Teacher-training Course at Boston Conservatory at Berklee

Regular classes to train to teach this wonderful work began at The Boston Conservatory in the fall of 2012. The schedule for the Core Classes is: Tuesday nights 7-9, Wednesday mornings 8-10, Friday mornings 8-10. The full curriculum can be viewed below. This curriculum was designed with the graduate music or theatre student in mind, but enrollment is not limited to Conservatory students. Contact me for more information on this course at dadams@berklee.edu . To register, visit https://bostonconservatory.berklee.edu/extension-programs/boston-conservatory-alexander-technique-teacher-training-course

Three Year Training Course Curriculum, totaling 1600 hours

AT Training Core (I, II, III, Summer)

minimum 448 hours

Activities in the primary class are the same for all three years, though the emphasis and expectations are different for each year of training. Students are not separated by training year. This allows for the same material to be revisited with new perspective and understanding each year.

Trainees learn the procedures of tablework (working with students on a bodywork table), chair work (guiding a student to sitting and standing from a chair) and activity work (helping students with various activities e.g. playing a musical instrument). Bodymapping (studying basic anatomy from a personal and experiential perspective) is studied each year. Alexander Procedures (whispered ah, hands on the back of the chair, monkey) are explored each year.

AT Training Core I

Trainees learn about their own use and how this affects their contact with their students. Learning to receive information via hands-on contact is an important first step to working with and directing students. By the end of the first year, it is expected that trainees can make hands-on contact with students without compromising their own use.

First year students are expected to give an “entrance report” describing their goals and expectations for this work. They provide some details about what led them to train. Becoming aware of their use while speaking is an important part of training.

AT Training Core II

Trainees learn how to guide students into movement. They combine their kinesthetic listening skills with a more directed approach to guiding students into movement. By the end of the second year trainees can guide students in various activities without compromising their own use. They are beginning to use more language in conjunction with their hands-on teaching. Self awareness while speaking to a group becomes more natural to second year trainees.

AT Training Core III

Trainees combine language and hands-on instruction equally. They become the teachers of the group. Their ability to teach to the group and articulate their intentions should be clear and comfortable.

Third year students are expected to give an “exit report” describing their perspective on their goals, achievements and expectations. By the third year, the activity of public speaking will be quite comfortable.

AT Summer Core

This course will offer similar curricula to the academic year course. Expectations will depend on the level of training each trainee brings to the course. The Summer Core will be open to the public, including students from other AT training courses who may wish to attend. It will expose trainees to the workshop setting with an emphasis placed on this type of teaching.

AT Reading

510 hours

Trainees will read all 4 books written by F.M. Alexander as well as The Bedford Lecture and 7 books written by others about the Technique. A list of books will be given to trainees in the first semester. The sequence listed below is subject to change.