Marjorie Barstow pioneered a new way of teaching the Alexander Technique in a group setting, which is still taught worldwide by her teachers and their students today.
Marjorie Barstow (1899-1995) trained with F. M. Alexander on his first teacher training course (1931-1934). She assisted Alexander's brother, A. R. Alexander in the 1930s before returning to her home in Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
This Festschrift of 39 articles was written in appreciation of her innovative approach to the teaching of the Alexander Technique. As Barstow wrote very little herself this is a unique record of one of the most influential teachers of the Alexander Technique.
She preferred to work with her students on activities such as walking, cutting vegetables, playing the violin, addressing an audience, etc. She emphasized the mental aspect of the Technique: how our thinking determines our movement. For her a lesson was a dialogue, and she prodded her students with questions which stimulated them into their taking an active part in learning as well as responsibility for their own use. She was involved in the means-whereby, in the process of finding out, of experimenting. She did not teach 'final answers' but a way of working things out.
This collection is rare because it constitutes first-hand accounts of Barstow's teaching. Many articles contain quotes and notes from Barstow's workshops. They also include personal reflections on the transformative journey the Alexander Technique process brings about as well as eulogies to Barstow's extraordinary powers of observation and her practical application of Alexander's technique. They bring to life her wit and warmth and her search for simplicity in teaching the Technique.
