This has been something I’ve thought about for a long long time. I feel like in many ways I’m fighting my conditioning, but we all are in some regard I think.
My fear of posting videos or putting myself out there because I felt shame about how I looked is actually tragic. How much art are we losing out on because of this deep social conditioning…
#classicalmusician #fluteplayer #flutist
7 months agoanna_iris_yannaka
This is also extremely important for fellow singers! I too grew up having learned that I have to suck my stomach constantly and I did it up until some years ago when I learned what hourglass syndrome is and that all this time I have been hindering my breathing therefore sabotaging my voice!
9 months agohelenatoro_
as a singer, my body not only plays but IS the instrument, and it's really hard to "keep the connection" and be fully "grounded in my body" when i have so much fat-related trauma... also, our support needs to be stable but flexible and, as someone who was also repeatedly instructed to hold my belly in, it's so hard to stop in order to make that support happen. i also feel like big opera singers were more accepted in the past and less so now, so it's really frustrating feeling like im being turned down for things because of the way my body looks (ofc im not sure that's the reason, but the fact it even COULD be is already so disappointing). thank you so much for talking about these things, we gotta bring it up more and undo all that damage within ourselves!
9 months agokayleighchurchett
I remember my full orchestra conductor in high school telling us how to breathe, and to fully relax our bellies. I was never comfortable doing it☹️about to graduate undergrad on flute and I still don’t breathe correctly. Never fully realized this—absolutely crazy.
9 months agolondyroo
i literally have had to relearn how to use air when i sing and play flute this year because of this
9 months agoitscoachangela
I cannot love this reel enough!! The intersection between being a musician and being a woman with internalized beauty standards is tricky to navigate. You hit the nail on the head - our bodies play the instrument and we need to treat them with the care and respect they deserve to play well. It’s a radical act to stop “taking up less space” and conform to a specific silhouettes, and instead take up the space we need to breathe. We’ve been taught to shrink, but music requires us to expand. When we choose shapewear or a restrictive dress over breath support, we’re sacrificing our art for a standard that serves neither the music nor our bodies. 🩷
9 months agobunny_in_blue
I am very grateful that I had a band director who taught us the difference between playing with your diaphragm versus not. He had a kid step on his stomach while playing the trumpet and you could tell the difference. I never felt self conscious while playing my instruments afterwards
9 months agoleslie_lifts_allthethings
Former singer here. It took me so long (I’m 47) to learn that I had created atrocious body issues and taught my muscles to do things that no one should be doing. Locked ribs, held abs, you name it. I don’t even sing anymore and still find there are times I can’t relax out of it.
9 months agosarahgrohmusic
Yes, we were all told. I became a dance major in college - tuck the but and draw in the front! Then I relaxed and realized I was, needed to transfer to another Uni to become a voice major. A full year to let my stomach area go and relax. Now a a prof singer - it’s about a relaxed stomach area
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