The Language of Teaching Coordination: Suzuki Training Meets the Alexander Technique

Abstract

The room resounds with the recorded beat of Japanese drummers as line after line of actors moves rapidly across the floor. They are "walking" in a stylized way--hips, knees, and ankles bent in parallel position--and stomping at each step. Many of them show signs of strain: their faces and necks tight, their breathing restricted. I can see that their limbs aren't moving in the ways they intend because their movements do not correspond with the exercise. Some of them have even stopped blinking. Even though the Suzuki instructor has demonstrated the "walking" movement with all the leg joints bent and moving, many of the actors barely bend their hips and knees. As an Alexander Technique teacher, responsible for teaching students how to move with their best possible coordination, I was faced with a challenge. I had been asked to co-teach this class expressly to help eliminate the excessive tension from the exercises that comprise Suzuki training.

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