathing.

It’s much more helpful to think to yourself, am I lengthening between my feet and the crown of my head, or am I shortening and squashing myself? You want to be lengthening! The technique teaches you how to restore length and springiness throughout the body; encouraging an upward release and uncoiling, resulting in an improved posture through release rather than force.
 
The vocal mechanism also functions better when the body is lengthening and in good alignment. For example, singing high requires the larynx to move into a very hyper-extended posture, which is demanding and physically impossible if your head and neck are dropped forwards and down.

If you've enjoyed reading this then please like or share this article so similar people can benefit from these tips. If you are interested in booking a lesson or finding out more how I can help your singing, posture, or tension levels then contact me here. 

Thanks for reading!

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