Direction Journal

Jamie McDowell was introduced to Alexander Technique by teacher Sue Thame in London in the seventies and subsequently trained at the newly formed 'Alexander Teaching Associates' training course (1980) where the faculty included Don Burton, Sue Thame, Mike Gelb and David Gorman.

The course was seen as pioneering at the time and among the innovations were the inclusion of specialist Movement sessions and a personal approach to the study of Anatomy.

From London, Jamie moved to the Netherlands and was involved with the Amsterdam training course. When Don Burton moved to Cumbria, North West England, Jamie became a regular visiting teacher and eventually returned to England, eventually taking over the training course after the untimely passing of Don Burton in 1996. Since then, he has worked with co-director Michael Hardwicke at Fellside Alexander School,  Kendal Cumbria.

Jamie is a keen amateur singer and belongs to two local choirs. He's also on the Board of Directors of the next International Congress in Lugano, in 2011.

Join Jamie and I on Thursday 21st January, 2010.

All details are available by joining the Live Interviews list on the left of this page. Our talk will be recorded and posted in the Audio Archive for Subscribers.

It will be my privilege and honour to chat with Tommy on Sunday afternoon, Jan 3rd (USA EST). (Click Live Interviews on left for all details) His name has been on my wishlist for a long time and now that we are putting together an issue on Training Schools it was only natural that I should talk with a man who has been teaching Alexander technique for 34 years, and has been the Director of training at the Alexander Technique Centre at Cambridge (ATCC) since 1983. 

But Tommy's extended bio is even more interesting...

He has acted in or directed over 200 productions, is the co-founder and first chair of Alexander Technique International (ATI) and a former Assistant Professor of Drama and Managing Director of Tufts Arena Theater at Tufts University.  Tommy has also lectured and given workshops at Harvard, Brandeis and Cornell Universities, New England Conservatory of Music, California Institute For The Arts, School at Jacob's Pillow Summer Dance Festival, Expanded Dance, Harvard and Bates College Summer Dance Festivals, La Canal Danse, Institut de Pedogogie Musicale et Choreographique, American Dance Guild,  The Institute for Advanced Theater training for The American Repertory Theater, Cambridge and Children's Hospital, Boston.

He is also the co-author of Scientific and Humanistic Contributions of Frank Pierce Jones and co-founder of the Frank Pierce Jones Archives and the F. Matthias Alexander Archives, housed in the Wessell Library at Tufts University, and was the organization's director for six years.

Join me as I pick his brain on teaching, training and the future of education.

Hey! Christmas has crept up on me again and before long I'll be chomping on barbequed prawns after a morning surf at Lacey's. We're expecting a lift in the swell for Thursday which will be welcome fun! Attached is a beautiful card from my friend Hellie...a subscriber who just keeps coming back. Hope you like it, she made it herself. Most of you should already have your Group Dynamics Issue in North America, the rest of the world will have to wait a bit...we use US Postal Service, and they will be under the pump at this time of the year. Please be patient. (2-3 weeks is prudent)

Well, that's all for me for another year. There are lots of things planned for 2010, so make sure you're signed up to the Interview Notices list to get into the latest live interview. I plan to record one every fortnight. Also I'm working on a media watch/quick response idea with another friend, so keep your eyes open for that. Seems like the media is picking up Alexander technique more and more...2009 saw Oprah and Victoria Beckham give it a mention. They might not be completely accurate descriptions of what the Alexander technique is (Victoria is "fighting" poor posture, Oprah's magazine describes a therapy with subtle exercises), but then even "accurate" descriptions, sanctioned by a society and lovingly crafted by an educated person are often misunderstood by the reader anyway!

The moral of the publicity story? Bring the client/pupil in the door first, then allow them the opportunity to learn the relevance of Alexander technique to their own life. 

Yours in Alexander always, Paul

Well, well, well... The latest gossip on the Alexander technique grapevine is that the Beckham family are getting into some quality "posture and core support" help. Who knows what definitions will be bandied around the next few weeks and months as the media watch her shape change, but what will be interesting is how long Victoria will persevere with the Alexander technique. 

Image courtesy JustJaredFor Alexander technique teachers who have battled to communicate with the general public what it is they actually do (or not do), this is a golden opportunity to learn the language of the mainstream. Yes, it's all very kosher in our profession to use the right terminology for what we teach, to not misrepresent the work itself, but as has been the case for the last 50 odd years, the rest of the world don't have a clue what we're talking about!

Michael Gelb put it well in our interview back in June (listen to it here) when he said that he wrote Body Learning in an effort to explain our complicated understandings and definitions for lay people, something that had been done so terribly by teachers in the past.

But now that Victoria Beckham has been reported to be unhappy with her rounded shoulders...and no doubt not very comfortable with her bunions from high heeled entrapment for so many years, let's watch how this major celebrity transforms as she learns the Alexander technique secrets to poise that so many professional actors have known for decades. (not to mention long term back pain sufferers who have solved years of pain and repetitive therapy)

So, if you start getting phone calls from people wanting to be just like Victoria asking to (as Marie Claire magazine puts it)  "strengthen core muscles and re-align the spine" just go about your normal practice of sticking to principle. Who really cares what brings new students through the door afterall? So long as they keep coming, the explanation they get when they arrive will soon sort the ones who want a quick fix from the enlightenment searchers.

And if you haven't yet checked out the new issue Group Learning, we've built some supplemental pages for the articles in the magazine with bonus live interviews. Here's one here for the article The Company You Keep.

PC

At Victorinox, not only did Priska Gauger-Shelbert create such massive demand for her work (900+) employees requiring Alexander technique, but many didn't even speak her language! In the early stages of her work at the company, she did not know from one day to the next if she would be asked back. The results evolved so gradually that many an executive would have called the experiment off. 

However, her perseverance and ingenuity has now paid dividends. She is now their permanent Alexander technique consultant to the company across all departments (this role accounts for 20% of her workload) . It is a truly inspirational story. In our new Group Learning/Teaching issue, we examine what Priska had to go through to evolve the relationship and negotiate her way to being in full control of her workload.

Soon I will speak with John Baron, another AT teacher who has put our work on the world stage by securing a teaching role at Google. Rated as No.4 in Fortune Magazine's top 100 employers in 2009, Google certainly sets many trends in the world today. Could this breakthrough open the door for many other AT teachers to follow into corporate America? I'll let you know how my chat with John goes.

Check out the new recording of John Nicholls in the subscription vault and also a new Walter Carrington talk on "defective inhibition" among other things (as always).

Subscribe now to keep abreast of the contemporary news in Alexander Technique.

PC

My good friend Suzanne Duncanson mentioned to me the other day that she had taught Alexander Technique to children some. My ears pricked up!

"Well, not lots and lots...but I do like working with children" was her cautious reply...as my mind began racing and she no doubt realised her mistake.

I tend to draw people to interviews these days based on what other people recommend or on topics that I want to know more about. Selfish? I hope my conversations with Michael Gelb, Steven Shaw, Jeremy Chance, David Gorman, Michael Frederick, John Nicholls and Glenna Batson to name a few have whet your appetite for more, it sure has mine. (check out the recordings in the Audio Archive. A free or paid subscription is necessary to access them)

Suzanne has worked with many more kids than I have and the fact that she likes doing it tells me she has it down to a fine art. I can imagine that the tide can turn against you very quickly with children and if you're not liking the rollercoaster of keeping their attention you'll be disliking the process thereafter!

Suzanne is a STAT member and has been teaching since 1995 in Norwich and Worstead. Her manner is so relaxed that our so-called interview is going to be more of a morning tea break (for UKers) and a relaxing break on the couch for Aussies.

Due to the time difference this time, you'll have to be up real early in New York (5am). Sorry! Have to give the other part of the world some good times too you know.

So, how do we connect with children?

If we are NOT teaching kids...are we really making a difference for the future of mankind?

Would FM be impressed with our progress getting this work into the psyche of the young...and if not, how can we?

To join the call please subscribe to the Live Interview List on the left for all details. It will be recorded for subscribers. Please subscribe now...we are producing 4 magazines a year and would love to have you on board.

PC

After each and every interview I ask my guest who they think I should speak with next. One name comes up again and again.

John Nicholls.

An interesting or perhaps quirky lead in is that I had already met two other Nicholls prior to speaking with John on the phone. Carolyn, who needs no introduction in the AT world, and Brian, John's Osteopath brother in Melbourne. (Brian allowed me to create an AT student clinic within the Osteopathic student clinic at Vic Uni whilst I was in my 3rd year of training)

John has directed three teacher training programs throughout his career on 3 different continents. His latest venture with Nanette Walsh in New York (ATNYC) will be one focus of our discussion along with his ideas on the directions that Alexander Technique is to take in the future if we are to survive. Click here to access some of John's articles.

John is well placed to comment. His presentations to the community focus on forward thinking and big picture perspectives and as Chair of STAT in London ('85,'86) he was instrumental in the formation of affiliated national societies around the world.

With 33+ years of teaching experience and dozens of graduate teachers trained, John will be one of my most eminent and respected guests of 2009. Don't miss it!

To take part in this live interview, please click here.

[the conference call is open to all and will be recorded for subscribers]

Let me explain the situation on the digital back issues....

Last year I made a one-time exclusive offer to 100 people. 100 important and valued people took it up and allowed me to relaunch Direction Journal.

That one-time offer in effect gave $468 worth of journals (retail value) and the right to reproduce them any time you want with either your home printer or by taking the pdf file to a printing company.

The subscription vault has two sections nowadays, Free and Paid. 

The free access contains lots and lots of material. Click here to apply for a Free Subscription.

To get access to everything else including paper journals when they are produced (4 per year) the annual dues are $97.00. All explained here.

I'm working on a live web interface for next year...which will be exclusive to subscribers. Imagine if you could interact with the best AT teachers in the world from the comfort of your own home...and see them in action!! 

We want more subscribers and will bend over backwards to treat subscribers like gold. 

How much professional development and community do you expect for $97.00?

Let me know if you have any ideas, I'm always wanting to provide more for subscribers.

PC

In my next interview I'll be quizzing David Gorman on his thoughts about the immediate future for the Alexander Technique. David is well placed to comment. His thirty years working with performers and developing his own brand of self-enlightenment known as LearningMethods gives him a unique view on "where we are going". 

Is the Alexander "Technique" going to survive? 100 years on, does it have the necessary pulling power to compete with hundreds of self-help methods that have sprung up even within the last decade? Sure! It works, it's validated...but does it fit into the pace of modern society? Is it relevant? Can it translate to modern day people and lifestyle?

Well may you cry out, "Of course it does!"

Then where is it in the public perception then?

Does it have the profile of physiotherapy or chiropractic? 

Is it as readily recognized as pilates or yoga?

Why have these two examples become modern buzzes? Is Alexander Technique just waiting for a  "Tipping Point" to happen?

Hopefully I've set the stage...and hopefully not set the bar too high for David.

Join us in this lively exploration of what awaits Alexander Technique in this century.

Monday August 10th...all details upon registration on the next page.

Participation in the call requires registration here.