Links to Alexander Technique resources, particularly those relevant to performing on a musical instrument.

Alexander Technique and Musical Instruments

From Violin   -   at www.alexandertechnique.com :
" ... many violinists struggle for years without ever approaching the sound they imagine.
... it has been noted many times that the increase in overall coordination brought about by the (Alexander) Technique produces a definite improvement in tone quality.... The Alexander Technique lays considerable emphasis on the freedom of the musculature of the neck. Many of the muscles attached to the head and neck act as an outspreading web of prongs to support the shoulder girdle. By the freeing of this muscle complex one achieves springing and support for the arms. Thus the intrinsic muscles of the arms are free for the finer adjustments needed in the production of good tone quality. "





Joe Armstrong has a Master's Degree in musical performance on flute and teaches AT. In RECONSIDERING 'FORWARD AND UP' he describes how Alexander Technique helped him survive basic training in the US Army! HOME PAGE - http://home.earthlink.net/~jarmstrongatech/

" .... (AT) opened a door on a knowledge and experience of psychophysical unity I desperately needed for my development as a performer and for my growth as a person.

I didn't realize it so clearly at the time, but I had just about come to a dead end in my progress as a musician, which had been very "instinctive" and haphazard, relying mainly on whatever "natural talent" I might have possessed.

And, at the same time, I had also become extremely ill-at-ease in nearly every aspect of my social life. Looking back, I can see that I was probably very close to some kind of "breakdown," but the lessons helped ward it off by showing me how to access the potential for integration and constructive control that most of us have buried beneath our long-standing subconscious habits of reacting, thinking, moving and carrying ourselves."



From Oboe   -   at www.alexandertechnique.com
" Like other musicians, an oboist is often very attached to the feeling of her mannerisms and her habitual tension. She equates the feeling of tension with expressiveness and feels that a loss of this tension would eliminate her individuality and ability to communicate the music.

This is clearly not true; she is expressing the music despite the tension she is feeling, not because of it. If she rids herself of habitual misuse and the associated excessive and unbalanced tension, she will become freer to choose how she uses herself and therefore freer to express her individuality through the oboe and the music she is playing. "



www.playinglesshurt.com
Cellist / author Janet Horvath's website expands on issues in her acclaimed, self-published book "Playing (less) Hurt: An Injury Prevention Guide for Musicians".



VIDEO - Introduction to Alexander Technique

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Good Definitions of the Alexander Technique



School for F.M. Alexander Studies
294 Smith Street Collingwood
Victoria 3066
Australia
61 3 9419 8273
email



Uplifting Solutions - Ergonomic business furniture
Alexander Technique inspired office chairs based developed by a couple of teachers in Sydney, Australia. Possibly suitable for guitar playing, but definetely great for sweating over a computer.



Society for Teachers of the Alexander Technique
Established in 1958, STAT is the largest regulatory body for the Alexander Technique. The site includes a search engine to find a teacher in your local area. STAT Books has the most comprehensive collection of books, articles and journals on the Alexander Technique for purchase in the world.

The Complete Guide to Alexander Technique
This Web Site provides a systematic guide to all Alexander Technique information and resources - both on and off the Internet.

The Alexander Technique
Good links and an animation of Alexander guiding someone into a chair!

Cathy Pollock
Cathy is a certified teacher from Salt Lake City, Utah. The site includes : "What is a lesson like?", - "Famous people who use it" and more.

Performance Medicine

Arts, Health and Medicine
Based at the University of N.S.W. (Australia). this site considers creative, intellectual and interdisciplinary practice in the the intersections of art, science, health and medicine.

Three Musicians talk about AT
Bill Benham (violin), Melbon Mackie (bassoon) & Joseph Sanders (oboe) talk about their experiences with AT.

www.chinese-medicine-directory.com - Over 100,000 related Websites

Dance

Contemporary Dance
Abstracts of papers given by Contemporary Dance staff at the CORD Conference: The Body in Dance: Modes of Enquiry

Alexander Technique and Dance
Jayne Stevens and Martin Leach, members of PAAT teaching in The Department of Performing Arts, De Montfort University, Leicester and working in cooperation with academic colleagues there, have published a series of academic articles on the relationship between the Alexander Technique and the performing arts.

" I really liked the holistic approach in the book. The connection with whole-body movements is great for teaching rhythm. Dancing gets them to feel the inner pulse better. " Renowned guitarist Phillip Hii - http://philiphii.com Click the cover to read about 'Guitar Playing and how it works' and how it can improve your Guitar Playing !