This thesis explores the way in which the primary reflexive pattern of expansion and contraction through the spine connects to habit and learning. My eighteen-year practice as an Alexander Technique teacher and extensive experience as a musician and dancer informed my study. Research into the literature about habit and reflex in the late nineteenth through the twentieth century brought to light two radically different discourses, which are contrasted here. F.M. Alexander and John Dewey both understood the interaction of habit and reflex as an opportunity for learning and the empowerment of choice. Behaviorists in experimental and educational psychology redefined habit as automaticity and focused on the external control of behaviour. The primary reflex, also known as startle pattern, is expressed in the fields of interplay both within self and between the self and the world. The continually shifting mix of habit and creativity that constructs learning and perception is accessible to conscious awareness and direction through working with this reflex. In the interactive learning process in which I participate with my students, movement becomes a dynamic, expressive process rather than either a mechanical goal-oriented function or an habitual phenomenon disengaged from the sense of self. My intention here is to invite my reader into this process by telling stories, offering analysis and historical context, and juxtaposing writing from Alexander, Dewey and others with my own text. The flow of my text moves along the right facing pages; the quotations, poetry and prose on the left may be read in conjunction with or separately from the text. I chose this form to create a depth of experiential understanding, a field in which to discover interconnections. Of course, the choice and placement of writing reflects my standpoint. The student stories are fictionalized and constructed from experiences common to many different people and therefore contain no clues as to individual identities. Because of the foundational nature of the process that I work with, a telephone line repair technician could be dealing with the same issues as might, for example, a massage therapist, fire fighter, singer, teacher or car mechanic. / Graduate

Thesis (M.Mus.)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references: S-1 - S-13.

Voice training has been influenced by separatist attitudes which have allowed for classes which train the body to be separate from those which train the voice. This study acknowledges that to train an actor in separate compartments and then expect the completeness of human expression in performance, is to train under false pretences. There is a need to address the imbalance of separatism and this is examined within the context of voice training. An holistic approach to voice training forms the basis of the argument, which focuses on the need to re-educate the notion of physicality in voice training. Chapter one proposes an understanding of the notion of physicality by drawing on the attitudes of selected theatre practitioners towards the physical nature of the theatre encounter. The expressive energies of the actor's body are responsible for the physicalisation of a play; for this reason the movement of voice and speech is not only examined as source movement, but also as the movement of an actor's response and communication. Chapter two examines some practices which led to attitudes of separatism in voice training, and introduces prevalent practices which are attempting to involve the energy of the physical experience. Chapter three proposes that the Alexander technique be used as the foundation for an awareness of individual physicality. Where chapter one examines the theory of this notion, chapter three proposes an experiential understanding of the same. The Alexander technique is a training in effective body use and it's principles are fundamental to an awareness of body use and functioning. It is argued that these principles should underlie a re-education of physicality. The final chapter of the thesis argues for physicality in South African voice training programmes which would complement the physicality of contemporary theatre forms. It is hoped that this study will provide further incentive for the continued review and adjustment of drama training in South Africa.

Thesis (MMus (Music))--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study is to explore parallels between ‘The New Approach to violin playing’, which was developed by the Hungarian violinist Kató Havas, and the Alexander Technique, a method known for promoting kinaesthetic awareness and mind-body coordination. The specific objectives of the study are to identify the parallels between the two methods, and to obtain a deeper understanding of the New Approach, by using the Alexander Technique as a construct through which to examine the method. The study aims to illuminate some of the reasons for the reported efficacy of the New Approach, and to point the way towards achieving unity of mind and body in an expressive violin technique. Although the Alexander Technique is widely used and applied by musicians in order to improve their performance, problems are sometimes encountered in applying the Technique to the finer aspects of instrumental technique. A method of violin tuition that incorporates principles and procedures similar to those found in the Alexander Technique could bridge this gap and prove to be a very powerful tool in coordinating mind and movement in violin playing. It is the purpose of this study to show that ‘The New Approach to violin playing’ is such a method, and as such deserves to be more widely known. The research was conducted within a qualitative paradigm, using a multimethodological approach. An extensive comparative literature study of the two methods was combined with practical experience gained through regular Alexander lessons, and participation in New Approach lessons with Kató Havas and her personal representative, Gloria Bakhshayesh. The New Approach, like the Alexander Technique, is essentially a search for awareness, especially in the relationship between the player and the instrument. The particular value of the New Approach lies in the fact that Havas combines her expert knowledge of violin technique with an intuitive understanding of the conditions necessary for the optimal psychophysical functioning of the violinist. Through organising these principles into a systematised method, Havas makes the acquisition of an expressive technique more accessible to all. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doel van hierdie studie is om ooreenkomste te ondersoek tussen ‘The New Approach to violin playing’ van die Hongaarse violiste, Kató Havas, en die Alexander-tegniek, ’n metode bekend daarvoor om kinestetiese bewustheid en geestelik-liggaamlike koordinasie te verhoog. Die spesifieke doel van die studie is om ooreenkomste tussen bogenoemde werkwyses te identifiseer, en om ’n beter begrip van die ‘New Approach’ te vekry, deur die Alexander-tegniek as ’n raamwerk te gebruik waardeur die metode bestudeer word. Die studie poog om sekere motiverings vir die effektiwiteit van die ‘New Approach’ uit te lig, en om die weg te wys na die verwesenliking van geestelik-fisieke eenheid in ’n ekspressiewe viooltegniek. Alhoewel die Alexander-tegniek dikwels deur uitvoerende musici gebruik word om hul spelvermoë te verbeter, word probleme soms ondervind in die toepassing van die tegniek op die fyner aspekte van instrumentale spel. ’n Metode van vioolonderrig wat beginsels en prosesse soortgelyk aan díé van die Alexander-tegniek insluit, sou hierdie probleem kon oorkom en as kragtige middel kon dien vir die koördinasie van denke en ligaamlike beweging in vioolspel. Hierdie studie poog om te illustreer dat die ‘New Approach’ hierdie kwaliteite het, en as sulks meer blootstelling aan vioolonderwysers verdien. In hierdie ondersoek is gebruik gemaak van ’n multi-metodologiese benadering binne ’n kwalitatiewe navorsingsparadigma. ’n Vergelykende literatuurstudie van die Alexander-tegniek en ‘The New Approach to violin playing’ is gekombineer met praktiese ervaring wat vekry is deur middel van gereelde Alexander lesse, asook deelname aan ‘New Approach’ lesse met Kató Havas en haar persoonlike verteenwoordiger, Gloria Bakhshayesh. Die ‘New Approach’ – net soos die Alexander-tegniek – is in wese ’n soeke na bewustheid, veral in die interaksie tussen die violis en die instrument. Die besondere waarde van die ‘New Approach’ is dat Havas haar gesaghebbende kennis van viooltegniek gekombineer het met ’n intuïtiewe begrip vir die optimale psigofisiese funksionering van die violis. Deur hierdie beginsels in ’n sistematiese metode te orden, skep Havas die moontlikheid om ’n ekspressiewe viooltegniek aan almal beskikbaar te stel.

Abstract This thesis examines the postural effects of Alexander Technique training on a classical singer. The aim was to see how working with an Alexander Technique instructor would improve my singing. I have been taking lessons in Alexander technique on a weekly basis and practicing Alexander technique for approximately an hour each day. I have conducted an interview with singer and longtime Alexander technique practitioner, Anne Cecilie Røsjø Kvammen. I have talked to my physiotherapist, Carl Colliander, about pain linked to a tight psoas muscle. Four songs were memorized and recorded two times, once in December and once in April. The recordings were analyzed, first by me and then by Barbro Olsson, Alexander technique instructor. I found that my alignment has generally improved and, as a result, my head position has become more stable. I have become better at managing stress during performances. The enhanced awareness of alignment has helped me make more successful choices in the practice rooms. It also has made me better at interpreting my singing pedagogue’s instructions during lessons. Additionally I have less pain, especially in the neck area.

No description available.

Musicians can develop and suffer from playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) with pianists being a group of instrumentalists that experience a higher occurrence of PRMDs in comparison with other musicians. One cause of PRMDs is posture. The Alexander Technique (AT) is a popular somatic method among musicians that purports to alter its students’ postural and movement behaviour. Such changes may be beneficial in improving music performance. However, there is a lack of quantitative research to offer support for the effectiveness of the AT in altering posture in musicians, especially in pianists. To address this issue, four studies were conducted. The first study addressed the AT alone to determine what postural changes could be expected following lessons in the AT. Findings of this study showed that changes include a larger craniovertebral angle, head tilt, and head-neck-trunk angle as well as smaller trunk, thoracic, and thoracolumbar angles. The second study addressed variability in individual pianists’ postures and its implications for intervention studies. The results of this study demonstrated that within-person variability is present in posture between performances but does not vary widely enough to exhibit inconsistent posture across measurements. The third study examined the effects of 10 AT lessons on pianists’ postures. Findings showed that, in comparison with their pre-lesson measurements, pianists demonstrate a postural pattern of larger craniovertebral and head-neck-trunk angles as well as smaller trunk, thoracic, and thoracolumbar angles in both the post-test and follow-up tests. The fourth study explored the relationship between pianists’ perceptions of their posture and their application of the AT with quantitatively measured changes in their posture. The results of this study showed that participant perception and reported application of the AT does not necessarily always reflect the postural changes that have occurred.

Denna uppsats syftar till att utveckla en förståelse för hur stråkinstrumentundervisning kan bedrivas då syftet är att lära ut en ergonomisk riktig spelteknik som förebygger hälsoproblem. Fokus i studien har varit på nybörjarundervisning samt HUR elever spelar. Studien har genomförts med hjälp av kvalitativ metod. Sex ergonomiskt kunniga och intresserade musiker och pedagoger har intervjuats. Deras specialområden är musikerergonom, sjukgymnast, kontrabasist, forskare, alexandertekniklärare och cellopedagog. Den kunskapsöversikt som presenteras i uppsatsen handlar om förhindrande av musikrelaterade hälsoproblem, utveckling av en fri spelteknik samt några pedagogiska konsekvenser utifrån fallstudier som gjorts på barn. Alexanderteknik, som bland annat handlar om effektiv muskelanvändning och ändring av felaktiga vanor, utgör den teoretiska utgångspunkten för studien. Resultatet visar bland annat att stråkinstrumentundervisning på ergonomisk grund ska utgå från läraren och dennes interaktion med eleven och kräver att läraren har kunskap och medvetenhet om ämnet ergonomi. Vidare visar resultatet på betydelsen av att i undervisningen prioritera kvalitet framför kvantitet, att anpassa undervisningen efter elevens olika muskulära och psykiska förutsättningar och att se eleven i ett helhetsperspektiv. Exempel på viktiga moment i tillvägagångssätt för stråkundervisning på ergonomisk grund handlar om att bevaka elevens lust och ha en sund balans i progressionen. / The purpose of this study is to develop an understanding in how teaching strings can emphasize an ergonomic way of playing, thus preventing health problems. Focus has been how to teach beginners as well as HOW to play. The study has been carried out with a qualitative method. Six musicians and teachers with ergonomics as a special field have been interviewed. They are a physiotherapist, a double bassist, a researcher, a teacher in Alexander Technique and a teacher in cello. The findings of the study deal with the prevention of musician-related injuries, developing a free playing technique, and educational consequences from a few case studies of children. The Alexander Technique, which among other aspects, deals with the effective use of muscles and changing wrong habits, is the theoretical starting point of the study. The result indicates, among other things, evidence that teaching strings in an ergonomic perspective should start with the teacher and his/her interaction with the pupil, and requires that the teacher possesses a knowledge and awareness of ergonomics. Furthermore, the result gives evidence of the importance in giving priority to quality instead of quantity, adjusting the teaching to the pupil’s different physical and psychical conditions and also viewing the pupil in a comprehensive perspective. Checking the pupil’s mindset and having a good balance of the progression, are examples of important elements in teaching strings.

The aim of this paper is to illuminate how the principles of the Alexander Technique and the role of bodily systems can serve as a foundational support for actor training. Inclusion of the Alexander Technique in the acting curriculum proves to be an effective tool for bridging the gap between kinesthetic learning and its application to beginning acting training. Starting with the nervous system, the operating principles of the Alexander Technique are discussed through research and personal insights. Next, in light of how self-discovery plays a key role in the first year of actor training, the idea of release in the neuromuscular system is explored as a way to support that process. Delving further into the actor’s process of character development, the efficient use of the skeletal system and the spine specifically is examined as the center of physical expression. Lastly, the breath and proper use of the respiratory system is discussed in relation to how it aids actors in making connected use of themselves. The outcome of this thesis through research, my personal journey as a teacher trainee of the Alexander Technique and observations and feedback though conducting workshops, elucidates the importance of creating harmony and release within the whole mechanism as a means of facilitating full expression, of mind, body and spirit, in the actor.

The areas of study in the Proof thesis contain research on the play, the playwright, and the acting style utilized in the performance and character analysis. The acting style in this process focuses on the actor’s creative work in preparation of portraying a female character. This character is a controlling woman that is unable to manipulate others. By using relaxation techniques involving the Alexander Technique, the actor was able to transition into the character with honest emotions and motives. Finding similarities to the character by using personal relationships gave the actor the ability to discover connections with the character in portrayal. These connections are used to motivate the actor’s process in creating an authentic character. The results are found through the actor’s reflections and performances. The findings show discipline and routine in the actor’s process to portray the character.