Practice Focus: Square 'Em Up!

Today's practice focus is about posture, as in "square up your shoulders." I like to set aside one day every week where I check in with my posture, usually on a Monday but it could be any day you choose. An alternative might be to check posture on one thing everyday, such as a scale. I look in a full length mirror as I practice and note how straight my bow is and whether I am standing correctly when I play.

For me the easiest way to check in on my posture is to travel along my checklist from the bottom to the top. I start with my feet, then my knees, then my pelvis, torso, shoulders, arms, and finally neck and head. My body has not changed much in terms of height, so I have not had to make many adjustments with my shoulder rest. In the case of my students, however, I frequently tweak the shoulder rest to accommodate any growth changes.

Here are links to some of my earlier posts about posture:

• Posture Checklist for Violin
• Steps to Putting the Violin on the Shoulder
• Fundamentals Start with Natural Posture
• Kaiser, the Posture Watchdog
• Posture Followup
• Can Posture Affect Self Confidence?

We have many things to accomplish in our practice sessions. For today, however, just focus on whether your posture is correct, in alignment, and set up for success.