The dispokinetician starts with an in-depth general and profession-related anamnesis of the student, which is followed by a sensory and psychomotoric analysis while the student is playing or singing as well as an examination without an instrument. The aim of the Dispokinesis is to devise individually tailored strategies to overcome the problematic aspects of the student’s musical performance.

This process takes its course in private lessons where the dispokinetician accompanies the student with ‘eliciting’ and confirmation and aims to find positive sensations and movement patterns. In other words, Dispokinesis seeks a return to an original way of being, thus freeing intuition and creativity. The key to this is to become aware of primordial movements and of one’s present-day stereotypical postures and patterns of movement.

Through this sensomotoric maturation process, the student regains competence over his own original pattern of movement and can once again freely dispose of his/her musical and artistic expression

Dispokinesis offers different aspects which can be used simultaneously or consecutively:

• The Original Shapes
• Working with a specific instrument
• Ergonomic Aids

The Original Shapes

The Original Shapes of Posture, Breathing and Movement (German: “Urgestalten”)

An Original Shape has the primal quality of posture and movement as it can be found in the “inner wisdom” of any new-born human being: A healthy child develops its individual motor skills naturally, starting from lying on its back, then moving on to crawling, sitting, standing up, and eventually standing freely and walking. The development of these primary motor patterns lays the foundation for a human being’s “original” experiences of movement and is a prerequisite for his cognitive development. Dispokinesis draws on these original experiences. With the upright stance, our arms are no longer needed for support and balance and our hands become free to grasp and act. With this decisive developmental step the child moves from grasping to grasping meaning (comprehending) and the ensuing development of fine motor skills enables target-oriented acting.

The attendant circumstances of the child’s developmental processes are crucial for the final result. Hindering or harmful influences leave deep traces in motor patterns and mental and psychological development. They hinder motor skill and psychological maturation.

Additional Exercises

The Original Shapes and further exercises are the actual core of Dispokinesis. Their central theme is to coordinate and finetune the stabilising functions (body tone and floor contact) with differentiated forms of movement and breathing. Approximately 30 easy-to-learn basic exercises mirror the human being’s natural developmental steps from a lying down position to standing upright, all along preserving their expressive quality. The goal of these exercises is to make one aware of certain sensory- and psychomotor processes (what are my reflexes when I stand up, what do I feel with certain postures, movements, breathing?) and to change them if needed. They help us to recognize stereotypical behaviour and to find our way back to original movement patterns, both on the physical and the psychological level.

Working with a specific instrument or voice

With the help of the Original Shapes of Posture and Movement, the musician acquires the ability of defining / finding his/her adequate posture and playing position, allowing him to combine stability and flexibility and to achieve freedom of expression. With the aim of optimizing both instrumental as well as musical-artistic competencies, Dispokinesis offers specific exercises for each instrument, including visualisation and learning strategies
Some keywords:

• Ability to dose body and muscle tone in regard to posture, breathing and movement
• Ability to dose and differentiate one’s contact with the instrument, be it via strings, keys, mouthpieces, etc.
• Independence of both hands or of individual fingers
• Dealing with stage fright …

According to G.O. van de Klashorst “Musicians are artists of movement.” The musician has reached his goal when he is able to transform his musical imagination without any hindrance into sound and movement. Experiencing music then becomes satisfactory for both the artist and the audience. Understanding one’s mechanisms of self-perception is the key to competency as a musician.

By doing so Dispokinesis goes well beyond other movement therapies, self-awareness and relaxation approaches, and puts the main emphasis on music making and artistic expression.

Ergonomic Aids

Another aspect of the Dispokinesis is questions of instrumental ergonomics. It looks at the individual physical requirements for optimum fine motor skills on the instrument.

Various ergonomic aids such as special seat cushions, chin rests and shoulder rests for high strings or straps, thumb and knee rests for wind and plucked instruments are available. A basic rule of Dispokinesis is that the instrument should be adapted to the body, not the body to the instrument.

More Information

• « Dispokinesis | What is Disposition?
• Ergonomic Aids »