I was thinking I’d start a series of posts under the category ‘Student comments’. These posts won’t be examples of students saying how wonderful I am, nor how the Alexander Technique changed their lives. What I thought could be interesting is to comment on some the topics that come up during lessons as they are […]
Hands-on basics
This is a summary on the workshop I gave the the Alexander Technique International Congress in Chicago (2018). This article first appeared the the 2018 Congress Papers The use of the hands in Alexander teaching is a specific skill which distinguishes it from all other modalities. From the point of view of the student, and […]
Why the plant?
A student was reviewing my site recently and was confused about a photo that was featured prominently. It could do with a bit of explanation … The image seen here can be found at the top of my homepage and in a few other places. In English it is known as a strawberry tree and […]
Aphorisms
A series of F.M. Alexander’s teaching aphorisms have been available for some time. They first appeared in The Alexander Technique: the essential writings of F.M. Alexander (1969), a book of thematically arranged selected material from Alexander’s four books edited by Edward Maisel. There’s been several reprints since then but the book is now out of […]
Misunderstandings
The following is a brief definition of the Alexander Technique that I found online a few years back. As the definition is quite off the mark, I queried the author at the time but didn’t receive a response. I can’t provide a link as the page no longer exists —I doubt I had anything to […]
Interview: Teaching as a learning experience
This is a second interview responding to questions put to me by Kaye Ashton after she spent some time doing post-graduate study on my teacher training course in Sydney. Kaye: If, as you said last time: ‘teaching must be approached as a learning experience if one wishes to become a better teacher’, what are some […]
Interview: Thoughts on a process
In the following interview I respond to questions put to me by Kaye Ashton.Kaye spent several weeks as a post-graduate student on my training course in Sydney. Kaye: How do you view the teacher / student relationship? Simon: I see no reason to complicate this issue. The student is a student, and the teacher is […]
Who is Simon Fitzgibbon anyway?
Discounting teenage stints of washing cars and stacking supermarket shelves, teaching the Alexander Technique is the only job I’ve ever had. My journey from school leaver to teacher trainee was short and uneventful, but upon entering Kri Ackers’ training course in Sydney in the early 90s, the Technique became my life. It soon took me […]