The aim of this intervention study is to investigate how accordion students in the third and fourth years of part-time arts education (DKO) can develop their body awareness in order to acquire a relaxed, expressive, supportive and sustainable approach to playing the instrument.

The impetus for this research was the observation that many accordion students experience tension in their shoulders, arms, neck and hands, which has a negative impact on technique, sound quality and musical expression. Based on this issue, the study investigated which pedagogical and somatic interventions can support body awareness, how pupils experience the relationship between body and music, and what role self-reflection and video analysis play in this.

The research was conducted within my own teaching practice and in a colleague’s classroom. During various test sessions, work was carried out on body awareness, breathing, balance, sitting posture, freedom of movement and bellows movement, inspired by, amongst other things, the Alexander Technique and insights from an interview with a physiotherapist-musician. Data collection was carried out through observations, video analysis, student reflections, feedback from a consultation group of accordion teachers and guidance from an Alexander Technique teacher.

The results show that students gradually became more aware of their posture, tension and movement patterns. In particular, exercises focusing on relaxation, arm weight, balance and breathing had a positive influence on freedom of movement and sound perception. At the same time, it emerged that applying body awareness during technically difficult passages is not self-evident and requires considerable time and repetition. This research confirms that body awareness plays an important role in accordion pedagogy and that a body-oriented approach can contribute to a more relaxed, sustainable and expressive way of making music.