Can I teach my private music students elements of movement modalities that I haven't formally trained in?
This was an excellent question that I received in this morning’s musician’s weekly warmup class: “Can I, as a violin teacher, teach my music students elements of movement modalities to help them move and play better, even if I’m not formally trained in that method?” The short answer…It depends!
Context really matters here- are you teaching your students about their pelvis, spine, or shoulders? Are you teaching basic anatomical concepts and movements to help them play their instruments better? To me, that’s not a violation of an ethical boundary. Basic anatomy concepts are not trademarked, secret information. The concept of neutral pelvis or how your spine is structured shouldn’t be a mystery, especially not in the context of teaching music. Teaching basic bodily warmups should also not be private information, only available to people after an injury.
Conversely, if a teacher falsifies their credentials, claims to be something they’re not, or offers classes in a modality they’re not trained in, that’s an ethical violation. I’m trained in yoga, pilates, and personal training, however somatic warmups are very standard in all of these modalities that I have experience in. Many exercises cross over into different modalities, for example, an X roll might show up in somatics, martial arts, developmental movement patterns, and more. I don’t claim to be a martial arts teacher, but I’ve been told that a movement I learned from a yoga teacher showed up in martial arts. A standard pilates warmup also shows up in Feldenkrais, Bartenieff fundamentals, and modern dance. The bottom line is that there’s a lot of cross over between human movement, and how modalities and individuals have classified movements.
One thing to keep in mind is that most modalities pioneered by a single person are influenced by other people, modalities, and approaches. Bikram attempted to copyright his yoga asana sequence despite the fact that movements are taught be many other yoga teachers, and his own source teacher taught the same poses. The Pilates method is famous for its trademark lawsuit almost twenty years ago where a specific lineage and teacher of pilates tried to discredit other lineages and teachers, claiming to be the “authentic” brand of pilates. (The case was lost and the word Pilates is not trademarked by one specific person or lineage). Modern dance choreography incorporates many different movements, from pilates to martial arts to other dance techniques, and modern dance concepts show up in pilates. Many of the concepts in Alexander Technique in terms of how the pelvis, spine, and head relate show up in other modalities, from pilates to manual therapy to physical therapy. This is not to say that studying a specific modality or approach is not valuable, but just to acknowledge that each of these people was influenced by many different other modalities or approaches that they may or may not acknowledge.
With that in mind, here are some suggestions if you want to teach movements to your students:
Be clear on your scope of practice. Don’t use titles that you haven’t properly earned. Be conscious on the ethics of touch when making adjustments or giving tactile feedback to students. Ask for permission when touching students.
Don’t teach public group fitness or movement classes without having some certification, liability insurance, or training. One of the big challenges of the internet is that people teach movement online without formal training in anything, which is risky for both you and your students.
Credit sources. You can say, “I really enjoyed this shoulder stretch I learned from X.” Credit specific people or modalities. You can also say, “This shows up in many different modalities.”
Direct students to someone trained in the modality to learn more or host a guest teacher to teach a studio class.
Realize that learning a little bit about the body doesn’t make you an expert and know when to refer out to a PT, clinician, or other professional when needed.
Try to deepen your own learning about the body, whether that’s through self study, anatomy courses, or other modalities. Some great intro trainings on anatomy for musicians are Bodymapping and the TImani method.
Don’t claim that a movement or concept is your original discovery if you’ve learned it from someone else.
Be conscientious about appreciation vs. appropriation, regardless of the method or modality. This can also show up as someone doing a certification in something, then creating a brand new magical method or program very similar to the certification, claiming that it’s original.
Lastly, consider getting liability waivers and insurance if you plan on teaching movement to students regularly, whether that’s online or in person. It’s important to know students’ pre-existing injuries or conditions prior to teaching them and important to protect yourself and students.
Not everyone will agree with me on these points, and that’s ok. I’d like more music educators to help students with injury prevention and healthy playing practices, but I’d also like that to be done in a safe, ethical way with respect to the many different movement lineages out there.