Here is the first draft of The Power of Posture, from Igniting Response: the Conductor's Toolkit; Publication: winter 2022. To be notified when Ignite Response is available, click here.
THE POWER OF POSTURE
The better your ensemble's posture (and yours), the greater their engagement, and the better your music-making.
Students’ posture sends powerful messages to their minds; those messages script the self-talk that determines the level of their participation and performance. Posture physicalizes self-image - that’s what we’re really working on; posture is less a physical issue than a psychological one.
Good posture is the expression of a positive self-image and world view. It sends messages to students’ minds like these:
“I matter. I'm alert, capable, and ready. I can excel." What I'm doing is important.”
“This is interesting; it's worth learning”.
“To do this activity I really need to put myself into it.”
"I’m worth it!"
Bad posture expresses self-defeating attitudes and lower self-esteem. It sends messages like these to students’ minds:
“I'm not very good or important... I can't do well... so why bother
even pay attention?
"I can't do well; why even try?”
"I’m tired.”
"This is boring. I don't care, I can't wait for this to be over."
When bodies send messages like these, can our comments making a more dramatic sforzando or a sweeter dolce be effective? Will our expressive gestures and engaging rehearsal techniques make a difference? It's not likely; messages from students' bodies are far more powerful.
Posture and Engagement
Good posture supports - rather than prevents - engagement. In my experience, it's as important as singing/playing the right notes, executing dynamics, watching and following your gestures, bringing pencils and marking the music, and not talking when you stop.
Posture is, therefore, a major factor in making the most of our already-too-little rehearsal time.
The better your ensemble's posture (and yours), the greater their engagement, and the better your music-making.
Students’ posture sends powerful messages to their minds; those messages script the self-talk that determines the level of their participation and performance. Posture physicalizes self-image - that’s what we’re really working on; posture is less a physical issue than a psychological one.
Good posture is the expression of a positive self-image and world view. It sends messages to students’ minds like these:
“I matter. I'm alert, capable, and ready. I can excel." What I'm doing is important.”
“This is interesting; it's worth learning”.
“To do this activity I really need to put myself into it.”
"I’m worth it!"
Bad posture expresses self-defeating attitudes and lower self-esteem. It sends messages like these to students’ minds:
“I'm not very good or important... I can't do well... so why bother
even pay attention?
"I can't do well; why even try?”
"I’m tired.”
"This is boring. I don't care, I can't wait for this to be over."
When bodies send messages like these, can our comments making a more dramatic sforzando or a sweeter dolce be effective? Will our expressive gestures and engaging rehearsal techniques make a difference? It's not likely; messages from students' bodies are far more powerful.
Posture and Engagement
Good posture supports - rather than prevents - engagement. In my experience, it's as important as singing/playing the right notes, executing dynamics, watching and following your gestures, bringing pencils and marking the music, and not talking when you stop.
Posture is, therefore, a major factor in making the most of our already-too-little rehearsal time.
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With this kind of posture, is our laid-back flutist likely to play the incisive accents and rollicking scales the music needs? Is he likely to watch the conductor? Mark his music? Look at the saxes to enter at their tempo?
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Quick Start: Prove this to Yourself at Your Next Rehearsal!
- Tell your students you're thinking about how posture - theirs and yours - affects music-making, and you want to try an experiment - will they help you? (the answer is invariably a tentative "yes."
- Choose a ff passage in music you're rehearsing.
- Ask them to slump down; you do it, too. Encourage them to relax, cross their legs, etc. They'll enjoy doing such "forbidden" things. Let them know it's fine with you.
- Conduct that passage with sloppy gestures, no energy, and an "I don't care attitude that your posture expresses.
- After finishing the passage: snap yourself into a heroic pose, put a big grin on your face, and nod to your ensemble to do the same. If you're strongly intended. they will.
- With everyone sitting or standing up straight and smiling conduct the same passage again, this time with energy and conviction. What you'll hear will surely sound totally different.
Here's how to create excellent posture in your ensemble:
1. It Begins with US
Truly addressing the posture issue - more than shouting “Posture!” every now and again when things aren't going well - means communicating more openly and personally than some of us are used to.
Since posture (theirs and ours) is mostly about self-image, creating good posture in our ensemble can be challenging since attitudes formed over years can't be changed overnight. But for anyone ready to go outside the comfort zone, the results can be truly astonishing. And it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable – it can actually be fun, rapport-building, and even transformational.
2. Believe in it
We must believe in the importance of posture if we want our students to. If we don't yet - or if we want to consider it - our own practicing is a good place to start.
Action Step: Practice your instrument (voice included) first with bad posture, then with good posture: Is there a difference? If you get tired or drowsy - straighten up! Does that help? Look at yourself in a mirror and straighten up; does that change things?
3. Overcome our Fears
A challenge to creating good posture in our ensembles may be overcoming our fears.
Action Step:
Look inside: are we concerned that discussing posture and self-image is too personal? or that students will laugh at our techniques and examples (don't worry - they already might!)
Are we concerned we'll be disliked if we don't accept half-hearted efforts, but rather keep pushing them to do what they're truly capable of. It's normal to want to avoid these feelings, but growth and improvement usually mean moving outside our comfort zones. If we ask our students to, we should, too; if we don't, they won't either.
Our fantasized fears – many of which we can’t even identify - and few
of which ever come true - can keep us from doing what's needed to create
significant and lasting change.
Keep in Mind: Their laughing, snickering, fidgeting, and eye-rolling that expresses discomfort lets us know we’re hitting lots of bulls-eyes. Underneath it all, students really want and need us to persist until there’s a breakthrough - no matter how they might protest. But they'll feel wonderful about themselves, the music – and us – when we help them confront their fears, and feel better about themselves when we face our fears...and persist until breakthrough (See Drill and Persevere, pp __-__).
4.Look Inside for our Attitudes about Posture
Action Step: Challenging as it may be, let's acknowledge any negative beliefs/attitudes we have about our own posture (self-image, confidence, etc.). Then, for just a few minutes a day, correct your posture, sitting and standing with dignity and confidence, and breathing from your diaphragm. How does that feel? Does anything bad happen to us when we sit/stand that way? Would we be willing to do it for a few minutes, several times a day…just as an experiment?
Our students need us to sit/stand with good posture, and to be
strong, confident, and feeling good about things. Remember, they learn far more from who we are
than from what we say.
5. Remind Ourselves to have Good Posture
Action Step: I've frequently pasted sticky-notes on my stand as reminders about my posture. I've told my students what I’ve done, thus etting them in on my thought process and desire to learn and grow. We should do no less than what we expect our students to do.
6. Consult Your Students
Action Step:
7. Model Great Posture All the Time
If we don’t work on posture, we’re sending the message to students that it’s not important. Modeling posture from the podium makes them aware of their posture and transfers responsibility to them.
Action Step:
1. It Begins with US
Truly addressing the posture issue - more than shouting “Posture!” every now and again when things aren't going well - means communicating more openly and personally than some of us are used to.
Since posture (theirs and ours) is mostly about self-image, creating good posture in our ensemble can be challenging since attitudes formed over years can't be changed overnight. But for anyone ready to go outside the comfort zone, the results can be truly astonishing. And it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable – it can actually be fun, rapport-building, and even transformational.
2. Believe in it
We must believe in the importance of posture if we want our students to. If we don't yet - or if we want to consider it - our own practicing is a good place to start.
Action Step: Practice your instrument (voice included) first with bad posture, then with good posture: Is there a difference? If you get tired or drowsy - straighten up! Does that help? Look at yourself in a mirror and straighten up; does that change things?
3. Overcome our Fears
A challenge to creating good posture in our ensembles may be overcoming our fears.
Action Step:
Look inside: are we concerned that discussing posture and self-image is too personal? or that students will laugh at our techniques and examples (don't worry - they already might!)
Are we concerned we'll be disliked if we don't accept half-hearted efforts, but rather keep pushing them to do what they're truly capable of. It's normal to want to avoid these feelings, but growth and improvement usually mean moving outside our comfort zones. If we ask our students to, we should, too; if we don't, they won't either.
Our fantasized fears – many of which we can’t even identify - and few
of which ever come true - can keep us from doing what's needed to create
significant and lasting change.
Keep in Mind: Their laughing, snickering, fidgeting, and eye-rolling that expresses discomfort lets us know we’re hitting lots of bulls-eyes. Underneath it all, students really want and need us to persist until there’s a breakthrough - no matter how they might protest. But they'll feel wonderful about themselves, the music – and us – when we help them confront their fears, and feel better about themselves when we face our fears...and persist until breakthrough (See Drill and Persevere, pp __-__).
4.Look Inside for our Attitudes about Posture
Action Step: Challenging as it may be, let's acknowledge any negative beliefs/attitudes we have about our own posture (self-image, confidence, etc.). Then, for just a few minutes a day, correct your posture, sitting and standing with dignity and confidence, and breathing from your diaphragm. How does that feel? Does anything bad happen to us when we sit/stand that way? Would we be willing to do it for a few minutes, several times a day…just as an experiment?
Our students need us to sit/stand with good posture, and to be
strong, confident, and feeling good about things. Remember, they learn far more from who we are
than from what we say.
5. Remind Ourselves to have Good Posture
Action Step: I've frequently pasted sticky-notes on my stand as reminders about my posture. I've told my students what I’ve done, thus etting them in on my thought process and desire to learn and grow. We should do no less than what we expect our students to do.
6. Consult Your Students
Action Step:
- Ask a few trusted students sitting or standing in the front row to signal when my posture becomes lax (e.g. subtle nose scratch or the like).
- When we do, it sends everyone the message that we're willing to learn from them - to be students, ourselves.
- This empowers the students, validates their perception and self-worth, gets much better posture, and more energetic and successful music making.
7. Model Great Posture All the Time
If we don’t work on posture, we’re sending the message to students that it’s not important. Modeling posture from the podium makes them aware of their posture and transfers responsibility to them.
Action Step:
- Walk to the podium in different ways: enthusiastic, distracted, alert, sad.
- Ask your students what messages your posture/walk sends them about how you feel about leading the rehearsal.
- Start rehearsing slouched over; don’t say anything.
- Meet their quizzical looks ("What's going on?") with your own. Do it for the entire rehearsal ... and the next…and the next.
- Continue to imitate them. When they catch on and improve their posture (at some point, they will) improve yours; stand up super straight with a smile.
- Don’t say anything. You don’t have to: your posture and smile will say it all: "Great! You got it! Super!"
- Also (and perhaps more importantly): "You’re so smart I don’t have to TELL you this stuff…you get it by yourselves."
- If and when they forget and become lax, do the same; do it all the time! You'll be amazed at: a) how quickly they catch on; b) how much they enjoy this (they love to think about their thinking), and; 4) what a difference this can make!
Good posture also helps Bodies Work More Efficiently:
With good posture:
With good posture:
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1. Tone and intonation are better;
2. Tension, pain and injuries are avoided; |
3. Breathing is deeper and freer;
4. Muscles and brains get more oxygen; |
8. Show Them What They Look Like!
Students aren't generally aware of their posture when not looking in the mirror. Even when they are, most haven’t thought about it, don’t know how strongly it projects what’s going on with them, and don't recognize the enormous impact of their posture on their lives.
If we tell students to "sit or stand up straight:" will their posture improve for long? Young musicians need to experience the musical and personal benefits of good posture before they'll pay serious attention to it.
Action Step:
9. Give your Students an Experience of Great Posture (even a bit much)
This approach is a great break in your routine, and, in my experiene, it never fails to work:
This dialogue brings together these approaches, and works well ftime after time. Do use a variation appropriate to your personality, style, and ensemble.
The rehearsal is going well – there’s a good feeling in the room and the teacher senses a teachable moment!
Students aren't generally aware of their posture when not looking in the mirror. Even when they are, most haven’t thought about it, don’t know how strongly it projects what’s going on with them, and don't recognize the enormous impact of their posture on their lives.
If we tell students to "sit or stand up straight:" will their posture improve for long? Young musicians need to experience the musical and personal benefits of good posture before they'll pay serious attention to it.
Action Step:
- One way to increase their awareness and openness to change is to invite a slouching – but good-natured - student up to the podium.
- Tell him/her right away it’s not because s/he's doing something wrong- rather, they're going to help their friends learn something really important.
- Start applauding that person…and get the other students to applaud and encourage him/her to "get up there." (Pick the right person and everyone will enjoy this and be grateful for the change of pace.)
- Then, (after you’ve whispered your thanks and assurance there's nothing to fear), go to his/her seat and, in a good-natured way, sit/stand the way s/he does.
- The student on the podium is very likely to get your point without your saying a word. This can be very powerful.
- Students may also appreciate (at a later date and probably without telling you) the non-shaming approach you took with them.
9. Give your Students an Experience of Great Posture (even a bit much)
This approach is a great break in your routine, and, in my experiene, it never fails to work:
- Have each member of your ensemble go to a wall or door, and stand with their back to it: heels, buttocks, shoulders and - for those you can - the back of their necks against the wall/door - or close.
- There'll be moans and groans - usually self-conscious because they can't do this and may realize how far off their posture is. Do not push those who resist, or can't do this.
- Do make the feel comfortable by taking to the wall/door, yourself, to let them know it's tough for you, too.
- Then ask them to step away from the wall/door without changing their posture!
- Many will look like robots as they move stiffly, with some playing it up, for sure, but there will surely be expressions of the embarassed realization of how far their "normal" posture is from really good posture.
- The combination of all these approaches will gradually be seen - and heard. When you see lax or wilting postures, just say something like, "OK, everyone up against the wall..." or something similar in your own style.
- After a few go-rounds, they'll continue to groan, but will straighten up to avoid "going to the wall." You are in the process of tranferring responsibility to them for their demeanor - and the level of their learning.
This dialogue brings together these approaches, and works well ftime after time. Do use a variation appropriate to your personality, style, and ensemble.
The rehearsal is going well – there’s a good feeling in the room and the teacher senses a teachable moment!
Who |
Action |
Conductor: |
Pretends to hear something - looks around and finally looks hard at a student's crossed legs; Gracious! Those crossed legs/feet are talking to me! Looks at the student – then the ensemble - in amazement! |
Students: |
Confused...members look at each other: "What's up?" |
Conductor: |
Do you know what those crossed legs are/were saying to me ??? ("were" saying...because the student will have uncrossed them…ditto the other leg-crossers) |
Students: |
Might be looking at you with concern! (but you have engaged everyone in just a few seconds!) |
Conductor: |
"Your crossed legs were telling me: 'I’m not gonna work hard. I'm not gonna put 100% of me into this.' " (Now you cross your legs (have a seat when you do it - it's worth it) and slump. Ask your students to have a look; the ones in the back can move up to see better.) "What are my legs and whole body saying to you...? ...that I'm excited to make music with you? ...that I'm going to do my very best? |
Students: |
Some might not be sure what you’re talking about…or how to answer...but most will shake their heads, "No." |
Conductor: |
"And how does that make you feel? Not great, right? As if I don't want to here?" |
Students: |
They continue to agree...and they're engaged. Why? Because you've gotten them to think...and because what you're doing is all about them and their lives. This is a great example of how, using the Ignite Response (learner-centered) approach, you can engage your students and rehearse as one single process. |
Conductor: |
"And now the most important question: When you cross your feet and legs, and slump down, what messages are yoou sending yourself?" |
Students: |
Might note be sure what you're talking about...or how to answer. |
Conductor: |
"Are you telling yourself, "Be alert! Do the very best you can?? |
Students: |
"No." |
Conductor: |
"Right you are! So wouildn't it be smart to have your body send yoursef messages that bring good things? etv. |
My consistent experience for 30 years is that it goes very much like this. Do consider applying this learner-centered approach to your own style.
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Experience 27, Information 0
Students with only fair posture have been told for years by parents, teachers and preachers - and others - to "straighten up" without results.
Why? Because it's experience - not information - that has the power to transform habit. Otherwise, three year-olders wouldn't touch a hot stove, and all smokers would stop. That's why these ways of helping students have the best posture - they're all experience based - are so effective.
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10. Have your Students Paint "Posture Portraits"
What do students notice when they watch people’s posture in the hallway? Ask them to write down their ideas about how posture correlates with attitude, behavior, and energy.
Action Steps:
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Experience 27, Information 0
Students with only fair posture have been told for years by parents, teachers and preachers - and others - to "straighten up" without results.
Why? Because it's experience - not information - that has the power to transform habit. Otherwise, three year-olders wouldn't touch a hot stove, and all smokers would stop. That's why these ways of helping students have the best posture - they're all experience based - are so effective.
--------------------------------------
10. Have your Students Paint "Posture Portraits"
What do students notice when they watch people’s posture in the hallway? Ask them to write down their ideas about how posture correlates with attitude, behavior, and energy.
Action Steps:
- Create teams of 2-3 students; when in hallways, each team will (unobtrusively) take notes about how posture and personality may be correlated
- Without naming name, each team will deliver a short “Posture Portrait” at the beginning of rehearsals during this project.
- Other students should take notes, and, make and share their conclusions.
An Added Benefit of Working on Posture
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By working on posture, our young musicians' music making can also improve dramatically for another reason. Talking with them about self-image and confidence increases our rapport - and their involvement - because it helps meet their developmental needs and shows we are willing to open up and reveal more of ourselves.
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When students understand that we're dedicated to helping them develop as people, they'll be far more likely to listen to us, do what we suggest (including sitting and standing up straight!), and they're likely to start making music at a far higher level than they (and perhaps we) ever imagined was possible!
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To help make Igniting Response (to our conducting) as helpful as possible, please leave a comment: Was this helpful? Could something have been clearer? Do you have a suggestion? Did you try it in your ensemble and did it help? Thank you! David
