Quick Tuesday post – remember to stretch and breathe! Both teachers and students can benefit from stretching yet most teachers I talk to forget to do this each day. Then we have aches and pains from sitting too long at the piano or next to the piano. There are so many resources to find types of stretches and breathing exercises we should do so today I want to challenge each of us to take a moment and do something. Anything is a great start! And really, seeing a teacher do it sets a great example for students to begin doing it more often too.
A few quick stretches to consider:
- Deep breathing
- Stretch Neck & Shoulders
- Stretch the Wrists
- Gently stretch the back and spine
A few resources for more information:
- “The Benefits of Stretching for Musicians: A Practical Guide,” by Lesley Sisterhen MCallister from the MTNA E-Journal, Nov 2009 (need MTNA membership to access the archives).
- Musician’s Health Stretches
- Yoga Stretches for Musicians
Author: Whitney
Whitney Hawker, NCTM, teaches group and private piano at Weber State University, Utah. She loves surprising students with the perfect piece or a new exciting game! After graduate school, she missed sharing ideas and resources daily with colleagues so she and her friend, Spring, began blogging together at 4DPianoTeaching.com