Here is a selection of my writings on the Alexander Technique and music-related subjects from 1975 to 2006, including an introductory interview, articles for teachers published by Statbooks, Statnews, and AmSAT News, my master's thesis, unpublished pieces for students, and revisions of my articles on flute vibrato and master oboist Fernand Gillet's teaching that were previously published in The Flutist Quarterly.

In brief, the Alexander Technique is a century-old, hands-on, mind-body therapy that also teaches a system of self-awareness and self-management for use in both daily life and in activities that require superlative control. It has proven very effective for dealing with excessive tension, anxiety, and stress as it cultivates a positive life-attitude and a thoughtful, non-aggressive approach to whatever we want to accomplish. Experiencing the subtle and non-invasive hands-on work from a skilled teacher and learning to apply the principles of the Technique in daily life lays the basis for us to function as a unified whole, dispelling the common misconceptions of human activity as being either physical, mental, spiritual, or some combination of these that still sees them as separate functions.

(For a more complete description of the Alexander Technique, see The Alexander Technique, a Talk with Joe Armstrong.)

MY MUSICAL EXPERIENCE

As a flutist I hold a Master of Arts degree in music, having studied with Carl Petkoff at Illinois Wesleyan Universtiy (1962-1964), Alex Murray at the National Music Camp (1965 & 1966), and with Boston Symphony principal oboist, Fernand Gillet while I attended Tufts(1973-1975). From 1966 to 1969 I played in the U.S. Army Field Band, the Pentagon's touring concert band. While in Boston I have performed in recitals and chamber music concerts with a number of the professional musicians I teach. In recent months I have been working on an English translation of French musicologist Andre Pirro's 1907 book,The Aesthetic of Johann Sebastian Bach,which I'm hoping to find a publisher for. One of the chapters that I've completed will appear in the next issue of the Riemenschneider Institute's BACH Journal. I'm also planning to begin making some recordings soon for flute alone of the Bach cello suites and of my own arrangements of Bach arias and other works. Recently, in collaboration with clarinetist, Liz Leehey, we formed Duo Cantabile, for performing our own transcriptions of non-woodwind literature, including opera and cantata arias and duets, and string and piano chamber music. You can find out more about our ensemble and our arrangments at http://www.elizabethleehey.com/duocantabile/. You can also purchase our transcriptions for flute and clarinet at JB Linear Music: http://music4woodwinds.com/search.aspx?manufacturer=4

Here are some samples of my flute playing:

Marcello: Adagio

Bellini: Casta Diva

Bach: Sarabande in G

Star Dust . . . for Nellie

And here are some vibrato examples from my article on Carl Petkoff and creating expressive flute vibrato:

Click here to hear the Andante of Mozart's D major flute quartet played with the Petkoff vibrato.

Click here to hear the Andante of Mozart's D major flute quartet played with automatic, throat vibrato.

Click here to hear the Andante of Mozart's D major flute quartet played with automatic, diaphragm vibrato.

Click here to hear Debussy's Syrinx played with the Petkoff vibrato.

Click here to hear Debussy's Syrinx played with automatic, throat vibrato.

Click here to hear Debussy's Syrinx played with automatic, diaphragm vibrato.

Click here to hear Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun played with the Petkoff vibrato.

Click here to hear Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun played with the automatic, throat vibrato.

Click here to hear Debussy's Afternoon of a Faun played with automatic, diaphragm vibrato.

MY ALEXANDER EXPERIENCE

I trained to become an Alexander teacher in London with Walter and Dilys Carrington and Peggy Williams from 1969 to 1972. Following that, I worked intensively with Frank Pierce Jones from 1973 to 1975 at Tufts University doing post-graduate research on the Alexander Technique in musical performance. For thirty-five years I specialized in teaching the Alexander Technique to musicians and other performing artists, and from 1977 to 1988 I also directed an Alexander teacher training course. In June of 2007 I "officially" retired from teaching the Alexander Technique in order to devote myself more fully to music, painting, and translating; but I still give lessons occasionally.

In addition to the writings included here, I have also done several in-depth, book-length interviews with prominent Alexander teachers: Grethe Laub, "The Alexander Technique and Child Education," published by Novis, 2006, in the collection How Are We Living Our Lives? www.novis.dk; Kitty Wielopolska, Never Ask Why: The Alexander Work and Schizophrenia, published by Novis, 2001 www.novis.dk; and Vivien Mackie, 'Just Play Naturally,' which is an account of her cello study with Pablo Casals and her discovery of the resonance between his teaching and the principles of the Alexander Technique, originally published in 2002 by Duende Editions and reprinted in 2006 by Xlibris www.xlibris.com. My prefaces to the Wielopolska and the Mackie books are also included on this site. Preface to Never Ask Why; Introduction to 'Just Play Naturally'.

INVENTION ACTIVITY

For more information about me, see: Biographical Notes

*The Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique, London, England (www.stat.org.uk)

Special thanks to Jeff Mitchell for help in editing these articles,
and to John Ranck and Terry Balle for help in setting up this web site.

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****ARTICLES****

Carl Petkoff and His Technique for Creating a Subtle and Expressive Flute Vibrato
A revised and expanded version of an article that appeared in The Flutist Quarterly, Spring 2002.

"Fabulous! Really important reading and information . . . an invaluable asset to our community." Marianne Gedigian.

Carl Petkoff Recital Recordings, 1950-1960. 2 CD Set.
Information and Order Form.

Oboe Master Fernand Gillet's Remarkable Contributions to Woodwind Playing
A revised and expanded version of an article entitled "Oboe Master Fernand Gillet's Legacy to Flutists: His Methods for Developing Superior Technique and Expressive Control" that appeared in The Flutist Quarterly, Winter, 2004.

A facsimile of Gillet's manuscript for the flute version of Exercices sur les Gammes, les Intervalles, et le Staccato with a "Flutist's Foreword" written by Joe Armstrong is available through www.music4woodwinds.com.

The full oboe version (1929) and the the clarinet version (in three parts) are available through Alphonse Leduc. Bassoon and saxophone editions have not yet been made.

The Alexander Technique and Violin/Viola Shoulder Rest Ergonomics
A description of the problem with current models of shoulder rests and its solution from the point of view of the Alexander Technique.

Musical Vision
Suggestions to students of the Alexander Technique for dealing with stress and enhancing expressiveness in musical performance. {2005) This article is informed by the writings of Susanne K. Langer on the philosphy of aesthetics and by the teaching of Pablo Casals.

From Frog to Tip
A cellist's Alexander lesson with Joe Armstrong. (Edited 2004)

Working on Breathing and Vocal Production
Based on Alexander's principles of respiratory re-education, this article describes ways of working on one's own to maintain an uninterrupted flow of breathing at rest and carrying over Alexander's directions for the best use of ourselves into vocalization. It includes procedures to prepare for doing Alexander's "whispered ah" exercise and for extending your vocal range. It's also entirely applicable to playing any wind instrument, in the same manner that I learned to apply Alexander's principles to breathing in flute playing. (1989) Available through AmSAT Books

Introduction by Joe Armstrong to 'Just Play Naturally'
My account of what led me to interview Mrs. Mackie about her cello study with Pablo Casals and her discovery of the resonance between his teaching and the principles of the Alexander Technique. Duende Editions, January 2002. Reprinted 2006, www.xlibris.com.

Effects of the Alexander Principle in Dealing With Stress in Musical Performace
Master's Thesis, Tufts University. (1975) : New Forward, July, 2001

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The Alexander Technique, a talk with Joe Armstrong
Interview with Joe Armstrong by New Visions magazine. (1994)

INTRODUCTION By Joe Armstrong
To "An Alexander Teacher's View of Child Education," an interview with Grethe Laub, Copenhagen, May 1982. An excerpt from HOW ARE WE LIVING OUR LIVES?: GRETHE LAUB, INTERVIEW AND TALKS, 1982 - 1988. Published by: www.novis.dk

Positive and Negative Primary Control and Research
Letter to the Editor of The Alexander Journal, Spring 2006, in response to Jean Fischer's compendium of Alexander's use of the term "primary control" in his four books. And suggestions for research based on Frank Pierce Jones' studies of the startle pattern.

Last update ... August, 2010