Many people are familiar with William Hurt, the American actor who sadly passed away last month. Not so many people know, however, that Hurt, along with many actors – Dame Judi Dench, Sir Ian McKellen and Alan Rickman to name a few – was a huge fan of the Alexander Technique. Not only that, but …
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Back pain – follow the evidence
Would you like to go from experiencing back pain every day to 3 days a month, or fewer? That’s the startling evidence of what the Alexander Technique can do, according to a large-scale clinical trial into its effectiveness. The research into the Alexander Technique was conducted by the NHS and was a randomised control trial, …
Tension-free playing for musicians: instrument-specific help
One of the challenges facing all musicians is how to avoid unnecessary tension. There are two main reasons tension is so limiting for musicians: One of the aims of the Alexander Technique is to resolve the problem of excess tension in activity. It is therefore an ideal method for musicians wishing to restore comfort, freedom, …
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FM Alexander’s impasse
FM Alexander, the founder of the Alexander Technique, experienced vocal problems as an actor. Whenever he spoke on stage he began to develop a strange hoarseness in his voice. The medical professionals of his day could not help him, and so he resolved to find out whether there was anything he was doing to himself …
Alexander Technique and the Double Bass
A few months ago I helped organise an online Alexander Technique Music Conference. One of the contributors was Peter Buckoke, a professor at the Royal College of Music who teaches both the double bass and the Alexander Technique. You can watch Peter’s video here: Peter covered the following topics in his video, and I’m going …
Could less practice be more effective?
Mark Morley-Fletcher is an educator who, according to his website, teaches the skills and mindsets musicians need for effective practice and performance. He notes that this kind of big-picture thinking is often overlooked among musicians, and I would have to agree. Recently, Mark posted a video on Youtube which caught my attention because of its …
The Alexander Technique and self-defeating perfectionism
Perfectionism is a personality trait that is on the increase. Back in the 1980s, psychiatrist Dr David D. Burns rather eloquently defined perfectionists as: people who strain compulsively and unremittingly toward impossible goals and who measure their own worth entirely in terms of productivity and accomplishment. Burns, D.D. (1980). The perfectionist’s script for self-defeat. Psychology …
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How to Heal podcast with Will Shipp
Last month I was really pleased to be interviewed about the Alexander Technique by Will Shipp for his How to Heal podcast. Will is a coach who focuses on holistic wellbeing, lifestyle change and helping people navigate the world of health and wellness. You can listen to his interview with me by clicking on the …
Alexander Technique, Carl Rogers and person-centred psychotherapy
This month, Nicola Hanefeld was the lead author of the paper ‘Women’s experiences of using the Alexander Technique in the postpartum’ published in the journal Midwifery. As part of her research, she drew on the work of Carl Rogers, one of the founders of Humanistic Psychology and famous for his person-centred framework in psychotherapy. In …
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Lofty perspectives on the Alexander Technique
In July this year, a colleague of mine Steve Bingham of the Bingham String Quartet took some drone footage of an outdoor Alexander Technique class I was presenting. There are a lot of advantages to presenting outside; for example, broadening our awareness and taking in a natural environment rejuvenates our body sense and is a …
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