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Analysis of the specialised use of the hands in Alexander Technique teaching

June 7, 2013 By Carolyn Nicholls

To read the full study click here.

Ten years ago, In 2003, I undertook an MA in Alexander Technique Teacher Training at the University of East London. I gained a distinction for my thesis, which I wrote in the form of an opera libretto.

The libretto was set to music by composer Leon Coates and performed at the 2004 International Congress in Oxford. Directed by Lee Waren, it was performed by AT teachers and the orchestra was also made up of AT teachers- we are a creative bunch and to all those wonderful people who helped out, I thank y0u all.

This is the abstract of my thesis ande opening of the libretto and the abstract of my thesis

OVERTURE

GRAVITY AND LIGHT

An Opera based on The Alexander Technique.

In one Act

The Mirrored Chamber

The opera tells the story of Emily, a young girl who has a burning

ambition to practise magic. She has heard of a powerful magician

named Frederick, who had the ability to transform people with the

touch of his hands. He was a mysterious figure, who had spent many

years locked in a room gazing at his own reflection in mirrors.

Mirrors were all around, revealing secrets that he alone could

understand (1.) He helped the lame to walk and the stutterer to

speak (2). He freed the sick from their prison of pain, and helped the

breathless to breathe (3.) He enlivened the minds of the dull and

caused the philosopher to think yet more deeply (4.) He was a strange

and powerful man, now partly wrapped in the mystery of the past;

his innermost secrets known only to a few. His hands brought about

the transformations he made, and Emily wondered if she too could

perform his most powerful spell; transforming gravity into light.

(1) Alexander 1932 The Use of the Self. ch.3 Evolution of a Technique. Alexander describes a ten-year period

of self-observation using mirrors.

(2) Alexander 1932 The Use of The Self ch.4 The Stutterer

(3) Alexander 1995 Articles and lectures v A Respiratory Method

(4) Alexander 2002 Aphorisms. ‘I don’t care what man you bring up, Socrates or anyone else: you will find

gaps and holes in his thinking. Let me co-ordinate him and you will not find gaps and holes in his

thinking’.

University of East London

Abstract

Gravity and Light

ANALYSIS OF TRAINING OF THE

SPECIALISED USE OF THE HANDS IN

ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE TEACHING

by Carolyn Nicholls BA(Hons) MSTAT

Supervisors: Susan Ryan and Jacqui Potter

Department: School of Health and Bioscience

The Alexander Technique is taught to a diverse range of individuals for diverse

reasons, yet practitioners will teach a client who presents with back pain in the same

way they would teach a client who wishes to enhance a musical skill. Central to the

teaching is the use of the teacher’s hands on the client.

This study examines how the skill of using the hands as an Alexander Technique

Teacher is taught and learned. The purpose of the study is to analyse and interpret

the factors involved in acquiring this skill; the relationship of this skill to the

individual’s own Use, the significance of this skill in relation to teaching and learning

The Alexander Technique and the significance of this skill as an aspect of teacher

training.

The study examines data collected by video recording and tape-recorded

interview. Participants were novice and advanced students in a learning

situation with two experts, and an experienced teacher giving a lesson to a

client. There is a 15-minute CD/Video edited compilation, entitled Hands Up!

How Alexander Teachers learn to Use their Hands accompanying the study for

educational purposes. Full material is stored in retrievable archive form.

An article entitled Helena’s First Lessons, for the professional publication The

Alexander Journal is submitted alongside the study. This is written in the form of a

diary of lessons from the teacher’s perspective, describing the use of the hands on a

pupil and how that skill is incorporated through the course of lessons.

The Alexander profession is currently engaged in producing National

Occupational Standards. The study and the accompaniments serve to inform

both the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique (STAT) and

external bodies. The study identifies developmental milestones in learning and

suggests how this recognition can enhance future training. This is the overall

objective of the study.

To read the full study click here.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Copyright © 2023 Carolyn Nicholls