Professional Development Course for Teachers
January to March 2016

This is a ten week Professional Development Course for STAT (Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique) and ATAS (Alexander Technique Affiliated Societies) qualified teachers. It is aimed at developing skills in teaching performing artists to apply the Alexander Technique to their craft and is run by a group of Alexander Teachers experienced in this field in association with Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance.

The course will run on Thursday evenings and all day on Fridays. It will include taught classes at one of Rose Bruford's London venues and at the Westminster Alexander Training Course, and supervised placements at collaborating colleges, including:

• Royal College of Music (Musicians)
• Arts Educational Schools -  London (Actors)
• Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance (Actors)
• Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (Dancers)
• University of Roehampton (Dancers)

Students will be asked to keep a reflective journal during the course and give a presentation on aspects of work covered, both of which will be assessed by their tutors.

This course, which students can do purely for their own professional development, also acts as an audition for a related programme currently offered at Rose Bruford College: Masters Ensemble Theatre - specialising in Alexander Technique for Performance.

"I would highly recommend this course to any teacher who is looking to not only work with performers but to expand the quality and vocabulary of teaching the Technique at all levels.”
Ruth Davis

Dynamic physical connection develops into dynamic interaction between characters

Outline of Course Syllabus

General Skills

• Working with Groups
  
• Going into Movement
• Differences between performers
• Relating to performers' needs 
• Clear Learning Objectives
• Importance of Being Yourself
• Consequences of Thinking Habits
• Respiration
• Wall-work

Performance

• Performance anxiety
• Personal performance

"I found the games and experiments with actors very interesting. I hadn't thought before what happens when an actor takes a role, a character. They made obvious how Alexander Technique can be really helpful in many ways."
Helena Markula

Dorothea Magonet demonstrates working with breath in semi-supine

Musicians

• Working in and Approaching Music Colleges
• Course Structures for Music Colleges
• Free Range of Movement for Musicians
• Relating Musicans's needs to Daily Activities
• Use of Canes to Simulate Instruments
• Thinking Habits in Relation to Use of Arms & Shoulders
• Wind Players
• Singers
• Keyboard players
• String Players

Actors

• Introducing AT to a Group of Actors
• Experiments in Attention and Presence
• Preparation for Performance
• Role of AT in Transformation into Character
• Use of AT in Sustaining a Role
• Dealing with Stage Fright
• AT in Releasing the Imagination
• Exercising Psoas in AT Way
• Voice
• Working with Mask

Peter Buckoke teaching the Alexander Technique to a music student

"I came away from the performing self course with an increased self confidence around working with groups. Firstly because I was given the opportunity to observe very experienced and inspiring practitioners in action. Seeing them working with actors , musicians and dancers was illuminating. Being given the opportunity to lead workshops with these performers and to take part in them, gave one confidence. I gathered a wealth of resources which led to me developing and delivering a course for children. This then led on to me developing a course for parents and children which I will deliver in two schools in September. Sky's the limit"
Susan Taber

Dancers

• Introducing AT to a Group of Dancers
• Influence of AT in DAnce History
• Use of "Body Scan"
• Using Movement to Explore Awareness
• Movement Improvisation
• Hands-on Skills Working with Movement

Dates

The course runs from 7 January to 18 March.  Half-term break week beginning 15 February.

Penny O'Connor working with a CPD group

Course Timetable

Thursdays 18:00-21:00
Venue: Central London (TBA)
Study modules: two workshops from Performing Self tutors

Fridays - 09:00-12:30 (times vary)
Venues: collaborating Colleges of Performing Arts
Study modules: placements working with performing arts students supervised by appropriate Performing Self tutors

Fridays - 14:00-17:00
Venue: Westminster Alexander Training Course
Study modules: Refining hands-on work (in training course); procedures and how to apply them to the needs of performing artists; individual and group tutorial sessions with Performing Self tutors.

Main Tutors 

Peter Buckoke, Niamh Dowling, John Hunter, Dorothea Magonet, Judith Kleinman, Penny O'Connor.

Other teachers involved in the Performing Arts project are: Alex Howard, Korina Biggs, Bea Pemberton and Lucia Walker.

Fees

£1200 for self-funding individuals, £1500 if funded by an institution.

"It’s been an amazing journey - I’ve moved from feeling ‘outside’ the group to becoming part of a great team, with a fantastic tool-kit of resources to take advantage of. I moved from not enjoying tutorials to looking forward to them! I found my performance voice and personality.

​So thank you to John, Niamh, Penny, Bea, Peter, Judith, Dorothea, Lucia, Korina and John’s lovely students for being so generous to us....I’m already using these ideas and resources in my teaching. I would quite happily do the course again!"
Suzanne Duncanson

Korina Biggs leading a workshop for dancers at Roehampton University

Application

To apply for this course please download and complete the form below then return to Niamh.dowling@bruford.ac.uk

Or post to;

Niamh Dowling
Head of School of Performance
Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance
Lamorbey Park
Burnt Oak Lane
Sidcup, Kent
DA15 9DF
United Kingdom 

Application Form for 10 week CPD Course:  Application Form  

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"The work involved in re-reading material, gathering my notes together, and typing up and editing this Journal, has made me realise how much the Performing Self tutors and students together have accomplished over the last few months.
​ 
During the weeks of the course I was  immersed in the immediate tasks coming up – but now it is over I can look back to the beginning, and be amazed at all the different things we have experienced. 
As a result of the course I not only have a wealth of different techniques, games and activities to draw on for groups; but the experience of giving presentations and being involved in such a wide variety of teaching situations has given me inspiration – and a lot of enjoyment along the way."
Clare Dannat

Workshop for actors at the Actors Centre

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