The Alexander Technique and the Alphorn

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Trained as a singing actor, Stasia Forsythe Siena, has a special interest in the Alexander Technique and wellness in the performing arts. She has served on the music faculties of Indiana University, Milliken University, DePauw University and the University of Illinois School of Music. She is currently an Artist Faculty member at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts. Stasia has presented the AT in university, conservatory and master class settings throughout the United States and abroad. She teaches the Alexander Technique every summer to some of the world’s finest French horn players at Kendall Betts Horn Camp in New Hampshire.

Stasia has been teaching AT for over twenty years. She received her Alexander Technique teaching certification from Joan and Alexander Murray at the Urbana Center for the Alexander Technique. She was an assisting teacher before joining the UCAT faculty and was appointed Co-Director of the UCAT teacher training program in 2017. Stasia is well-versed in The Dart Procedures, which were developed by Joan and Alexander Murray in collaboration with the esteemed neuroanatomist and anthropologist Raymond Dart. The Dart Procedures use developmental movement patterns to illuminate and underscore principles of the Alexander Technique. Stasia draws on other innovative teaching tools, including Body Mapping, to help her students move with ease and perform optimally. Stasia holds an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a master’s degree from Indiana University.

Diagnosed with scoliosis in her late teens, Stasia has a lifelong interest in holistic health and mind/body wellness and continues to explore a broad spectrum of somatic approaches. She is a 200-hour registered yoga teacher (RYT) and a certified Scolio-Pilates practitioner. She is an active member of AmSAT (American Society for the Alexander Technique). Stasia divides her time between Chicago, Champaign, IL and her lake house near New Buffalo, MI. She enjoys music, travel, spending time with her two grown children, practicing yoga and long walks with her Golden Retrievers. She recently began playing the alphorn.

A Hack for Alphorn Mastery

14 January 2025

By Sean Slatter and Stasia Forsythe Siena, MA, AmSAT

When people ask me how I was able to learn the fundamentals of the alphorn with no prior musical training, my answer is: I hacked it. There are two alphorn hacks that I recommend every individual incorporate into their pursuit of mastering the alphorn: solfège (which will be described in subsequent articles) and the Alexander Technique. If you are serious about mastering the alphorn (or any motor skill) AT is a performance optimization methodology that will be transformative to your work.

What is the Alexander Technique?

The Alexander Technique (AT) is a discipline that will immediately increase your ability to perform as an alphorn artist. Think of AT as a performance optimization system for your entire body –including your mind. The best way I can summarize the concept of AT is as follows:

“AT is a framework for mastering your primary instrument – you”

Mastery of any skill involves heightened self-awareness and an ongoing refinement of your overall coordination. AT promotes effortless postural alignment, improved breathing and the ability to reduce stress and release habitual tension, optimizing performance in every aspect of your life. AT has been transformational for me in my music, sports, and public speaking performance.

AT was developed by an artist named Frederick Matthias Alexander, (referred to as F.M. Alexander) who lived in the late 19th century. Alexander perfected a disciplined methodology for improving performance (specifically for performing artists) through correct posture, coordination, movement, and balance. When practiced correctly, AT is a reliable way to perfect some of the most challenging techniques of the alphorn.

I have witnessed immediate transformation of artists firsthand. AT can fast-track your alphorn mastery (especially those very elusive alphorn techniques) that separate amateurs from professionals. Fundamental and advanced alphorn skills including effective breath control, tone quality, intonation, dynamics, and endurance will become attainable when you incorporate AT into your daily practice.

My Secret Weapons of Alphorn Mastery

I attribute everything I have achieved in my pursuit of alphorn mastery to two individuals: Dr. Natalie Grana (my solfège, music theory, and alphorn performance coach) and Stasia Siena (my AT teacher). I was so fortunate to be introduced to Stasia by Dr. Grana who immediately recognized that I desperately needed Stasia’s guidance and direction.

Enter Stasia Siena, the Zen Master of AT Coaching. She is the leading professional and subject matter expert (SME) in AT methodology. She is also one of the world’s top AT teachers, recognized opera singers, and alphorn artist. Stasia has worked with hundreds of top-tier performers from artists to athletes over her storied career. Her work has been the foundation for many individuals achieving their potential as professional artists. I am not exaggerating when I say Stasia is the world’s Jedi Master of body alignment for top performing artists.

Stasia changed my life after only a few hours of AT instruction. Her work with me has been invaluable in all areas of my life including music, speaking, writing, sales, skiing, biking, golf, etc. To this day, I can hear her soft voice in my head gently reminding me to correct (what I like to call) my “Default American Posture.” The following is a cursory overview of how I understand AT.

Note: Like any discipline, learning correct AT principles requires dedicated instruction and practice. It is critical that you work directly with Stasia or another certified AT Teacher to fully understand the benefits of AT.

The 5 Principles of AT: A Quick-Start Guide

Working with Stasia, I was able to immediately identify my underlying wrong habits. She then was able to guide me into a clear understanding of improved alignment. This process will be different for you depending upon your specific set of wrong habits. Stasia often reminds me: “There is no right position, only a right anatomical relationship” (for example, head to spine - head to rib cage - head to pelvis, etc.). This anatomical relationship is difficult to understand or put into practice without professional guidance from a certified AT teacher.

I have attempted to summarize my work with Stasia in a five step Quick-Start Guide to AT. I consulted with Stasia on each of these Steps in an effort to provide the correct AT vocabulary and overall technique. While I recommend that you work directly with Stasia for the full story, the following is a distilled version of the core AT principles to help get you started:

Step 1 - Awareness: Becoming aware of your posture and overall movement will allow you to correct chronic patterns of imbalance and tension leading to suboptimal performance. How are you holding your alphorn? Are you carrying unnecessary tension in your neck, shoulders and back? You will find your practice and performance will immediately improve by simply becoming aware of your posture. Note: I have included some basic AT instructions below regarding how you can achieve correct posture awareness during your alphorn practice and performance.

Step 2 - Direction: AT direction refers to a mental instruction or intention. Direction will guide your body toward more efficient, balanced coordination, supporting optimal performance. These mental cues will help you move with greater ease and less unnecessary effort and strain. They are subtle, indirect reminders to allow the body to lengthen, widen, and release tension, rather than forcing or over-controlling movement. By utilizing the concept of direction, you will develop the ability to visualize optimal practice and performance in every element of your life. I think of direction as intentional visualization. By incorporating direction into mental rehearsal, you will be prepared to practice or perform at your best. I see direction like repetitions at the gym but for your nervous system. By imagining ease in excellence, I am able to perform not only at my potential but also more effortlessly.

Step 3 - Inhibition: Inhibition refers to the practice of pausing or interrupting habitual patterns of movement in order to allow for new optimal patterns to emerge. By learning to inhibit automatic responses, you can break old habits and make conscious choices about correct posture, movement, and balance. For me, inhibition has become Stasia’s soft voice in my head continually encouraging me to correct my bad habits. In one of our first sessions, Stasia had me walk slowly while looking at my cell phone. She asked me to notice my anatomical relationships. My head was down and forward. My shoulders slouched and rolled inward. My spine was curved forward. My ribcage was closed and rolled into my hips – an exacerbation of my “Default American Posture” tendencies. I am now able to immediately hear Stasia’s voice in my head correcting my bad habits.

Step 4 - Primary Control: Primary Control is the linchpin of AT. Primary control is the relationship between your head, neck, and back. When you are able to correctly align your entire body you will create a pathway for effortless performance. Through primary control, you will achieve greater balance and poise in all areas of your life. I often hear alphorn players talk about a desire to increase endurance. Through AT, you will feel more poised, powerful, and prepared to master the alphorn – or any other endeavor.

Step 5 - Implementation: Theory without action is useless. It is critical to incorporate AT into your alphorn mastery routine. AT teachers underscore this conscious choice to change habits and build skill. Stasia starts our AT sessions by having me lay on the floor with my head on a small book, my spine straight, my hips tilted slightly forward, and my knees bent and feet flat on the floor. See the figure below. After a few minutes, she asks me to create a mental image of how my head, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, and feet feel in this position.

I can distinctly hear Stasia giving me the following floor exercise instructions:

“In this position, shift your attention to your breath. Begin by exhaling through your mouth, toward the ceiling. Allow all tension to dissolve from your mind and body. Relax your lips, inhaling gently and rhythmically through your nose. Keep your eyes open with a soft, relaxed gaze. As you breathe, notice areas of tension in your body. With each breath, direct your awareness to the areas of tightness, inviting them to soften and release. This practice is an excellent way to jumpstart your Awareness. Continue this exercise for five to ten minutes before playing.”

Anytime I feel like I have lost correct AT alignment, I will lay on the floor in this position.

Following the awareness floor exercise (which can be accomplished in less than 10 minutes) Stasia has me follow a specific algorithm prior to playing. I have summarized the algorithm below to get you started.

Stasia’s Alphorn AT Algorithm

Stand up from the floor exercise – Bring your attention to the same relationships of the body that you achieved on the floor. Imagine that you are – quite literally – tipped upright to standing (vertical axis) from the position on the floor (horizontal plane). Cultivate the same ease in standing as comes naturally on the floor.

Pick up your alphorn – Gently pick up the alphorn at the receiver or high on the lead pipe.

Focus gaze on the horizon – real or imagined. Keep your vision lifted to a point on the horizon. This step will also prepare you for focused concentration.

Bring the alphorn up to you – Never hunch or slouch down to your mouthpiece. A common mistake that even accomplished alphorn artists make is bending over or slouching to the alphorn, instead of bringing the mouthpiece up to their lips. To get me to break this habit, Stasia has me lightly grasp the receiver with my thumbs and forefingers and raise the lead pipe over my head. I then lower the mouthpiece from above my head to rest into a correct playing position.

Remain present and aware – Similar to starting a meditation session, become aware of your body, breath, and the alphorn.

Align your body – Make certain your head, neck, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles are be in AT alignment (remembering your anatomical relationship during the floor exercise).

Lengthen your spine – Using the alphorn as leverage, gently push down on the lead pipe or receiver lengthening your spine. I imagine pushing down on my alphorn to become two inches taller, allowing my chest to lift up and away from the bell while elongating my posture.

Relax – Allow your shoulders to relax and fall away from your head.

Visualize – Imagine your entire body has now become integrated as part of the alphorn. In this state, you will form a dynamic right triangle (you, the alphorn, and the ground). When you have achieved your perfect right angle, immediately envision yourself performing at an optimal level.

Focus – Throughout your performance, remember to look up and out along the horizon. At the same time, maintain awareness of the subtle counterbalance between the grounding weight of the alphorn and the dynamic thrust upward from the instrument, lengthening your spine. Always remember to let go of any tension in your neck and shoulders.

This simple algorithm takes less than two minutes to implement, yet it will be absolutely transformative. You will notice immediate improvements in all aspects of your alphorn practice sessions and performance.

We highly encourage you to schedule a session with Stasia to unlock the full potential of AT as part of your alphorn mastery.

You can reach Stasia Forsythe Siena, MA, AmSAT at stasiasiena@yahoo.com or (217) 621-2710

https://www.roosevelt.edu/profile/sforsythe

Note from co-author Stasia Forsythe SienaOur goal with this article is to spark your curiosity about how applying the principles of the Alexander Technique can enhance the development and mastery of your alphorn playing. Sean consulted with me on its content and language. However, the voice here is mostly his with insights shaped through the lens of his own experience. Please be mindful not to draw broad generalizations from Sean's personal and distinct AT journey. He mentions quick change. Sean was indeed able to quickly apply the principles I taught him. Moreover, he has continued to deepen and refine his understanding of AT work, remaining open to new ideas and opportunities to integrate this knowledge into his alphorn playing, along with other skills. Your own path with the Alexander technique may differ from Sean's. As he expresses in this article, every person is unique, and working with a skilled Alexander Technique teacher is the gold standard for identifying your individual set of habits and establishing a framework for changing them. This article is meant to serve as a starting point. If an Alexander Technique teacher isn’t available in your area, online lessons with me or someone else skilled at working with musicians are also highly effective. In addition, Sean and I plan to continue evolving Alexander Technique applications to alphorn playing in this newsletter. In the meantime, please don't hesitate to reach out via email or text.