Course content
We have a course for each of the following instruments:
Course content
Your instrument has a home page which highlights the physical considerations of playing it.
At the bottom of that page you can access the course content and this is arranged in two parts:
- The exercise section
- The explainer section
The exercises
We have a selection of exercises for different purposes:
Warming up before you play to prepare the muscles and joints for movement
Active Recovery to relax the muscles and avoid the build-up of tension after playing
Stretching for when you feel that a good stretch is what you need
Mobility to help keep your joints moving, especially in your spine
Conditioning for creating and maintaining strength in all the right areas
The exercises all have a role to play in keeping you physically resilient and preventing injury
They are easy to follow and you can go at your own pace
Each exercise has instructions and a video to guide you
They are suitable for everyone and you can choose which ones suit you
Watch one of the exercise videos:
The explainers
Maintaining your physical health is about so much more than exercise.
Here we present a diverse range of topics of useful things to know that can all help you to perform at your physical best.
Video topics
nutrition – how what you eat affects your health and your performance
hydration – why it matters, the consequences of poor hydration, and how much water we need
sleep – why sleep is so important to our health including tips for better sleep
rest, recovery and repair – making use of the time you are not playing to portect your body
psychology – the positive and negative aspects of how our mind works and how to keep control
breathing – some thoughts on the importance of breathing for all musicians and some surprising things that affect it
hypermobility – an explanation of why joints can be mobile in some people and how it affects movement
general exercise – the benefits of exercise, which are best and which to beware of
common injuries – a musicians guide to of why certain muscles develop problems that can lead to injury
what to do when something hurts – an explanation of pain and some clarity on treatments and therapies that may help and some that may not
research – an understandable guide to the research into the physical health of musicians and the evidence for exercise
posture and positioning – we explain why there is more to it than sitting up straight
orchestral playing – some tips on being comfortable on stage
practice – some reminders on good practice habits to protect the body
Common questions
Most of our exercise content would be best described as movements and they are relevant to playing your instrument. Some of it involves doing some strenghthening exercises and they are all easy for anyone to do, and they are the best way to build a body that is resilient to to injury.
We understand that time is precious and whilst you do have to invest a little time to maintain your body, you can choose which exercises are most suitable for you and fit them in to the time you have available.
We suggest that you choose the instrument that you play most often, or the one that causes you the most discomfort. If the instruments that you play are played in similar positions for example, oboe and clarinet, then the exercises are very similar.
This course is primarily concerned with preventing injury and we suggest that you seek professional help with your injury before you start with Musicians in Tune.
If you find that the course is not what you wanted then you have 14 days to get a full refund. For full details see our refunds policy below.
Our courses are available here:
The benefits of prevention
Many people visiting this site will have experienced pain, discomfort or even injury at some time and will appreciate how frustrating it can be. Our aim is to give musicians the tools and the knowledge they need to help prevent this.
When a preventative programme is working at its best the only way to assess whether it is working is that nothing bad happens and we don’t tend to notice. The best way to make use of it is to make it a daily habit and in this respect, it is a bit like brushing your teeth every day or learning scales. Doing it once or twice is not going to make any difference, the benefits come with regular practice.
Another upside with this programme is that you may find that you play better, project your sound, feel more comfortable when playing and can play comfortably for longer.
Accessing the course content
The videos in our course content are streamable and are not downloadable. To access them you will need an internet connection and we recommend that for best results you view the videos over a WiFi connection.
