The Warm-Up Menu for Musicians: Strategies and a toolbox for achieving a healthy body-mind state for practicing and performing.

Cristina Quesada Henares

Warm-up routines are essential for preventing injuries and enhancing performance, not only for athletes but also for musicians. While technical exercises like scales are common, physical and mental preparation is often overlooked. Research shows that musicians experience a high incidence of injuries, yet many neglect a comprehensive warm-up that includes both physical and mental aspects. This study explores the importance of incorporating a warm-up routine that goes beyond the instrument itself. It introduces a "warm-up menu" that allows musicians to select exercises based on available time, integrating disciplines and techniques such as Yoga, Body Mapping, Flow, and Imagery, while also highlighting the significance of Core engagement for musicians. These practices enhance body awareness, reduce tension, and promote overall well-being, ultimately helping to prevent injuries. The research combines a literature review, expert interviews, and a case study in which three musicians experimented with different warm-up routines over a week, reflecting on their experiences and the impact on their performance and physical condition. Findings suggest that incorporating non-instrumental warm-ups, especially those influenced by Yoga, can reduce tension, improve posture, and enhance performance while lowering injury risks. Experts, including musicians, psychologists, and physiotherapists, confirmed these benefits but emphasized that warm-ups should be part of a broader injury prevention approach. This study provides initial insights into the benefits of holistic warm-ups and encourages further research. By understanding and implementing better warm-up strategies, musicians can cultivate a more sustainable and healthy career.

Core Planking

Suggestion of holding for 30 seconds or up to 1 minute, three times

Sequence inspired by contemporary dance warm-ups to connect with your body, release tension and energize.

Short and Powerful Warm-Ups

by Ana Belén Árbol (2024)

A dynamic, one-minute routine designed to quickly wake up the body and raise the heart rate.

Suggested Routines

This section presents a selection of short and effective warm-up routines designed to prepare both the body and mind for playing. These exercises help mobilize key areas involved in performance, release tension, and enhance focus in the short time we tipically have to warm up.

Choose your own pace and repetitions.

Go Back to the Warm-Up Menu

For important performances, follow Susan Williams' imagery visualization exercise by mentally rehearsing performances the night before, imagining every detail from stage setting to sound production.

Mobilization of key areas involved in playing (neck, shoulders, spine); go to Global & Specific exercises

Wieke Karsten's "musician's law" imagery exercise:

-Feeling the pulse of the music in the body.

-Hearing the sound mentally before playing.

-Finally, playing with complete connection.

Short and Effective Warm-Up

Breathing and Movement: Incorporate breathing into simple movement exercises like the one Nick Hu shows us:

Mental & Physical Engagement: using a mental practice technique while adding movement

Imagine playing a phrase while tapping the rhythm with the whole body & move like a conductor to internalize phrasing and musical flow.

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