The danger of young overambition
by G.O.v.d.Klashorst
On this occasion, I mention two equal cases of two young highly talented female violinists with right shoulder and upperarm pains; both about 18 years old.
Both had a strong will, liked playing and practising and they loved to be on the stage. The character of the two young women was strongly; they indicate an overambition, what they don’t need because of their gifts.
Both received many concert-tasks already young, played in youth-orchestras as soloists and often with professional orchestras. came into being during concert preparations in the age of 16 years, disappeared after a while and came back again. It repeated time for time.
It started with fatigue followed by pains in and under the M. Deltoideus and radiation of the pains in a later stage upwards in the shoulder and downwards in the biceps. The complaints became progressive until the problems grew to unbearable after 10 minutes of playing.
The check-up of posture, playing posture, playing technique und the medical check-up of the local symptoms resulted in:
- the general posture showed a hyperlordosis,
- the playing posture showed a more deepened hyperlordosis, ( as an violin playing expression from the school of virtuosity, compare Paganini);
- the musculature around the shoulder was hypertone;
- the Tendo musc. Bicipitis longus was irritated, swollen and painful:
- the passage through the capsl was painful and inhibited.
Because of the high expression-needs of both young women, the development of the bowing technique led to high strain around the shoulder/arm area, because of Grossmotoric imaginations.
Their musical intentions were very much developed, but the motoric ripening to a fine motoric Concept, could not cope with it. The sensomotoric development was not yet ripened enough. As a result repeated strain injuries came into being.
For both was the acceptance of my advice very heavy to bear.
My advice was: rest, Dispokinesis, local treatment and reeducation of the bowing technique after being more sensomotorically developed.
Both get into a psychological crisis. My first job was to block this crisis and to give new insights into the prognosis both could have in following my advice. Because both had already consumed several unsuccessful advises and physical therapies, they were distrustful. My explanation, that a more conscious body awareness could lead to a better imagination of the bowing technique, broke through the negative spiral. With Dispokinetopaedy they succeeded to improve their body awareness, so that they could understand what happened really. That way opened the possibilities to reform their bowing technique simple as well to find again the necessary expression in performing without the old misapprehensions.
They needed time and a pause without the obligations of concerts or study-pressure. Both studied with an outstanding Mrs. Professor D.v.W., which gave them both the required time to heal. Being liberated from the pressure of concerts and practising, they could breath again. However, many times I had to step on the brake. The total-treatment of violinist A. lasted almost two years, before she made her comeback on the stage and could study again. She became prize-winner of the most important Dutch violinists competition and works now as a leader of a Dutch orchestra together with solo-performances. The treatment of the violinist B. finished in one year. She also became prize-winner of the same competition and is a soloist all over Europe.
What is the lesson of these two cases:
Not seldom It happens that highly talented young musicians become indisposed by cause of overambition and an unequal development between musical expression and motoric ripening.