The importance of breathing!

If you are a wind teacher, I am sure you will have shared my experience of taking on a student to find that they are musical and determined, but have not been instructed in the most basic aspect of playing - that of correct breathing.  One very experienced teacher I know once gave her view that it is quite possible to work right through Grades 1-8 with musicianship and determination; it is not a requirement to learn basic technique!

A young student I have recently taken on was instructed to 'hold it all in' when she asked how to breathe when playing.  Let us give the teacher the benefit of the doubt and conclude maybe the student mis-heard or mis-understood the instruction.  Either way, the student could not breathe properly to make a sound from the flute.

So, how do we teach this basic requirement? How do we explain what is an unusual concept (breathing 'from the diaphragm')?  I offer some thoughts on this, not as a comprehensive view, more (I hope) as catalyst to help you think through this very important issue in more details.  As the breath control requirements are the same for woodwind and brass instruments this would, of course, benefit from contributions from across those disciplines also.  I would add I am not a doctor, some of my terminology not be quite right, however, I hope it is helpful to those teaching this subject.

Breathing in

When asked to breathe in, most young students make themselves thinner and raise their shoulders.  When playing we have to make ourselves 'fatter' and keep our shoulders down.  The former isn't a literal requirement of course but we will certainly appear to be bigger when breathing in.  When the student has inhaled all the air they can, their tummy should be tense.  I am afraid the only other common experience where this is also the case is pushing when sat on the loo!  It's not a particularly nice thought, but younger students find it funny more than anything else!

Breathing out

This needs to be controlled by the diaphragm muscle, rather than the more reflex action of the lungs deflating themselves.  

Breathing exercises

Even the youngest students can understand the concept of the diaphragm muscle and the need (like other muscles) to train it up.  Simple exercises like asking students to breathe in for 5 seconds, keep their shoulders down and expanding their tummy, holding their breath in, then exhaling making a 'sss' sound for 5 seconds are a very good starting point.  As the student is comfortable with this, they can then breathe in for longer, hold for longer and exhale for longer.  When a student has comfortably increased their timings to 15-20 seconds, then you can start asking them to reduce the time they breathe in, but increase or maintain the time they hold their breath and exhale (e.g. breathe in for 8 seconds, hold for 12, exhale for 12; then breathe in for 6 seconds, hold for 15, exhale for 15 etc) You should, of course, check that the student is not getting dizzy - if they are, they are breathing incorrectly, so explain and start again.

A more advanced exercise for diaphragm development is to ask the student to lie on their backs, lift both feet a few inches off the ground, then play a low 'b' for as long as possible.  There are obvious potential child protection issues with asking a student to lie down (such is the age we live in) so an explanation to parents might be wise.  I have used this exercise with more advanced students who found it hilarious to begin with, but also very good at accelerating diaphragm development.

I hope these few thoughts are of interest to this vital of topics.