The Functional Musician

The Functional Musician The Functional Musician is dedicated to helping classical musicians perform without pain!

Wooo! So excited to share that I passed my public lecture of my dissertation, and will be graduating with my Doctor of M...
04/20/2026

Wooo! So excited to share that I passed my public lecture of my dissertation, and will be graduating with my Doctor of Music from Indiana University in a few weeks.

My dissertation included a literature review of musician wellness and a theoretical injury prevention model to inform musician health and wellness curriculum in higher education.

Huge thank you to my committee for overseeing this project that I’ve worked on over the past six years. And hugeshout to my partner in crime .pancner for the endless support.

I’m super proud of this work and excited to see how the next chapter in my journey unfolds.

Had a fantastic time playing, leading a breathing workshop, and conducting at the Eastern Kentucky University Trombone D...
04/14/2026

Had a fantastic time playing, leading a breathing workshop, and conducting at the Eastern Kentucky University Trombone Day this past weekend!
Bravo to all the students for their performances and being fully present in a long and exciting day!
Huge thank you to Nathan Siler for inviting me to be a part of this day, and bravo to .trombone on a wonderful recital

“Just breathe” they told me as a frantically gasped for air….FRACK Austin, you’re trying to hard, just relax. I tried my...
04/09/2026

“Just breathe” they told me as a frantically gasped for air….FRACK
Austin, you’re trying to hard, just relax.
I tried my best, but my body kept ramping up.
Just breathe - let your body do the thing.
I kept trying, but couldn’t relax.
I kept thinking I needed to practice more, but improvement was slim.
Turns out - not all breathing exercises are created equal
When teachers encourage their students to simplify and focused on the active breathing, that can be a helpful queue that can help their student focus on the music
But what if the student has lost the capacity to access their breath?
What if they are tight, tense, stiff, or have a hard time inhaling?
Sure, just breathe can help them access their window, but their window of breathing is so small that progress can feel random and frustrating
When we focused on “just breathing,” that is a lot like focusing on performing. It is essential and one of the ultimate goals
But if you’ve lost the capacity to access your breath, this is where decompression breathing drills come into play
These are breathing exercise exercises you perform away from your instrument to reduce tension, improve ribcage movement, and improve your relationship with gravity.
I’ve received a lot of messages over the past couple of weeks that have visually LOLd my breathing exercises on socials.
But I’ve also received a lot of messages over the past couple of weeks that have thanked me for putting these exercises together and helping them access their breath for the first time in years.
If you are someone who is constantly tight, struggles with breathing related tension, or can’t seem to get over their tension hurdle on their instrument, Breathing Foundations is for you.
If you want to learn more, shoot me a DM!

Having a blast this week playing some fun pops and Beyoncé with the Detroit Symphony. Huge thank you to Adam Rainey and...
03/29/2026

Having a blast this week playing some fun pops and Beyoncé with the Detroit Symphony.
Huge thank you to Adam Rainey and the rest of the section for having me out!

03/28/2026

Most musicians don’t want to think about their breathing.
And I get it - why would you want to focus on your breath when you could focus on the music?
But your breathing patterns give insight into:
How your nervous system is responding
Resting tension levels
Available movement (including the spine, hips, shoulders, and neck)
How sustainable your level of playing
When we think about the breath, you may think about using more air, sucking more air, of control, but in this video, I’m doing the opposite.
I’m focusing on 360 degrees breathing.
A breath that says I can expand in the front, back, and sides.
A breath that can expand in the abdomen and ribcage at the same time, not separately!
And a breath that demonstrates freedom and balance in the ribcage and pelvis.
When you have access to this type of breath, you:
Your breathing feels easier
Your sound feels more supported without extra effort
Your body stops fighting itself
If you struggle with breathing related tension, check these different expansion area areas, and watch how you breathe.
If you can’t access a 360° breath or access of breath that feels free, this is exactly what I teach inside breathing foundations
This is a step-by-step system to:
Reduce tension
Restore expansion
Rebuild coordination
Apply it directly to your playing
If this looks different than what you’ve been taught, great! That’s exactly the point.

I lived in a body that couldn’t breathe I constantly felt like i was bracing for impact. 
Jaw clenched. Shoulders grippe...
03/27/2026

I lived in a body that couldn’t breathe
I constantly felt like i was bracing for impact. 
Jaw clenched. Shoulders gripped. Ribs locked in place. Breath shallow. I gasped and sucked as much air as I could - it still wasn’t enough.
That tension eventually caught up with me… 
Three years of performance-related injuries… three years of wondering why my body was failing me when all I ever did was push harder and try to improve.
The wild part? I thought I was doing everything “right.”
Stand tall. Sit up straight. Breathe deep. Control your posture. Suck air. Blow. You name it 
I was trying so hard — but all that effort was the problem.
It turns out… i had a breathing problem 
My body was stuck in fight or flight with years of muscle tension keeping me locked in a posture that was pulling me down
When I finally learned to stop forcing, stop bracing, and stop “performing” on every inhale… everything changed.
My ribcage moved again. My pain eased. Chronic tightness went away, and I was able to start playing again.
Breathing for decompression, movement,
And overall health NEEDS to be a tool every musician develops.
This tool isn’t about forcing, controlling, or “training.” 
It’s about getting out of your own way. 
Softening. Allowing. Observing. Expanding. Being.
This is when the magic happens, and this is the key to relaxation, comfort, movement, and giving you the window to train how you want.
Take the first step by joining breathing foundations, and begin your journey toward finally true relaxation, support, and confidence.

03/27/2026

Jaw tension or pain making practicing a drag?
Give this 5 minute routine a try!
As a brass player, taking care of these tissues, reducing tension, and increasing the overall space and capacity of my jaw has been a game changer for my overall embouchure and playing health
My range has improved. My articulation speed and control has improved, and my amateur stability has improved.
Although I feel improvements whenever I do this, this is of course over a period of six months. But hey! I’ll take steady improvement over shortcuts every day of the week.
If you feel the onset of tension happening during playing, or occipital, headache seemed to come after a long session, PLEASE give this routine a try and listen to your body

To all of the musicians that feel tight or restricted in your breathing and have tried ALL the things It’s time to try s...
03/26/2026

To all of the musicians that feel tight or restricted in your breathing and have tried ALL the things
It’s time to try something different, something that doesn’t exist in the music field
It’s time to try a program that takes your ribcage structure into consideration, and programs specific movement and breathing exercises that actually work
Approach aside, this is more than just breathing, this is:
Being able to take a full breath mid phrase
Finally getting to the end of an etude without feeling starved for air
Feeling free in your inhale, no more moving your neck or head to help bring air in
Playing your instrument with more ease and control
And learning the skills you need to continue your progress and make this your own.
The more people that reach out to me expressing their discernment or disappointment in this new approach, the more I double down on how powerful this program is.
It’s time.
Go to the link in bio and join breathing foundations, and I’ll walk you through this program every step of the way.
Any questions? Just shoot me a dm!

Exciting announcement! Breathing foundations is now open! If you are a musician who has been struggling with breathing r...
03/25/2026

Exciting announcement! Breathing foundations is now open!
If you are a musician who has been struggling with breathing related tension, struggles with posture, or feel stiff all the time - this program is for you
The self-paced option is now available and there will be a live cohort in May.
Head to my bio to learn more

03/23/2026

This is a CO₂ tolerance test
And it’s not just about breath-holding.
It gives you insight into how your body responds to stress, handles pressure, and moves.
Here is how to do it (post your score in the comments!)
Lie down on your back on the floor and get comfy
Perform a normal exhale and pause at the bottom. At the same time, start a timer. Stop the timer when you feel the air hunger hit.
What was your score?
Anything above 45 second is great.
Average is around 20 - 30.
What does a low score mean?
When your system doesn’t tolerate CO₂ well… it starts to feel like you’re running out of air, or like your heart is suddenly racing at random during the day.
And this is what also happens while you’re playing:
* Your breathing speeds up
* Tension starts creeping in
* Your shoulders, neck, and jaw try to take over
* Things feel harder than they should
* Performance stress feels very high
The lower the score, the higher the stress on your nervous system.
A low score is also related to compensatory breathing patterns, when accessory muscles (neck, shoulders, upper chest) take over the work that should be happening deeper in your ribcage and core.
So what do you do?
Understand that this isn’t a technique problem, but a tolerance and breathing issue.
Before you can train your breath… You have to create the conditions that allow your system to manage pressure efficiently.
That’s what decompression does.
And it’s the first phase inside Breathing Foundations (opening Wednesday!)
Join the waitlist for early bird access (link in bio).

I was in the “best shape of my life,” but I couldn’t breathe. Tension everywhere. Hesitation on every attack, and playin...
03/22/2026

I was in the “best shape of my life,” but I couldn’t breathe.
Tension everywhere. Hesitation on every attack, and playing felt like too much work
Then I realized, for me, health isn’t about how you look.
It’s how you feel, move, and breathe.
And for me, what I do to take care of my health and fitness should complement and support my music in a positive way. Something that makes playing easier!
And along the way, I discovered a new approach that changed the game for me and all it took was 10-15 minutes a day.
I see regular improvements in my playing, my sleep, my movement, my energy levels, and even my ability to focus.
I am happy to share I’m at the point to share this program wtih the world yet again, after months of work behind the scenes after version 2.
I’ve been saying it for months, but for real this time, Breathing Foundations officially Opens this Wednesday!
There are special Early bird pricing + bonuses for the waitlist.
Link in bio.

F.M. Alexander’s work is brilliant. What he discovered through years of self-observation laid the foundation for our un...
03/21/2026

F.M. Alexander’s work is brilliant.
What he discovered through years of self-observation laid the foundation for our understanding of coordination, tension, and breathing today.
I greatly respect his work.
However, his solutions were primarily built for his body: A narrow ISA structure.
When we apply any technique universally, without accounting for individual anatomy, we miss the personalization that can elevate the process
The Whispered Ah is gold for some people. For others, it reinforces exactly what they need to change.
This isn’t about rejecting Alexander’s methods. It’s about evolving them, using the same spirit of self-inquiry he championed, but with an understanding that different structures need different strategies.
Alexander figured out what worked for HIM by studying his own body.
You deserve the same: exercises designed for YOUR ribcage, YOUR breathing patterns, YOUR structure.
Breathing Foundations drops this week. Link in bio 👆

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