Brilliant Brain Breaks for Musicians

As per request, here are a few of my favorite brain breaks.  These brain breaks are particularly useful to musicians because they allow the body to engage both sides of the brain, which is key to playing and teaching music at an optimal level.

THE OWL

Put your right hand on your left shoulder and squeeze firmly.

1. Inhale as you look over your left shoulder.
2. Turn your head to look over your right shoulder and exhale.
3. Repeat with the opposite hand.
4. See SAVVY STRETCH SEQUENCE below for similar exercises.

FINGER “TIPS” FOR THE BRAIN

1. Extend your arms in front of you and cross one arm over the other.
2. Face your palms toward one another by rotating your wrists so that your thumbs face down.
3. Claps your hands together by interlocking your fingers.
4. Bring your hands in and up through your arms so that your elbows are touching and your hands are criss-crossed and interlocked in front of you.
5. Ask a partner to point to one of your fingers (don’t touch the finger – that’s cheating!).  Try to move it.

A “ONE-DERFUL” EXERCISE

1. With one hand, draw an “A” in the air.  At the same time say the number “1” out loud.
2. Switch hands.
3. Also try writing the number and saying the letter.
4. Once you can do this, try the whole alphabet with numbers 1 through 26.
5. For a musical variation: try this with scales.  Write the note name and say the scale degree out loud. Then reverse it!

DOUBLE DOODLE

1. On a piece of paper, chalk board, or in the air, draw a different shape with each hand at the same time. For example, draw a square with your left hand and a triangle with your right.
2. Extra Creative Variation: draw an animal with one hand and its habitat with the other. For example, draw a monkey with one hand and a tree with the other (or a percussionist and a tree – I mean, practice room).

SAVVY STRETCH SEQUENCE (Try including THE OWL in this sequence)

1. Take a full breath and shake out your body.
2. Breathing in a purposefully relaxed manner, reach up to the ceiling and stretch.
3. Lean over and with slightly bent knees, touch one hand to the opposite toe. Bring your other arm up, twisting your back comfortably in the direction of your raised arm.
4. Roll up slowly and repeat for the other side.
5. Stand on one leg and pull the knee of your lifted leg to your chest with the opposite arm.  Twist toward the direction of your raised knee, pulling it across your body.  Switch legs.
6. Cross one arm in front of you and pull it toward you with the opposite arm, keeping your shoulder down.  Repeat for the other arm.
7. As pictured above, stretch each of your wrists, crossing your arms slightly when the wrist is flexed.

And, finally, a fun challenge for any musician…

A DOUBLY “ONE-DERFUL” EXERCISE

1. Pick two composers.
2. On paper, a chalk board, or in the air, try writing the names of both composers at the same time – one composer per hand.  For example, write “Bach” with your left hand and “Byrd” with your right.
3. Advanced example: “Mussorgsky” and “Rachmaninoff”
4. Extra Creative Variations: try writing the full name of each composer, add the times they lived, and if you are feeling extra super creative, try drawing the composers instead of writing their names.

Thanks for reading! (Now go practice!)

Image and brain break sources:

http://www.jaredoleary.com/

http://www.owl-pictures.com/

http://brainbreaks.blogspot.com/

http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/larips/faq3.htmlhttp://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/larips/faq3.html

http://www.fitsugar.com/Wrist-Stretches-Help-Prevent-Carpal-Tunnel-Syndrome-10986972?slide=1