Quick Posture Tip: The Eye is Looking at You!

by Paula E. Bird

Here is another quick posture tip that helps students to stand up tall and quickly. I got the little eyeball as a Halloween gag, and my students really like it!

The tip itself I picked up from a Mueller Rusch book many moons ago; it's something that has stuck with me for years.

We put the eyeball on the G and D strings. If the student is standing tall and correctly erect, then the ball balances perfectly in this position, as you can see from the pictures. The eyeball (or any small rubber ball) is a quick way to check whether a student is standing erect. My students eagerly "rise to the occasion" with this trick!

If you are interested in some of these eyeballs for your own studio, click this link: creepy Halloween eyeballs. Or if the eyeballs are a little too creepy for you or some of your younger students, try the glow-in-the-dark balls or the soccer balls. These items also make great prizes for special practice or posture focus weeks or group classes!

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

© 2016 by Paula E. Bird

Posture Tip: Chest Expansion

slouched, constricted chest

Many students (and every day folk) have posture problems. Many of us have lost the war with gravity, and are sagging by the hour. Because our bodies are hunching little by little, our self confidence shrinks as well. To show you what I mean, here is a photo of one student who graciously agreed to pose with less than ideal standing posture.

Our focus this month is on posture. Here is a quick practice tip concerning standing posture and in particular the chest area, which will also affect the back and shoulders in a positive way. I asked my student to expand his chest area. I actually suggested that he widen his chest so that it was wider than his back. I could have also suggested that he lower his shoulder blades down in the back as well, but that may be a tip and suggestion for another day. Today I suggested only that my student widen the chest area. Here is the result.

expanded chest

When I showed the picture to my student, he was amazed at the transformation. When I asked him to indicate which picture exhibited a performer with the most confidence, my student handily picked the expanded chest photo.

Not only do appearances indicate that a person feels confident. People who stand with an outside look of confidence also claim to feel that level of confidence on the inside as well.

As we focus on posture issues this month, consider how you elect to hold yourself. Are you winning the gravity war?

Be sure to sign up for our newsletter! You will receive notice when there is new content on the blog. I also welcome your comments below about your favorite way to ensure that your posture is erect. How do your students respond?

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

©2016 by Paula E. Bird

January Focus: POSTURE!

After every holiday break, my studio faces the same challenges. My students have fallen off the practicing routine wagon, they have become lax about posture issues (instrument holds, stances), and they have forgotten most of their repertoire. What to do when this happens?

First, I have learned to expect these problems. That expectation takes a lot of the sting out of the problem. When I know to expect these problems to happen, I feel less stressful when I identify the problems. I have also prepared myself with the tools to fix things.

Second, I have my game plan and my tools ready to go. I start with the usual suspects – bow holds and left hand – and begin anew. I have learned not to worry too much about the situation because it will generally rectify itself quickly during the lessons that follow. And although most parents feel quite guilty because they have let things slide, I do not beat them over the head about it. They are not alone. Other families get swept up in the maelstrom of parties and holiday festivities, extended family and friend visits, and other surprises that upset the normal practicing schedule. We all struggle with the tug of “taking a break” and getting some down time, and in truth, holidays are a lot of fun.

So I remind everyone that our focus will be getting our posture back on track. We add a few songs to our practice lists for review and to help cement our posture issues. And we start.

This month I will put a few well-placed signs about good posture on my studio walls and front door. I will write reminders and lesson notes that focus on these points. And I will ease everyone back into the familiar routine.

For additional reading, here are a few popular articles from the past that might provide some more useful information:

How to Recover from a Practice Break: This article includes many ideas about how to prevent a break from the practice routine, and how to recover from a break if one occurs.

How to Get Started After a Break: This article presents a three-step plan to start rebuilding the practice habit after a break.

How to Get Started After a Break: This short article presents a few tiny steps and a suggestion about a review plan to "get things going" again.

Posture Checklist for Violin: This article presents an 8-point checklist to review and adjust posture issues.

Happy Practicing!

----- Paula -----

©2016 by Paula E. Bird