Alan Rowlands (1930?–2012), pianist and teacher of the Technique.
Alan Rowlands learned the piano at the Royal College of Music, and later became a Professor of piano at the RCM. He had lessons with Marjory Barlow, and later trained as a teacher of the Technique with the Barlows in the early 1970s.[1]
Writings
‘Trainee’s recollection from Marjory’s training course’ by Alan Rowlands are notes from sayings of Marjory Barlow during his training with her.[2]
Obituary
‘Alan Rowlands’ by Anne Battye.[3]
References
[1] ‘Alan...
Andrea Beesley (1945–2020), teacher of the Alexander Technique and Head of Training.
Andrea Beesley was introduced to the Alexander Technique in 1971 or ’72 by her brother, Roderick Beesley, a teacher of the Technique.[1]
Andrea Beesley trained to be a teacher of the Technique in 1974 with Walter Carrington at the Constructive Teaching Centre, London. On finishing she assisted Walter Carrington on the training course every day for seven years while also teaching privately. In 1984 she emigrated to Australia. She worked at the first Alexander Technique training course in...
Ann Sickels Mathews (†2021), US teacher of the Alexander Technique and Head of Training.
Life
Ann Sickels Mathews grew up in Greenwich Village and attended a progressive school inspired by John Dewey’s educational approach. She started to learn playing the piano at the age of five and would later study singing. She studied at The High School of Music and Art, the Sarah Lawrence College, and the Bank Street College of Education.
Ann Mathews started having lessons in the Technique in 1970 with Patrick Macdonald (her stepdaughter, Christine Mathews Batten, was training at...
Brita Forsstrom (1952–2023), Swedish teacher of the Alexander Technique and Head of Training.
Life
Brita Forsstrom was born in Lulea, Sweden. She first trained in librarianship and worked briefly as journalist before she came across the Alexander Technique in 1980. She moved to London and trained at the Alexander Technique Associates training course (Old Street) 1981–84. She went on to having a thriving private practice as well as teaching group classes and workshops at the City Lit, an adult education college in Holborn, London. She worked part-time at the Alexander...
Carol McCullough (1957-2003), US teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Life
Carol McCullough taught violin at Illinois Wesleyan University before she trained in the Alexander Technique. She was a Doctor of Musical Arts and lived in Minneapolis.[1]
Writings
She self-published her paper, ‘The Alexander Technique and the Pedagogy of Paul Rolland’ (1996).[2] It was a research paper presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for a Doctorate in Musical Arts. Paul Rolland (1911-78) developed a ‘whole body’ approach to violin technique and later in life...
Christopher Stevens (1943-2003), British teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Life
Chris Stevens was a yoga teacher, and was the British Wheel of Yoga’s first National Organiser in October 1971. He was instrumental in introducing other yoga teachers – such as Ken Thompson and Ray Evans – to the Alexander Technique.[1]
Stevens and his then wife, Trish Hemingway, trained at the Constructive Teaching Centre 1976–79.[2] He became Assistant Director to Karen Wentworth’s teachers training course in Aalborg, Denmark, 1984–87, and took over the training...
Dr David Garlick (1933–2002), Australian scientist and teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Dr David Garlick was a physiologist and medical research scientist at the University of New South Wales. He trained as a teacher of the Technique with Kri (Christine) Ackers and he later attended her course once a week. Garlick was instrumental in organising a symposium, Proprioception, Posture and Emotion, held at the University of New South Wales 16–17 February 1981, at which both Dr Wilfred Barlow and T. D. M. Roberts presented papers. Garlick edited the papers for publication the...
Deborah Caplan (†2000), US physical therapist and teacher of the Alexander Technique who pioneered the Alexander Technique specifically for back problems.
Life
Deborah Caplan was the daughter of the novelist and essayist Waldo Frank and of Alexander Technique teacher Alma Frank, who trained with F. M. Alexander. Around the age of 9 or 10 Deborah joined Alexander’s Little School for children in the US. Deborah was a dancer with the Pearl Primus and Jean Erdman companies. She obtained a M.A. from Hunter College and a master’s degree in physical therapy from New York...
Dilys M. G. Carrington (1915–2009), British teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Dilys Carrington was the Co-Director of the Constructive Teaching Centre and made important contributions to the development of the teacher training programme.
Life
Dilys Jones was born in 1915 in Stourbridge, Worcestershire, she was educated at Kings’ High School for Girls, Warwick, and Bedford College, University of London, where she gained a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Psychology. In 1938 she started having lessons with F. M. Alexander and later in the same year she became his secretary at...
Don Burton (1943–1996), UK teacher of the Alexander Technique and Head of Training.
Life
Don Burton trained as physiotherapist and then as a teacher of the Technique around 1970–73 at the Constructive Teaching Centre (CTC).
Don Burton and other teachers started a group for pupils who wanted intensive work in the Alexander Technique without joining a training course in the basement of CTC around 1978 or 1979. Many of these people went on to train as teachers, and the group can be seen as a forerunner for the ‘morning class’ at CTC.
Don Burton went to start...
Donald (‘Don’) L. Weed (1950–2022), US teacher of the Alexander Technique, author and founder of the Interactive Teaching Method (ITM)
Life
Donald L. Weed grew up in Marysville, Ohio. He studied Theatre at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, 1969–72. While attending a summer school at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, in 1971 he attended Marjorie Barstow’s Alexander Technique group classes. He studied with her 1971–74, and also had lessons with Frank P. Jones 1972 and 1974–75, and with Margaret Goldie 1991–94. He...
Elizabeth (‘Liz’, ‘Lizzie’) Atkinson (†2011), British teacher of the Alexander Technique and Head of Training.
Life
Elizabeth Atkinson trained as an actor and had lessons with Elisabeth and Dick Walker at the New College of Speech and Drama. She went on to train at the Constructive Teaching Centre with the Carringtons, 1972–75. She lived and taught for some time in the Hague, Holland.
She joined the Alexander Technique Associates which at that time ran a teachers training course in Old Street, London. Upon the departure of Don Burton and other...
Elizabeth (‘Betty’) Langford (1929–2009), UK teacher of the Alexander Technique, author of several books on the Technique, and Head of Training.
Life
Elizabeth Langford was born in London. In 1952 she married the Hungarian musician Tamas Rajna. She studied violin with Max Rostal. She became the second concertmaster of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. She qualified from the Carringtons at the Constructive Teaching Centre in December 1969. In 1972 she was part of the team of teachers who taught the Technique at John G. Bennett’s (1897–1974)...
Fran Robinson (†2010), UK teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Fran Robinson obtained a BA degree from the University of Manchester in 1971. She qualified as a teacher of the Alexander Technique with Peter Scott in London in 1975.
In 1984 she received a certificate in Basic Training from the Centre for Transpersonal Psychology. In 1996 she qualified as a Painless Spinal Touch therapist. In 2002 she trained as a Pilates teacher.
She trained teachers in Italy 1988–93, at a small village near Pisa, in Tuscany, where she ran the Italian Centre for the Alexander Technique....
Frank Ottiwell (1929 – 2015), prominent US teacher of the Alexander Technique.
Life
Frank Ottiwell studied acting at the Canadian Art Theatre School and at the Vera Soloviova Acting School in New York City. He started taking lessons with Judy Leibowitz in September 1954, and started on her teachers training course in September 1956. He graduated in 1959 and started teaching, especially to performers, while also pursuing an acting career. In 1967 the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) relocated to San Francisco and Frank moved with them and became their resident Alexander...
Goddard Binkley (1920-1987), US teacher of the Technique, who is known for his diary of his lessons with F. M. Alexander, published as The Expanding Self.
Life
Goddard Binkley was born in 1920 in Chicago. During his studies towards a Ph.D. in Sociology at the New School for Social Research, New York, he started having lessons in the Alexander Technique. Considering training as an Alexander teacher he went to London in 1951 to have lessons with F. M. Alexander. He joined Alexander’s teacher training course in 1953 and qualified in 1957. Binkley painted and made sculptures and...
Grethe Laub (1911–1996), Danish teacher of the Alexander Technique whose special interest was working with children.
Life
Grethe Laub trained as a nursery school teacher at the Froebel Institute in Copenhagen between 1933-35. In 1949 she travelled to London and had a number of lessons with F. M. Alexander as well as some with his assistants. She trained with Walter Carrington at the Constructive Teaching Centre (CTC) 1962–65. Here she ran a nursery school in the basement for one year. She would continue to visit CTC for the rest of her life.
Returning to Denmark she set...
Jan Pullman (1951–2012), German teacher of the Alexander Technique and Head of Training in Hamburg.
Life
Jan Pullman studied classical saxophone and piano in Cologne and continued his studies at Trinity College of Music, London, 1978–81. Here he started having lessons in the Technique. Greatly helped by the Technique he trained as a teacher in Aalborg, Denmark, 1984–87 with Karen Wentworth. After training he moved to Hamburg where, as well as having a private practice, he taught the Technique in the Hamburg University of Music and Theatre, and in the Institute for...
Jean Clark (1933 –2021), British teacher of the Alexander Technique and Head of Training.
Jean was born in 1933 and went to school in Streatham, London. She became an entomologist at the Natural History Museum. She had worked at the Natural History Museum for seventeen years when she first heard of the Alexander Technique, going on to train with Walter Carrington 1966–69.
During her training Jean was introduced to the Dart procedures which became a frequent part of her teaching. She was also keen on the application of the Alexander Technique to the use of the eyes....
Jeanne Day, British teacher of the Alexander Technique and Head of Training.
Life
Jeanne Day was born in 1918. She trained for the certificate of Horse Exam, was a nanny, and during WWII joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service, worked as a farm worker, worked in the Royal Women’s Voluntary Service. After the war she ran a small art gallery in Cornwall.
Jeanne’s first contact with the Alexander Technique was in 1959, through a friend of her mother’s, Winnifred Dussek. (Dussek had started her teacher training with Alexander in 1954 and finished with Walter...
