It was a privilege to work again with the British Suzuki Music Association, this time at their National Workshop in Bristol.

The three-day event was held at Badminton School in north Bristol in April, attended by around 150 young musicians and their parents or carers. As you would expect from a Suzuki event, the activities were immensely varied. There were programmes in violin, viola, cello, piano, flute, recorder and trumpet. There were masterclasses, groups, ensembles, orchestras and talks for parents and teachers. The enrichment activities comprised Alexander Technique, choir, composition and yoga.

My contribution involved group classes on the Alexander Technique, as well as strategies for music performance anxiety (MPA). Here are some topics I covered:

  • Unity of Self: the ‘kaleidoscope principle’ and the ‘two-way street principle’;
  • Habits of tension and collapse;
  • Inhibition (or pausing);
  • the Primary Control;
  • an Alexander étude;
  • Performance confidence

Here’s one of the diagrams I used, which is always a great talking point:

balance and ease Alexander Technique

One-to-one Alexander Technique sessions were also available over the three days. Parents sometimes attended these with their children – in one class I even worked with a mother and her triplets!