Forbidden Knowledge: What a Pupil Shouldn't Know

One of my pupils, a flutist, came to me because some years earlier his left index finger had started giving him severe problems. The finger had become disobedient, so to speak; at the flute it tended to jump and twitch instead of articulating notes as willed by the flutist.

I've had a long and fruitful collaboration with this pupil. Among the insights that he and I shared together has been that of the "forbidden knowledge." He had at first been keen on understanding the finger's anatomical and physiological workings, in the certitude that such an understanding would help him find a solution for his problem. Indeed, he was sure that this wouldn't find him a solution, but THE solution. In time he came to see that his thirst for anatomical knowledge would not only fail to lead him to a solution, but would also become part of the problem. To the extent that anatomical information risks becoming part of the problem and not its solution, it should be deemed "forbidden knowledge." (Needless to say, there are numerous situations in which anatomical information is essential; like all knowledge, anatomy is dependent on context for its usefulness.)

In this essay I aim to discuss the issue of forbidden knowledge in general and within the Alexander lesson in particular.