The "P" word - Posture

A powerful moment on stage is when an actor is standing, not necessarily speaking, and not gesturing nor traveling in space. I was reminded of this while watching a young actor whose blocking had him stand still while the rest of the ensemble moved around him. He was connected to the stage, beautifully upright, looking ahead with intention but without the slightest bit of tension. While others may say he has beautiful posture, I say he has balance, awareness, and clarity in the moment. 

When actors of olden days applied posturing to a character, it was a way of expressing movement that fit the character's character, so to speak. That still happens today, and you can see it in well-trained actors. They don't call it posturing nowadays. They learn movement options, often in an Alexander Technique class. One of those options is being fully embodied, even if standing on one's mark.

Because I am an Alexander Technique Teacher, clients often come to me seeking a way to improve their posture. When I ask them what that means to them, they usually demonstrate something very stiff. One of my students demonstrated posture by backing up into the wall and then stepping forward, using effort to maintain a sense of perfect uprightness.

Being up in space is a natural way of being. Most of the muscles and connective tissues that have this primary job are very close to the spine. Unfortunately, when people think of posture, they disregard this natural structure and apply considerable effort to superficial muscles. Superficial muscles are designed to move bones through various ranges of motion, dependent upon joint structures and the variety of forces applied in movement. When they are used consciously for uprightness, movement becomes limited and sometimes painful.

A musician who has a goal of perfect posture may do the same thing - restrict movement for the sake of an ideal position. However, a musician who understands that being upright is an internal mechanism that doesn't need that level of work will find both freedom and balance. That musician will trust being up in space to allow for the expressive and technical requirements of the instrument and the music.

Here is a photo of outstanding pianist, Vladimir Horowitz. He had a long career of playing from a place of beautiful balance. Notice how easily he moves his head while posing for this picture. If he had a concept of posture that was stiff and inflexible, he wouldn't be able to do this. I was fortunate to see him play live, and his balance and control of sound were magnificent.

 

 Here is a photo of singer Tony Bennett, known for his smooth, expressive delivery of the American Song Book, including duets with Lady Gaga. He just retired from public performance at the age of 95. His standing balance contributes to the ease in his singing style.

 

                        Here is Lady Gaga singing the National Anthem. Beautiful balance as well. It's fun to watch her sing with Tony as they both display balance even though the size and types of their movements vary. She moves with freedom and lots of character. One of my favorite duets can be seen here: https://youtu.be/ZPAmDULCVrU

 

 

Flipping the Golden Rule

 Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. A fundamental Christian tenet, this basic moral recommendation can be found in all major religions and philosophies. Here’s the Buddhist advice: Hurt not others with that which pains yourself. From Taoism: Regard your neighbor’s loss as your own loss. For more interpretations,  go to https://ellemay.wordpress.com/2009/02/09/the-golden-rule-versions-from-many-religions-philosophies

 

Lately the sign “Be Kind” has been cropping up on lawns in my town, maybe in yours as well. These signs get me thinking about why we need a reminder. How many times does this rule get flipped into doing unto others as they have done to you?

 

I’m fresh off the online conference for the Association for Body Mapping Educators.www.bodymap.org. This year’s conference included several strong presentations on emotions in learning and teaching as well as how they impact performance anxiety. In one of those sessions, the question of teachers as bullies popped up. Most of the attendees admitted to having had at least one teacher who would fit that label.

 

If you had that kind of teacher, did you take that style into your teaching? Or did you change course and go the other way? Did you see this method as a successful way to get results because you were treated that way? If so, was there a point when you realized you were perpetuating a practice that no longer served you and your students? What was that point?

 

Tough questions, perhaps, because we may acknowledge certain times that were less than golden. Maybe just one lesson. Maybe just one student that seemed to need more push than hand-holding, and it went a step too far. Maybe you grew up in an environment with that practice as the norm.

 

Passing our experiences into our practice is 100% normal. When it is good learning, it becomes good teaching. When it is reactionary, not so much.

 

First step: Spend some quiet time with the question.

Second step: If you find something you don’t like to remember or observe, forgive yourself and choose not to repeat it. I've found some in my memory banks that I'd rather not repeat.

Third: You can be clear and decisive and still be kind to others and yourself. Practice it.

 

Pass it on.

We are all nerds.

 

My father was an early adopter long before the designation was in common parlance. He started writing on a manual typewriter, moved through an electric model and a primitive word processor, and ended up with an iMac in his eighties.

 

At one point he brought home a very early computer, an odd machine that he rigged up to our tiny black and white television. I remember being able to play the infant version of Pong on it, the green elements against the dark background, and typing some words on the screen.

 

My father loved gadgets, but he was by no means a computer nerd, as we have come to honor that term. He was a nerd in the respect that he loved to read and was very intelligent and not very athletic. He wasn’t very good at fixing things, and he sometimes got impatient reading directions, a task that would get passed on to me. He didn’t care much how these machines worked, but he was fascinated by their potential. I carry these same nerd traits.

 

At this point in history, most of us have become nerds of various sorts. We had little choice if we were going to continue to teach without the benefit of in-person lessons. With not much warning, we were searching YouTube videos and figuring out how to access Zoom, Facetime, and Google Duo and Meet, for starters. Then it was off to Amazon to wait in line for tech implements like USB mikes and tripods for our phones. Remember when we couldn’t get them?

 

I’m taking a quick inventory of the gear I had before going fully online and what I added. Looks like this:

 

What I had:

            • A laptop computer.

            • An adjustable portable computer stand that was easy to set up by my piano.

            • Inexpensive Logitech speakers to amplify the sound from my computer. 

            • An adjustable tripod.         

            • An iPhone for videos as needed.                   

            • A studio with full-spectrum overhead fluorescent lights that didn’t cast                             shadows on my face.                     

           • Same studio that is in a separate building but picks up good wi-fi from the                     router in the house. No photo-bombing or toilet flushing in the                                     background.

 • Teaching manipulatives that I could show students via my computer camera.

 

What I purchased:

            • A phone grip attachment for my tripod.

            • A Blue Snowball USB mike.

            • A gooseneck phone grip.

            • A portable mike that works under a mask.

  • A turntable cushion for revolving from facing the piano to facing the 

        computer.                  

  • A set of plastic stacking trays to organize the basic method books I use 

        all the time and keep on a storage cube by the piano.

 •  Extra copies of method books so I can follow along instead of relying 

        on my memory, good as it is (or was?)

 

When I started purchasing accessories for online teaching, I focused on what would have future use. Because I give live presentations – and hope to do so again – having a portable mike fit in that category. Because I’ve given several Zoom presentations, having the USB mike will have future use. Because I create short videos for FaceBook, having the tripod phone grip has come in handy.

 

The revolving cushion and the plastic tray set may or may not have much use in the future. The cushion could work for students when they come back to the studio. The plastic tray set was an impulse purchase that arrived recently. Value yet to be determined, but it does hold all of my technique and lesson books in separate slots.

 

I have to admit that I look at other online teachers with boom stands and multiple cameras and access to all kinds of online resources and wonder if I have enough gear. They are the true nerds, the ones that seem to know how things work, or so I think. Maybe they are just better at reading directions.

 

Our professional exchanges have gone from discussing methods to discussing gear and platforms. What happens when Zoom creates feedback? How do you get students to set up their devices so you can see and hear? And, recitals?????

 

The tech transformation is complete. We are all nerds.