Win-win effects for musical development and physical balance
The idea of integrating the body more consciously and in a differentiated way into the practice process typically elicits three reactions:
- “That sounds promising!”
- “I can’t quite imagine what that means.”
- “You don’t really need that.”
All three perspectives are valid and extremely helpful and deserve to be taken seriously. In this article, we show why each of these attitudes makes a valuable contribution, and how an expanded understanding of the body can render musical practice more efficient, healthier, and musically richer.
- Read more about responses and their added values -
One of our earliest observations was, in fact, such a “promising experience”. Sometime in the mid to late 2000s, we began experimenting without a clear concept but with a great deal of curiosity – with air-filled cushions. We stood on them, tried things out, and noticed: the sound changed. Concentration seemed clearer. The body felt more relaxed. Posture became freer. Something was happening, immediately.
From these first observations, a whole field of exploration has emerged over the past twenty years, one that we are far from having exhausted. Several years ago, we asked ourselves a simple question: What can we do for the body so that it supports us better while playing? Yes, this may sound self-interested – and rightly so. Ultimately, we all want to improve: ourselves, our students, our ensembles.
Out of this motivation, various ideas have developed, which we describe in detail on our website. What they all share is a clear principle: they should be applicable simultaneously with instrumental practice and, wherever possible, establish a direct connection to instrumental technique, musical interpretation, and/or postural and movement efficiency. Only then does the desired win–win situation arise: more effective practice in less time, combined with physical relief.
Our current categorisation:
- Engaging the body in conscious activities – making it directly usable for progress in practice
- Evoking the body – creating conditions under which it can hardly do anything other than function more efficiently
- Doing something beneficial for the body - enabling a special kind of wellbeing
The air-filled cushions mentioned above belong to the category of evoking.
Many initially have only a vague idea of what “body integration” might entail, or they immediately associate it with established approaches such as the Alexander Technique or Feldenkrais. This is hardly surprising: the term is broad, much of it can sound esoteric, and in the reality of teaching schedules and personal calendars, there is often little time for experimentation.
Yet this is precisely where an opportunity arises. Not knowing exactly what is meant allows for an open, unbiased approach. Instead of abstract theory, our work offers concrete, immediately applicable mini-experiments that function across almost all instrumental groups as well as in singing. In this context, even scepticism can become a genuine door-opener: when something is not fully understood conceptually, but a sonic or physical difference is heard or felt at the same moment, curiosity is often sparked.
Many of the practitioners we know today discovered these ideas in exactly this way – through direct, embodied experience.
It is true: there are outstanding musicians who have reached world-class levels without any explicitly body-oriented methods. This fact deserves to be acknowledged – and used constructively. The relevant question is not “Is it possible without it?” but rather: “Is it possible with less effort, in a healthier or more sustainable way?”
In today’s musical reality, we face challenges that earlier generations did not encounter to the same extent, for example:
- high cumulative workloads in professional life (teaching + rehearsing + travelling + media presence),
- generally low levels of physical movement,
- increasing demands for precision and flexibility,
- more frequent physical complaints and overuse injuries,
- less practice time alongside rising expectations,
- pressure in many different forms.
Incidentally, many of the great musicians we admire integrated their bodies intuitively and extremely well; which terminology or methods they used is often simply unknown. The crucial point is this: body integration replaces nothing. It optimises. It makes what we are already doing more effective – often in real time, directly while playing.
Even those who are convinced that “it works perfectly well without” frequently benefit immediately, because these ideas
- require no additional practice time,
- offer direct technical support,
- have a preventive effect, and
- can be seamlessly integrated into any teaching context and into one’s own practice.
We do not see this reaction as rejection, but rather as a pragmatic question of relevance – one that we continually ask ourselves as well.
An attempt at a conclusion
Whether curious, sceptical, or convinced that it works without any of this: each of these perspectives is valuable to us. Our aim is not to change beliefs, but to offer experiential alternatives that make practice more efficient and leave the body – as well as our musical ear and artistic aspirations – more satisfied.
We warmly invite you to try out these ideas: with your instrument, with students, in ensembles, or in singing. Ultimately, personal experience is what counts!