Alexander was born prematurely and had issues in what is known today as the suck-swallow-breathe synchrony. Carrington records that FM was very concerned about his jaw, since he had an extreme overbite. This faulty coordination is at the opposite end of the habits that appear in the general population. So of course, the jaw never gets mentioned. As AT teachers we work with the whole person and we include the jaw in the primary control, and all seems well, especially if you don’t have anything to say! But the jaw joint is the strongest in the body, designed for your survival. Its use for communication is secondary to eating and swallowing. Its location at the centre of gravity can invite it to compete with the atlanto-occipital joint, and the jaw muscles often reflect emotional holding patterns.
Many musicians require special use of the mandible.  For these artistic ends, general freedom of the neck and jaw may not be enough. In this workshop we will explore a more sophisticated coordination of the mandible, in order to solve particular issues, such as:
• Singing in a sustained high operatic register with complete acoustical release;
• Articulation of text in the extreme registers;
• Embouchure work for singers—jaw work should precede the training or retraining the tongue and the muscles that externally shape the language;
• Embouchure work for wind/brass players—the mandible can be trained independently and before finding the appropriate, individual embouchure;
• Violin and viola players may also benefit from a fresh look at the jaw, before the chin meets the instrument.