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.

Free Online Tools and Book Recommendations

In this section, you’ll find free online resources that can support your musical practice, emotional well-being, and mental clarity, as well as book recommendations covering topics like mindfulness, productivity, emotional intelligence, and high performance.

Free Online Tools

Do Yoga With Me

What it is: A free online platform offering yoga classes for all levels.
Why it’s useful: Yoga improves breathing, posture, and relaxation—essential for musicians.

Features:
-Classes of different lengths and intensities.
-Options with or without props.
-Specialized sessions for mindfulness and stress relief.

My favourites:

-Morning Slow Hatha Flow with Melissa Krieger: https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/morning-slow-hatha-yoga-flow

17 min. Class
No equipment (just a mat)
Focus: Hips/Morning/Sleep/Relaxation/Stress/Anxiety/
Style: Gentle Yoga/Hatha Yoga

-Gentle Floor Sequence with Christa Shillington:

https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/gentle-floor-sequence

7 min. Class
No equipment (just a mat)
Focus: Feets/Spine/Flexibility/Legs and Feet/LowerBack
Style: Vinyasa/Power Yoga

-Quick Morning Flow:

https://www.doyogawithme.com/content/quick-morning-flow?check_logged_in=1

27 min. Class
No equipment (just a mat)
Focus: Hips/Whole Body/Flexibility/Neck&Shoulders/Arms&Hands
Style: Vinyasa/Power Yoga

Podcast:

The Breathwork Club - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6nEvl1W8OiAJrmawi23EOf?si=9eaf6891d74f4cdd

YouTube Channel: Therapy in a Nutshell

What it is: A YouTube channel offering insights into mental health, emotional resilience, and practical psychology.
Why it’s useful: Helps musicians develop tools to manage stress, focus, and performance anxiety.
Popular topics: Anxiety management, breaking bad habits, and understanding emotions.

Book Recommendations

These books cover essential topics like mental training, productivity, resilience, emotional intelligence, and effective learning techniques.

For Musicians and Performers

-Learn Faster, Perform Better – Molly Gebrian(scientific insights on how musicians learn best).

-(in Spanish) Cómo ser feliz si eres músico o tienes uno cerca – Guillermo Dalia(humorous but practical advice for musicians and their families).

-(in Spanish) Fuerza Mental del Músico – Fermín Galduf y Guillermo Dalia(mental resilience techniques for musicians).

Emotional Intelligence & Well-being

-Emotional Intelligence – Daniel Goleman(the classic guide to understanding emotions and self-awareness).
-(in Spanish) La ciencia del lenguaje positivo – Luis Castellanos(the impact of positive language on mindset and motivation).
-(in Spanish) Cómo hacer que te pasen cosas buenas – Marian Rojas Estapé(a neuroscience-based approach to happiness and well-being)

Productivity, Habits & Mindset

-Failing Forward – John C. Maxwell(how to turn failures into stepping stones for success).

-Atomic Habits – James Clear(how small habits create massive long-term change).

-Getting Things Done – David Allen(a structured system for organizing tasks and reducing mental clutter).

-The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey(principles for personal and professional success).

-The Inner Game of Tennis – Timothy Gallwey(mental strategies for overcoming performance anxiety and self-doubt—highly applicable to musicians).

Instagram pages: Clarinet Digital Academy (specially for clarinetists), Laura Ortiz (musical coach in Spanish)

Recommended Free Apps: Think App (for Alexander Technique Practice) & The Breathing App (for simple Meditation Breathing Techniques)

Go Back to the Warm-Up Menu

Next: Chapter 4: Interventions

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