Lesson Prices
You can find the prices for one-to-one sessions, both online and in person, listed below.
I also offer group workshops. The prices shown are for the entire workshop (covering all participants), so the cost can simply be divided among the attendees.
What to expect in an Alexander Technique Lesson
You may begin by discussing your reasons for taking lessons, and the teacher will explain what to expect during the session.
The teacher will guide you through simple movements and everyday activities such as sitting, walking, and standing, and for musicians, will work on individual difficulties and concerns through skilful hands-on guidance and verbal explanation.
Alexander Technique lessons can be taught individually or in groups. Individual lessons typically last 30 to 45 minutes, while in group settings, each person usually receives around 20 to 30 minutes of individual attention. Group lessons can accommodate from three participants to a larger number, depending on the setting.
What Are The Benefits of Alexander Technique?
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Improve performance and prevent injury in music, drama, and sport
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Develop ease and elegance in movement
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Improve balance, stability, and coordination
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Enhance mental discipline
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Help change harmful habits
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Enhance business and presentation skills
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Support pregnancy and childbirth
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Reduce stress and address stress-related conditions
Who is F.M. Alexander
He was born in 1869 in Wynyard, Tasmania. He became a Shakespeare reciter in his early twenties, and a few years later, his vocal problems started. One day during a recital, he lost his voice. None of the doctors’ treatments worked, so he decided to find out by himself. His investigation, using mirrors, led him to realise that the tendencies of pulling his head, depressing his larynx, and sucking in air were all contributing to his vocal problems. He discovered that directly preventing the pulling of his head indirectly solved the other two tendencies.
Solving that problem did not change the habits; he had to learn how to stop doing what was interfering with his natural design. This critical moment between the stimulus to speak and the action of speaking allowed for the possibility to make a change. Once he recognised the power of this moment, he realised that not committing himself to his end goal of reciting was his most reliable way of interrupting his habitual pattern.
Upon healing himself, he continued to develop his technique to help others who were curious about his work. When applied, the principles helped a range of movement and postural issues. He spent his lifetime teaching until he died in 1955.
F. M. Alexander believed that humans originally used unconscious instinct to direct their movements. This approach worked well in a slowly changing environment, but as civilisation progressed, unconscious instinct was no longer sufficient. Alexander argued that relying on these instinctive responses in new situations was the cause of many, if not all, of the problems people face today.
The Alexander Technique gives students the tools, concepts, and principles they need to develop ongoing and increasing flexibility in thought and movement, enabling them to direct their lives more effectively and realise their full potential.
The Alexander Technique has a long history of helping instrumentalists and singers perform with less stress and a reduced likelihood of injury. Musicians engage in some of the most complex and demanding physical movements of any profession. In recent years, the term “Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)” has become widely known, but musicians have always faced the challenge of performing the same intricate muscular actions repeatedly. By improving the quality of the movements involved in playing an instrument or singing, the Alexander Technique can also enhance the quality of the music itself. A violinist with stiff shoulders and arms will struggle to produce a pleasing sound; tight neck muscles will make it harder for woodwind and brass players to create a soft, controlled entrance and will cause embouchure fatigue; a singer’s tense neck or jaw will diminish vocal resonance. By helping musicians release undue tension, the Alexander Technique enables performances that are more fluid, expressive, and free from unnecessary strain.
Over the years, many prominent musicians—such as Yehudi Menuhin, Paul McCartney, Sting, James Galway, Hilary Hahn, and Itzhak Perlman—have publicly endorsed the Alexander Technique. It is taught at leading institutions including the Juilliard School of Performing Arts in New York, the Royal College of Music in London, the Boston Conservatory of Music, the Paris Conservatoire, the Berlin Academy of Music, and many other universities and conservatories worldwide. Many well-known dancers, actors, and Olympic athletes also train with Alexander Technique teachers.