"My daughter’s hands are more poised and her baseline postural alignment is healthier from her work with Simone". 
- Judy, Physical Therapist and parent of 12 year old piano student.

Not only has Simone taught me about the piano and how to conquer difficult pieces, she has taught me about the mechanics of playing piano and about good posture, which improved my playing a lot, and also helped my posture outside of piano.  - Marisa, Piano Student, Age 15

…my playing improved immensely. The posture work relaxed my entire body while I was playing and this improved my tone and dynamic range. – Marion, Classical and Jazz Piano Student, Age 17

"(Balanced) posture helps you to be comfortable at the piano, and it also helps your arms, back, and shoulders be in the correct position to play. (And when you get to be old, you won't be complaining, 'Oh, my aching back!')". 
- Stacy, Classical Piano Student

What is Body Balance? It is the practice of “aligning your bones with gravity so that your muscles can be in maximum relaxation”   - www.balancecenter.com “The McCall Body Balance Method is not the next exercise trend. It’s a re-education process that allows tissue self-healing through elimination of damaging movements and postures. It’s a “body style change.” Give your body a chance to work as it was intended to–in balance.” - www.mccallmethod.com

Piano instruction at the Myriad Music School involves developing an awareness of relaxed and stress-free piano posture. This applies to the back, neck, shoulders, forearms, wrists, and hands. As pianists, we may not be aware of the tension we hold in our bodies as we play. This tension hinders all aspects of our musicianship, from virtuosity to tone production. By making minor adjustments, re-thinking how you sit at the piano and then learning how to relax, you can find freedom and ease as you move about the keyboard. The methodology at the Myriad Music School (a combination of playing in Balance and the Taubman Approach) is derived from the teachings of Jean Couch, Founder/Director of The Balance Center, and concert pianist/Certified Balance Instructor Barbara Wilkins of Palo Alto California. Both women have pioneered highly efficient methods for teaching people how to reduce or eliminate tension and pain.

Body Balance takes time and practice. It is not just a way of playing the piano; it is a lifestyle choice. Some results can be instant, while others require on-going patience and dedication from both the student and the teacher. Most young pianists in our culture have been out of balance for years and it takes time for the body to reverse these familiar holding patterns. However, adhering to these basic guidelines will bring relief and open the doors to limitless technique and musicality.

It has been our experience that the practice of Body Balance (combined with the techniques of the Taubman Approach) at the piano effectively addresses the following problem areas for pianists of all skill levels:

In the Body Pain associated with playing the piano   Collapsed wrists  Gripping, pulling, overly curled finger tips at the keyboard   Tight, clenched thumbs   Muscular tension in hands; lack of dexterity in technique  Inability to move freely from finger joints    Inability to execute “in’s and out’s” freely   “C”- shaped back   Reverse curve in back (swayback or Lordosis) Tucked pelvis resulting in back-oriented sitting Shoulder tension   Lack of arm weight   Lack of rotation   Neck tension Tension in legs while playing Tension in ankles and feet while pedaling

In the Music, Body Balance will facilitate: Improved, rich tone production Improved control of phrasing   Increased dynamic range Precise execution of articulations Chordal playing in which all tones of chord sound together Relaxed, clear  virtuosity in all technique, including scalar passages,  arpeggios and chords Precise control of pedaling techniques The ability to move quickly and accurately from one area of the keyboard to another Much, much more.

Playing the piano in a way which places stress on the spine will eventually lead to Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI). The following photos depict postures out of Body Balance and in Body Balance at the piano. 

Simone Bley - 1977

Out of Balance

Body Balance

Students at the Myriad Music School learn the value of Body Balance while they practice and perform. They exhibit ease when executing various kinds of articulation. Their relaxed, correctly aligned posture makes creating rich tone and contrasting dynamics much easier.

Illustrated Body Balance guidelines help students remember the importance and sequence of the positions. 
This is just one example:

Sitting at the Piano in Body Balance

Benefits: Using these guidelines while sitting keeps the back muscles relaxed while the spine moves forward as a unified column. The body safely bends from the hip socket, not the low back. Once seated, the vertebrae are stacked allowing the back, shoulder and neck muscles to relax while playing. This is the beginning to tension-free playing.

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