"The Alexander Technique is a way of observing yourself and your environment so that you can have better control over getting what you want."
I took a quick poll; not a single student didn't want to be in control, and everyone except one girl said that they typically want something, so I think everyone could relate to that definition. Since I was asked today how I taught the rest of the 55-minute class based on that definition of the Technique, I thought I'd share a brief overview of the class here, for anyone who might be interested.
I decided to base the class loosely on these words: WHAT, WHO, WHY, WHERE, WHEN, and HOW. We never really got to "why", "when", and "how", but we have two more class periods to delve into those!
My basic questions were:
- WHAT is music?
- WHO makes music? WHO are you? (My favorite response: "An Awesome Thing...")
- WHAT are you in connection with now?
- WHERE are you? WHERE do you make music?
After much interesting discussion, we played some games, first seated and then moving around the room, to explore our sense of space--personal and in relation to objects and other people, and including the directions of space. Then, we discussed the exercises and related them to performance, for instance: how can you think differently if you're on stage in an orchestra, feeling cramped and claustrophobic? Maybe it could help to expand your sense of personal space to the edges of the room and beyond, even into infinitude...
Next, we did an exploration in which the class was divided into two groups: the "performer" group and the "audience" group, with the performers in the middle of the room, and the audience in a large circle around them, at the edges of the room. I led them through two elaborately-constructed imaginary scenarios, simply put: (1) very critical and hateful audience; and (2) loving, approving audience. How did they feel? As expected, most students much preferred the second scenario, but I was admittedly surprised that there were about five students who preferred the first scenario. They felt that they "performed" better under adverse circumstances, when they had to "work harder", it "mattered more", and they had "something to prove". Most students felt more tension and "performed" worse when the audience was very critical, and they felt their bodies relax and "perform" better when they felt loved and accepted by their audience.
The main point of the "performer/audience" exercise was to show the students that--no matter which scenario they preferred--they were responding physically with either more tension or freedom in their bodies, depending exclusively on their thoughts. There were real effects that were created ONLY by their own imaginations. "What you think is what you get"; which means, in effect, that through your thinking, you can have constructive conscious control over yourself and your performance.
By making good use of your thinking, you can have better control...and you're more likely to get what you want.
I'm looking forward to the next three days, in which the group will be split up into three smaller sections. Their third class will be on Friday, when all 45 get together again. What an adventure!
I'd love to hear your reactions to this post. If you're an AT teacher reading this, do you have any other games you like to play with this age group to illustrate any AT concepts?
