Masters Thesis Abstract


The Alexander Technique: Its Purpose and Validity in Singing and in the Teaching of Singing

When we contemplate the psychological and physical conditions necessary for good singing, we see that basic among these is the ability not only to perform the act with requisite energy or vitality, but also with ease or freedom (or absence of undue tension). On the surface, the advice given to voice students and vocal performers to “relax” appears to be sound, but “strictly speaking, such advice is a contradiction in terms, for without tension, there is no tone.” (Kelly, p. 16). When the vocal and breathing mechanisms are properly adjusted to produce a particular pitch and vowel, the vocal cords are set into vibratory motion by the release of breath from the lungs. In order to properly sustain the resulting tone, a certain amount of continuous tension must be employed; otherwise, tonal flaws, such as breathiness, flatting of pitch, or improper resonance, may occur.

Vocal teachers are then advocating an elimination of excessive or improper tension, and the application of proper relaxation for singing. Proper bodily relaxation provides the framework in which the vocal technique can be applied most efficiently. Barlow proposed that, “Freedom is a better word than relaxation for the desired muscular condition, which helps to bring about the right mental state (attention without effort); when mind and body are free from strain, habits perform with proficiency.” (Barlow, More Talk of Alexander, p. 182).

The vocal instrument involves the use of diverse and numerous muscle systems: those involved in breathing, the entire torso; phonation, the lips, tongue, soft palate, nasal pharynx; and those muscles that maintain a balance in holding the body erect. Depending on the position one assumes while singing, the muscles involved could include those along the spine and in the neck, which poise the head and help to align the instrument. “If tension of the neck muscles is excessive, it seems likely that they will restrict the movement of the other muscles in the same area (such as those of the larynx and palate); therefore, if these muscles become involved unnecessarily in a postural function, they are not free to perform other duties.” (Zipperer, pp. 7-8).

Physical tension may be external, internal, or a combination of the two. External tension is most often obvious and therefore, recognizable and easier to eliminate. Signs of external tension would include rigidities in the face, tongue, jaw, neck, shoulders, chest, and extremities. “True posture is neither pose nor position. It is the mechanical advantage achieved through the body’s natural preference for a certain relationship of its parts, regardless of its position. The core and foundation of this relationship is the vitalized freedom of the neck-head-spine group. The maintenance of a proper integrity in the use of these vital organs comprises the means-whereby all acts may be adequately performed, whether they involve voluntary or involuntary mechanisms.” (York, p. 29).

Internal tension is more difficult to observe, isolate, and remedy. Sources of internal tension may include throat constriction, a tight larynx, a rigid diaphragm, which may be directly resulting from faulty breathing habits and under-developed breathing patterns. “The necessary reconditioning is achieved by means of the removal of the tensions and pressures which prevent the spine from acting on its innate tendency to take its maximum length. The body may then be aligned into balance, with its weight properly distributed.” (York, p. 29).

According to York, “When voice teachers realize the great facts discovered by F. M. Alexander and become acquainted with the means of their application, they will know that the best training for singing is also training for good living, in the sense of being well-adjusted to one’s self and one’s environment, and hence a happier and healthier person, as well as a vastly more capable artist.” (York, p. 29).

The Alexander Technique is a simple and practical method for improving the ease and freedom of movement, balance, support, flexibility, and coordination. Practice of the Alexander Technique offers the performer a fluid and lively control, rather than one which is rigid. Barlow describes the Alexander Technique as being a “method of showing people how they are misusing their bodies and how they can prevent such misuse, whether it be at rest or during activity. The goal is to arrive at a ‘neutral resting position’ of balance for the various parts of the body, by realigning the physical positions of the head, neck, shoulders, and back.” (Barlow, The Alexander Technique, p. 172).

The best introduction to the Alexander Technique has always been a description of Alexander’s own experience. The following will be only a brief narrative, as a detailed account of his efforts can be found in his book, The Use of the Self (1932). In the early 1890’s, Frederick Matthias Alexander (1869-1955) was in the process of establishing a career as an actor, doing recitations of Shakespeare, in Sydney and Melbourne, Australia. Alexander’s voice began to give him trouble during performances and would fail unexpectedly while he was reciting. Medical advice did not help. He tried complete vocal rest before performing, but symptoms reappeared as soon as he began to recite.

Faced with the loss of his career, Alexander decided that a solution would have to come from his own observations and insight. He began to use a mirror to analyze his behavior during reciting. In his observation, he found that he always did three things just before reciting: He depressed his larynx, audibly sucked in air during his inhalation, and pulled his head back and down by lifting his chin. Alexander found that the change in head position governed the other two behaviors. When he could keep himself from pulling his head back and down, the depressed larynx and gasping inhalation disappeared.

“We tend to pull our head down and back into our neck (each individual in his own characteristic way) initiating a downward pressure, a collapsing influence on the rest of the spine and the whole body structure connected to it. For most of us, this pulling down is so habitual that it does not feel wrong and usually becomes even stronger when we ‘do’ something. In other words, we misuse ourselves most of the time, but particularly badly during activity.” (Alexander, The Use of the Self, p. 43).

Further investigation revealed that the movements of his head were linked with a comprehensive pattern of damaging preparatory activities which included lifting his chest, shortening his spine, and narrowing his back. Having concluded that his head position was somehow the source of the whole problem, he began to experiment with ways of controlling the movement of his head.

From this experience, Alexander realized that his body’s own sense of what it was doing had been distorted: His kinesthetic sense was an unreliable guide for directing movement. His strong habitual pattern of vocal use was not only overriding his best conscious attempts at change, but it was feeding him false kinesthetic information about the movement.

Alexander had seen that the head/neck relationship not only governed the efficiency of his vocal production but influenced the overall pattern of muscular and postural use in his whole body. He had logically assumed that, with enough practice, he could train himself first to prevent his old habit from occurring and then consciously to direct a new one to replace it.

“I found that a certain control of the use of my neck and head in relation to my back brought about a more satisfactory working of the musculature, and not only relieved my specific difficulty, but improved conditions generally. In working with my pupils, I have used this experience and have found that as soon as you can establish this primary control, a satisfactory control of the rest of the workings of the organism can be expected to follow in due time.” (Alexander, The Use of the Self, p. 48).

Alexander’s subsequent experience convinced him that movements tend to be crippled by the fact that we focus our attention on the final goal instead of the means-whereby, which he described as the process of achieving the product. Attending to a desired result triggers habitual patterns of response. By deliberately choosing to ignore the “end” and focusing on the process of reaching the “end,” this reflexive response can be avoided. This continual awareness of the process gradually becomes the individual’s habitual approach to all movement.

The key to this re-education process, according to Alexander, is the new head/neck relationship, which he called the primary control. This relationship governs the integration of the body’s postural reflexes. Attending to the means-whereby in Alexander training is primarily a matter of allowing the head and neck to be free to move according to natural function. This freedom, in turn, produces improved coordination characterized by lighter, less effortful movements.

Alexander was interested in achieving a comprehensive re-education of the entire approach, both mental and physical. One of the most basic principles of the Alexander Technique is the recognition that the organism (the body) functions as a whole. This technique works from the inside out. The teacher conveys to the student a first-hand kinesthetic experience of a truly free head-neck-spine balance. This sensation forms the basis for subsequent evaluations of movements.

Alexander used the term “kinesthetic sense” to describe an individual’s ability to monitor activity, and thus, detect tension. The beginning Alexander student is very dependent on the teacher. As time goes on, however, dependence on the teacher gives way to an internalized kinesthetic awareness. The Alexander student learns to restrain habitual anticipatory actions, project mental commands, and exercise conscious control over common commands. The student learns to remain aware of the means rather than the end, and to avoid being led by familiar feelings.

When an Alexander teacher alters the head/neck balance of a student for the first time, the student usually experiences a strong, unanticipated lightness and ease during movement. This kinesthetic contrast makes it clear how much unnecessary effort had previously been used, and the freer, lighter sensation becomes the standard by which future movements are evaluated. The direct imparting of such first-hand experience has obvious advantages over verbal descriptions, relaxation techniques, or demonstrative teaching.

Alexander theorized that stress was the result of man’s inability to adapt adequately to his rapidly changing environment. He claimed that man had adapted in pace with the changes in his surroundings before the advent of civilization, yet advancements brought about through the power of the intellect which revolutionized man’s lifestyle in the most recent centuries and decades have superseded his ability to adapt. He felt that man could no longer rely on his passive role in reacting subconsciously to his environment and that he should instead exercise a conscious control with which he would be able to recognize and inhibit maladaptive behavior. (Alexander, Man’s Supreme Inheritance, pp. 3-28, 31).

The Alexander Technique seeks to provide a process of retraining which frees the body from distorting tensions and makes possible a change in fundamental muscular habits. While teaching singing is largely concerned with overcoming problems caused by physical and psychological habits, every physical activity requires balanced muscular effort. For the singer, the Alexander Technique increases ease of movement and conscious control. Performers, whose bodies are their instruments, require the free, flexible use of the entire organism to maintain, without undue fatigue or strain, the high degree of intensity and muscle discipline necessary to their art.

Alexander’s goals of reconditioning are achieved by inducing and sustaining specific mental directions. These directions referring to his primary control are as follows: a) relax the neck; b) head up and forward from the neck; c) lengthen and widen the back. Each direction is maintained while the next is initiated in sequence, until all are being sustained simultaneously. Alexander maintained that the pattern of primary control has always existed in human beings, but through misuse has become largely inactive. “With its proper functioning, the neck is freed, releasing the head to move slightly forward and up from the neck, which in turn, encourages a lengthening and widening of the back. In this way, accumulated tensions are gradually released, and in their place, a surprising ease of movement is felt.” (Calder, p. 20).

Calder posed as, perhaps, the most difficult question in regards to the Alexander Technique: “The problem of how to stop old patterns of usage in order to make room for something new to be established in the body’s mechanism.” (Calder, p. 20). Alexander’s answer is found in his principle of inhibition.

His meaning of this word is to say ‘no’ to an impulse to move, so that one is not able to take control of the process consciously. It is not so much ‘doing’ as it is ‘refraining from doing’ and allowing something to happen; in other words, “it is restraining the habitual interference with the primary control.” (Alexander, The Use..., p. 48). This primary control must replace the old pattern, so that activities can be broken up into small units. In this manner, the muscles can learn a new “program,” and balance can be restored to the whole organism. Alexander believed that if this primary control was properly brought into play, one is enabled to subject, not only all of his muscular actions, but also the work of his internal organs to the supervision of his will.

The point of importance of breathing in the Alexander Technique is of greatest interest to singers. The diaphragm is responsible for approximately three-quarters of the muscular work of breathing. As the lungs fill with air, the diaphragm contracts and descends, while at the same time flattening. The dimensions of the thorax (the area above the diaphragm) expand, and the diaphragm pushes down on the viscera between it and the pelvic floor. On inhalation, the pelvic floor has pressure put on it by this descent of the diaphragm. When the spine lengthens upon exhalation, the muscles of the pelvis are activated. This is especially important in singing because some fibers of these muscles are continuous with the diaphragm.

Singers are certainly aware of the influence of posture upon breathing. Such common postural inhibitions are described as follows: A sunken chest inhibits the action of the intercostal muscles. When these muscles tighten, they restrict the mobility of the ribs around the lungs and thereby limit their capacity. A sway-back restricts the descent of the diaphragm, because the abdominal muscles which would normally be flexible are employed in lieu of the spine to support the entire skeleton. When the neck muscles tighten, the pharynx is shortened, narrowed, and distorted. Because the pharynx rests in front of the cervical spine, when the neck is tense, these cervical vertebrae are jammed. This distortion also causes the tongue to bunch and invade the front of the mouth. It is also apparent that this spinal distortion depresses the larynx. This very change in the alignment of the spine and neck directly affects the resonance space in the pharynx. When these neck muscles are free, the pharynx, tongue, larynx, and spine can relax. “Because of the interrelatedness of body, mind, and emotions, the release of tension involves much more than the relief of its [physical, external] symptoms. Most of us experience a lack of freedom due to habitual patterns of misuse, and these inhibit natural breathing so that it cannot function properly if simply left to itself.” (Calder, p. 21). Jones believes that employing Alexander’s directions of primary control facilitates breathing in that “the postural changes in the lower back and rib cage provide stretch to the diaphragm and to the muscles of inhalation and exhalation.” (Jones, pp. 21-22).

While Alexander’s methods of physical and mental reconditioning can be applied to any activity, he, throughout his investigation of freedom in movement, developed a deep concern for children in physical education classes which has yielded much support for the employment and instruction of his technique. Alexander felt that most traditional physical training methods were doomed to fail because they fragmented the organism by manipulating the parts without reference to the whole. He labeled these attempts as end-gaining.

Jones recounts a lecture given by Mr. I. G. Griffith, President of the Transvaal Teachers Association, addressing the annual conference, where Alexander’s system was praised at great length in regards to Alexander’s stance on physical education in the school system: “Even a very small acquaintance with the Alexander Technique causes serious doubts concerning the wisdom of teaching physical training to our children. In this subject, we make the children perform movements and exercises completely unrelated to anything they do in school or at any other time. For one hour per week, we make these children go through peculiar and artificial movements, and for the remaining 167 hours in the week, no one attempts to relate these movements to anything that the children do. In fact, no one cares what sort of movements they perform during that longer period. Physical training exercises are specific, aimed at developing a certain muscle or muscle group and at perfecting the use of these. If a bad manner of use exists, and it exists in almost every person, that same bad manner of use will be employed to perform these specific exercises and these latter cannot therefore bring about any improvement in the psycho-physical organism. It is true that physical exercises do sometimes bring about a temporary improvement, but inevitably, they bring about other effects which are much worse than the original ones.” (Jones, p. 85). This argument was taken to court by the board of education, and the court agreed in favor of Alexander’s teachings, which were then incorporated into the existing physical education curriculum.

While Alexander did not ever achieve considerable recognition during his lifetime, he is heralded by his many pupils, among whom are such names as Bernard Shaw, Aldous Huxley, Sir Henry Irving, and John Dewey, who wrote the introductions to three of Alexander’s books.

Alexander showed that modern man’s failure to control his own inventions was due to his inability to adjust himself to the new world of mechanization. Alexander believed that, “The seat of many physical sufferers trouble was inside themselves, and could not be cured by drugs, medications, diet, or any other treatment which came from outside themselves. Their diseases were symptoms indicating that there was something wrong with the way they managed themselves. Until the sufferers understood what was happening inside themselves and changed their old use of themselves to a new one, they would never get well or know the true happiness of being alive.” (Morgan, p. 14). Alexander merely showed people how to look inside themselves and find their cure there. Although the medical profession raised their eyebrows and showed no interest in Alexander’s work, Morgan refers to him as a “prophet unsung... He was neither a doctor nor a faith healer nor a physical culture expert, and he strongly disliked both hypnotism and remedial exercises. He was one of those rare human beings who enjoyed every moment of their being alive, and this love and respect for living was an important part of his philosophy. He was a great respecter of the body, as one who had discovered the infinite possibilities of the body of which the self has conscious control. “All kinds of people come for Alexander lessons: people suffering from tension and stress, people with back or neck pain, people with poor posture, people whose occupations can cause improper postural habits (dentists, carpenters), people who need to use their bodies professionally (dancers, singers/musicians, actors, athletes), and those who are interested in using the mind and body more efficiently and with greater flexibility.” (Leibowitz and Connington, p. 16). Yet, his greatest legacy lives as having been a teacher who “taught his pupils the art of healthy living.” (Morgan, pp. 15-16).

While many support the teachings of Alexander’s Technique, so also are questions raised about being too relaxed, too focused. Mr. Cole stated (in Barlow’s More Talk of Alexander), “There is a likelihood that the Alexander teacher will see things from a pure - almost too pure - point of view. Can we assume that all performers would gain if their idiosyncracies of behavior were ironed out? Perhaps some sounds cannot be produced with the freed neck which is the starting point of all Alexander work.” (Barlow, p. 187). He continued on to discuss the goals and purposes for having an Alexander teacher: “First, the activities involved are complex; unless we have a detached observer to hold the balance of attention for us, we are almost bound to neglect some vital factor or to concentrate on one aspect of performance at the expense of another. Second, discrimination in musical sounds or in physical states can only be acquired by degrees, and cannot be conveyed in advance by words. We need the external guide who can see whole course. Third, we have a psychological blindness to our own defects. And fourth, in music and in physical states, there are many truths that lie beyond words.” (Barlow, pp. 188-189). Just as important as having a good instrumental or voice teacher with whom to study, so also does the Alexander teacher play an important part in the training of the complete musician.

The Alexander Technique is designed to teach one to use his body rationally and economically instead of unconsciously and inappropriately. It teaches the basic principle that there is a particular state in which the parts of the body are so related and muscular tension is so distributed that each part and whole is enabled to be and to function at its best. The Alexander Technique opens a window onto the little-known area between stimulus and response, and gives you the self-knowledge you need in order to change the pattern of your personal response. “To apply the Alexander Technique seems to be an endless task of meeting and disarming many different attitudes to free oneself... In the end, Alexander’s standard for the balanced regulation of the body, to be and work at its best, is the standard of a whole, sound person.” (Barlow, More Talk..., p. 41).