Peter Jacobson, Founder & Director
Peter Jacobson is a music artist-teacher with a passion for making and teaching music in a way that includes the whole person – mind, body and spirit. His work stands at the intersection of health, music, learning and creativity. He is also a passionate advocate of entrepreneurship – using innovation and ingenuity to address long-standing problems in the music field.
He has earned advanced degrees in Orchestral Conducting from University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign) and the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University as well as a bachelors of music education from Concordia College (Moorhead, MN). His teachers have included Marin Alsop, Leon Fleisher, Gustav Meier, Larry Rachleff, Donald Schleicher and Markand Thakar.
In addition to being a teacher, conductor, multi-instrumentalist and composer/arranger, Peter is an AmSAT-certified (American Society of the Alexander Technique) teacher of the Alexander Technique. He did his 3-year, 1600-hour Alexander Technique teacher training at the Alexander Technique Mid-Atlantic (with Nancy Romita & Wendy Salkind) and Alexander Technique Urbana (with Rose Bronec & Rick Carbaugh). He is also a Certified Transformative Coach (Supercoach Academy with Michael Neill).
Peter is the Founder and Executive Director of The Mind Body Music School, which offers an innovative and integrative approach to music education that combines Alexander Technique (and other relevant fields) with the core principles of effective music learning.
He has taught workshops to musicians at: Peabody Conservatory (USA), Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel (Belgium), Toronto NATS Chapter (Canada), Gettysburg College (USA), Shepherd University (USA), Orchestra Institute of Napa Valley (USA), Towson University (USA), Zagreb Academy of Music (Croatia), University of Graz (Austria), University of Minnesota-Morris (USA), Gustavus Adolphus College (USA) and Mindful Music Making (Germany).
Peter lives in the historic Cathedral Hill neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota. When he's not working, you'll find him playing squash, listening to a podcast, reading 7 books at once or cooking up something tasty in the kitchen.
Juliana Marin, Teacher
Juliana Marin is a professional singer, music teacher, and Alexander Technique teacher in Baltimore, MD. She is currently a Vocal Fellow with the Baltimore Choral Arts Society.
Juliana graduated from the Peabody Conservatory with a Master of Music in Vocal Performance and from Towson University with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. While at Towson University, she received the Music Department Talent Award and was the first-place winner of the Dr. Sydney Lieberman Music Competition. While at Peabody, she was awarded a Peabody Career Development Grant and received the George Woodhead Prize in Voice.
Juliana has performed roles such as Pamina in The Magic Flute and Clorinda in Cendrillon. She also performed the title role in Suor Angelica with the Little Patuxent Opera Institute and La Fée in Viardot’s, Cendrillon with the Baltimore Vocal Arts Foundation. Juliana participated twice in the Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute at the Aspen Music Festival.
When not actively learning music or teaching, Juliana can be found participating in the Mind Body Music School (her Alexander community) or improvising a variety of styles of music around her house.
Okan Sipahioğlu, Teacher
Okan Sipahioğlu is a certified Alexander Technique teacher based in Catania, Italy. He is also a classical singer with over a decade of experience performing in the opera world across Europe. One of the first graduates of the MBMS (formerly TVF) AT Teacher Training Course, he completed his training under the guidance of Peter Jacobson, Michael Hanko, Eleni Vosniadou, Molly Kittle, and Darcy Balkcom. During this time, he also had the opportunity to work with leading teachers such as Jeremy Chance, Cathy Madden, Sarah Barker, Pedro de Alcantara, and Christos Noulis.
In addition to teaching the Alexander Technique, Okan has taught ear training and singing, and currently teaches English as a second language. The Alexander Technique has been a profoundly transformative journey for him—supporting not only his professional life but also his personal well-being. He loves sharing this work with others, as its impact continues to resonate through everything he does.
