The Musician's Warm Up

OK it's time to warm up now... wait what are we supposed to be doing?

Professional athletes are taught how to take time to warm up before they train as a way to avoid injury and prepare their minds and bodies to focus. So why isn’t this something that professional musicians are taught?

About a month ago I was a guest yoga/movement for musicians facilitator and viola faculty at the Arizona ViolAcademy. I worked with two groups of young musicians and with each group I asked them the following questions:

“What does it mean to warm up before playing?”

“Why is it important to warm up?”

“Do you warm up as a part of your practice routine? If so, what are some examples?”

Just out of curiosity.. if you are a professional musician, please take a moment to answer the above questions on your own to the best of your ability. I wonder what your relationship is with warming up. I’m including a quick poll just for fun.

Now that we’ve taken some time to reflect, I want to share some food for thought when considering these questions and practical tips for creating your own warmup.