As a performing artist, YOU are your means of expression. You need to know that your whole body is functioning optimally at all times.
Your face, jaw, and tongue form words, create your embouchure, and generate facial expressions.
Your arms and hands generate dramatic gestures, hold music or your instrument, and work with props.
Your sitbones and your feet support you; your legs propel you around the stage.
Most crucially, your breath fuels all these other activities and brings your voice (or that of your instrument) to life.
The various parts of your body do not work in isolation. They interact as a complex, coordinated system, directed by your brain. You will elicit your highest level of performing skill — and health — by fine-tuning this overall muscular coordination.
The Alexander Technique allows you to explore a fully conscious, improved way of using your breath, your voice, and your whole body. You will gain command of your mental and physical resources, unleashing your full potential as a performer.
In your lessons, I will teach you to more effectively coordinate your thinking, breathing, and moving. As my student, you will learn how to correct muscular imbalances that may be interfering with your performing and even your health. You will learn how to maintain these improved conditions throughout your career and your daily life.
As a performing artist, you can use the Alexander Technique to help you resolve or prevent a particular performance problem:
- Stage fright, nerves
- Lack of poise and confidence
- Physical discomfort while practicing/performing
- Lack of breath control
- Nodes or vocal strain
- Undesirable voice quality
- Stiff or awkward movement
The Alexander Technique offers relief from many physical problems that interfere with performing:
- Poor posture
- Pain of the back, neck, or shoulders
- Pain of the knees, hips, and other joints
- Headaches
- Low energy
- Jaw tension, TMJ
- Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI)
- Asthma and other breathing problems
You could say that the Alexander Technique optimally organizes your mind and body, so that you become a highly sensitive instrument of self-expression and achievement.
Since starting private Alexander Technique work with Michael, I've gotten a lot of very positive feedback from professional singing colleagues about the improvements in my vocal technique — working with
Michael has helped me to both recognize and correct problems with tension, control, and over-breathing that were keeping me from moving to the next level. Michael has been able to guide me to a new kind of ease, balance, support, and freedom in singing.
—Allison Atteberry, Soprano
When I've been at my lesson no longer than 10 minutes, just working on Alexander basics, not even breathing or voice, the deeper voice that comes out of me always surprises me. Opening up my chest and my breathing just seem to be an automatic part of Alexander! Also, when I've specifically worked on those things, I get amazing results, and find myself sounding like an opera singer sometimes (and I'm certainly not!). By 'results', I mean undoing all those ways you've been blocked, OR finding space and places to help your resonance that you didn't even know you had.
—Kam Metcalf, Actor
I needed to overcome pain I was having in my practicing. So instead of recovering from the pain — I decided to try and prevent the pain from happening. AT has taught me such an awareness that I can easily notice myself getting tight and tense, and can then stop that from progressing, thus alleviating any pain. Posture, movement, lifestyle — all wrapped up into one little AT lesson — LIFE CHANGING!
I'm addicted!
—Erik Ochsner, Conductor
