The Alexander Technique and Singing: by AT Practitioner Ethan Kind

Today I would like to introduce you to Ethan Kind. Ethan is an Alexander Technique practitioner who I met at an Indie Connect meeting here in Nashville. He wrote an article on singing and the Alexander Technique that blew me away, so I asked him if he would write a guest post about what he does for my blog readers. I consider him a go-to team member of what I do when I see chronic, mysterious tension in a client that I'm having trouble helping them release. His contact information will be at the bottom of this post. - xoxo Judy

Ethan Kind:

My approach to all musical performing as an Alexander Technique teacher is...

...how can I show the performer how do to do the least amount of work and sing with high dynamic and intensity, without the pain and tension of hunkering down in fear trying to do his or her best work?

I do this by giving the singer back control over her body. What this means is, I give the singer back the ability to release the accumulated tension in his body as he performs. I make the performer aware of where she is habitually holding in her body, and gently teach her how to release this tension, which in many singers manifests as strangling the voice and causing physical pain.

The effect of letting go of the tension that doesn't work, is to let the voice come out bigger and with more beautiful tone. We have a saying in this technique,

"If you can let go of the tension in a muscle, you have control over it and can do what works".

If you replace one set of habits with another set of habits, even if the new habits are much better technically, you can still get back into physical trouble. Unnecessary tension causes compression in the joints, forcing you to hurt and be off balance, and makes what looks right fail.

Singing with high dynamic means you perform with expressive intensity. It is my job to see that you do this without sacrificing your body, without hurting yourself. When you work with an Alexander Technique teacher you become taller and balanced as you stand or sit to perform, so that you are free to really go for it, which means it sounds like you want it to sound.

Ethan Kind is a certified Alexander Technique teacher with a private practice living in Nashville, who has been published in this country and abroad. He can be reached at 615-353-9915 or at ethankind@hushmail.com.