Posture, hold and freedom of movement
- Develop an appropriate balanced and relaxed posture, both sitting and standing:
- holding the instrument in an appropriate manner
Demonstrate the correct posture for playing the instrument. Ask learners to imitate. If appropriate, invite more experienced learners to demonstrate.
Ensure that learners practise re-establishing the correct posture and hold from rest.
Creating effective exercises and drills to enable learners to adopt appropriate posture is invaluable in large-group and whole-class teaching. It promotes independence, giving learners the necessary skills to recreate the desired posture in their individual practice.
Explain and discuss the reasons for good posture, e.g. enabling freedom of breathing, avoiding physical damage.
Reinforce the importance of always taking a moment to ensure that posture is correct before starting to play, whether in the lesson or in individual practice.
Help learners to experiment and find the appropriate (natural and comfortable) posture for themselves, providing guidance where necessary.
Be aware of learners’ individual physical characteristics and make adaptations as appropriate.
If learners have photographic permission, encourage them to take photos of themselves and annotate them to identify elements of good posture. This can be done with a photo editing app or presentation programs such as PowerPoint or Google Slides.
Basic posture should be the same when both sitting and standing. Ensure that arms are kept away from the body and that learners adopt a comfortable handshape that facilitates movement.
When learners are sitting, check the suitability of the chair and ensure that good posture is maintained, e.g. legs are not crossed.
Always try to fit the instrument to the person, not the person around the instrument, e.g. tenor horn should not rest on the upper leg.
Be aware that the use of sixth position on the trombone with smaller learners could compromise posture and embouchure.
The use of a stand/support for tubas may need to be considered.
When playing from notation, ensure that the music stand is at a height that maintains good posture. The sequence should be: posture, instrument, stand.
Normally, with the exception of the French horn, the instrument should be held/supported with the left hand and played with the right. French horn players should be aware of the right hand position and begin to use it if possible. It is helpful for teachers to seek advice from colleagues when teaching instruments other than their own specialism.
To avoid fatigue, possibly leading to bad posture, ensure that periods of playing are kept short and mixed with appropriate non-playing musical activities.
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