Every musician deserves to be healthy, whole and free.
This course will begin to show you how.
The MBMS Foundations Course
A Practical Introduction to the Alexander Technique for Musicians
June 27-29, 2023
For ALL Musicians (Vocalists & Instrumentalists)
Course Tuition: $300 $180
Register Now
Dear Fellow Musician,
Greetings!
My name is Peter Jacobson and I’m the founder and director of The Mind Body Music School.
I recently received an email from a musician interested in one of our programs that said:
“I am currently taking Alexander Technique lessons, but the emphasis is not on using the techniques for singing or playing. So far this Alexander Technique instructor has not shown how the techniques can help me in my music.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard some version of this over the years.
This course is different. It is called Practical Alexander Technique because in it you’ll learn how to practically apply the Alexander Technique to help your music-making from the very first class.
One thing I am very excited about is this is first time we are offering this course for all musicians – vocalists AND instrumentalists. To celebrate this, and to make it available to as many musicians as possible, we're offering the course at a significant discount.
If you're interested in learning more the course, you'll find all the information below.
Hope to see you there!
In Music,
Peter Jacobson
Founder & Director
The Mind Body Music School
AÂ Practical Course for MusiciansÂ
This course will introduce you to the core principles of the Alexander Technique and their practical application to the various activities and situations that make up a musician's life. Things like:
- Playing an instrument – how to coordinate your human instrument with the instrument you play for maximum freedom and ease
- Singing – how to organize your body for optimal resonance and vocal quality
- Sitting & Standing – discover how to find a dynamic source of support in any position
- Breathing – learn how to breathe well even if you're not a musician that moves air to make sound
- Walking – learn how to walk more efficiently (especially when having to carry a heavy instrument or backpack)
- Practicing – useful ideas that encourage self-care in your daily practice
- Rehearsing – how to collaborate with colleagues and deal with stressful situations during rehearsals
- Performing – practical ways to approach performance anxiety, stage presence and communicating with an audience
Who It's For
This course is for any musician – vocalist or instrumentalist – who is:
- Eager to learn more about themselves.
- Curious to learn more about the Alexander Technique.
- Recovering from physical or psychological injury.
- Interesting in learning an intelligent process of growth and change.
- Looking for an approach that prioritizes their health, wholeness and humanity.
This course will address ideas and concepts that are universal to all human beings. Therefore, musicians of any background or ability will receive benefit.
What You'll Learn
At the core of the curriculum are the 7 Alexander Technique principles. You will also learn basic concepts from Body Mapping (a practical approach to human anatomy) and the 4 S.E.L.T. Practices: Slowing Down, Experimenting, Listening & Trusting.
Day 1
Learning & Embodying the Fundamentals, Part 1
The Alexander Technique Principles
- Psychophysical Unity – playing/singing with your whole self instrument
- Direction – constructive thinking that evokes change
- Inhibition – making space for new neural pathways
- Primary Control – learning to coordinate the whole body via the head-spine relationship
Body Mapping Basics
- The Axial Skeleton – learn how the head, spine, and pelvis are designed and how they provide the main source of support for your playing as well as for your life support systems (respiratory, digestive, and cardiovascular)
The S.E.L.T. Practices
- The Practice of Slowing Down – making space for learning and change
- The Practice of Listening – receiving information from all senses without judgment
Day 2
Learning & Embodying the Fundamentals, Part 2
The Alexander Technique Principles
- Unreliable Sensory Appreciation – the limits of relying on sensory and feeling guides in our playing & singing
- Ends & Means – how constructive thinking plans produce better results
- Use Affects Functioning –how to maximize your human and musical potential
Body Mapping Basics
- The Appendicular Skeleton – learn how your lower limbs (legs and feet) and upper limbs (arms and hands) can be used in a way that cooperates (versus interferes) with your design
The S.E.L.T. Practices
- The Practice of Experimenting – allowing for mistakes, a sense of play and trying new things
- The Practice of Trusting – gaining confidence by trusting yourself and the process
Day 3
Applying & Practicing the Fundamentals
By day 3, you’ll have an understanding of the main course concepts:
- The 7 Alexander Technique Principles
- Body Mapping Basics
- The 4 S.E.L.T. Practices
Day 3 is all about applying and practicing the fundamentals in:
- Your Musical Life – learn how the fundamental concepts can you support you in any activity or situation in your musical life, whether it's practicing, rehearsing, teaching, performing or dealing with a stressful situation.
- Your Everyday Life – learn how the fundamental concepts can help you in any activity that is part of your everyday life, whether it's walking, sitting, cooking, typing or riding a bike.
In the final class, talk about ways that you can continue going deeper into your Alexander Technique study.
How It Works
- The course will take place over 3 days from Tuesday, June 27th – Thursday, June 29th. Class times are listed below.
- All instruction will take place online.
- It’s ideal if you can participate in the classes live but if you have to miss a few classes you can always watch them on replay.
- All learning will be experiential and practical so come ready to play and sing!
Class Days & Times
This course consists of 5 classes: (all times listed are US Central Time – Chicago):
Day 1
- Class 1: Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 @ 10:00am - 11:30am US Central Time
- Class 2: Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 @ 1:30pm - 3:00pm US Central Time
Day 2
- Class 3: Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 @ 10:00am - 11:30am US Central Time
- Class 4: Wednesday, June 28th, 2023 @ 1:30pm - 3:00pm US Central Time
Day 3
- Class 5: Thursday, June 29th @ 10:00am - 11:30am US Central Time
Here is a handy tool to convert to your local time zone.
3 Bonus Classes – The Alexander Technique Applied to Piano Playing
The last time we offered this course, I invited my friend and colleague Christos Noulis to teach a 3-class series on the Alexander Technique applied to piano playing as a companion to the main Foundations course. These classes will be included in your tuition as a free bonus.
Your Course Instructor
This course will be taught by MBMS Founder & Director Peter Jacobson.
Peter has spent hundreds of hours studying and teaching Body Mapping (and the Alexander Technique) and is passionate about sharing what he knows with other musicians.
You can read more about Peter here.
Student Feedback from Previous Foundations Courses
“Your three week course on the Alexander Technique exceeded my expectations!!”
The pace, the content, the delivery, the practical application without being there, the warmth, the professionalism….I could go on and on!! I looked forward to class each day and only had to miss two of them. I had only dabbled a bit in the Alexander Technique and this course was so very timely for me. Everything you taught was of use to me and I believe the big “ah ha’s” were the precise body mapping and how EVERYTHING works together all of the time. I knew bits and pieces of anatomy but certainly not to this degree. The third week of the course was especially good because of the application. Such a well designed course and the price was such a deal for all of us!! My hope is to attend a conference LIVE one day soon and continue exploring. I cannot think of anything to improve the course that you offered…just excellent!!”
Molly Huffman – Conductor & Singer
“My experience in the course was very positive…”
I feel very fortunate to have discovered this course in time to join. I had been looking for some type of professional development class, and had anticipated that it would have been more oriented to pedagogical topics. I was thrilled to find an introduction to the Alexander Technique, that was so immediately accessible and applicable to my singing, teaching and general well-being.”
Rachel Stoddard – Singer & Voice Teacher
“I appreciate how every instructor created a safe space for exploration…"
"...and how everyone in class supported one in another during our daily explorations. I loved the conversation about YES plans. I feel it can be so easy for us, as people, to be so critical of ourselves. We can spend so much time focusing on what we don't want, what we don't like and what isn't good enough. By spending more time focusing on body awareness and allowing our body and mind to align with the YES in us, it resets a negative focus. It allows us to be one with ourselves. Having the opportunity to take this class brought me back to connecting with the oneness in me. I always felt much more centered, relaxed, and joyfully aware after every class. Thank You for this class. I know all of these tools will make me a better teacher and performer.”
Molly Rahe-Randall – Singer & Voice Teacher
“I was expecting to learn about body posture and alignment techniques in the Foundations course, but it offered so much more than that!”
"The course brought together a community of both singers and teachers in an affirming way to not only learn about how the body functions as a whole and how the every part of the body works together to support the movement of singing but how the mere act of thinking in a positive way can free up your singing! I finished each class feeling energized and excited put each nugget of information we received to use.”
Margot Hamilton – Voice Teacher
Tuition & Registration
To celebrate the grand opening of The Mind Body Music School, we are offering this course at a 40% discount for a limited time.
Practical Alexander Technique for Musicians
(The MBMS Foundations Course)
$300.00
$180.00
Your one-time tuition fee includes:
REGISTER NOW