Alexander Technique

Well, we decided that I've finished Forty Little Pieces, but I did have some problems with the difficult passage during my lesson.  In fact, I had trouble with everything at my lesson--the exercises as well as the duets I've been learning, which I'll be playing Wednesday.  I'm sure some of it was nerves--a lesson is a performance, after all--but also my fingers have been feeling still.  When I googled to find out what people do when they have pain while playing, I came across a number of references to the Alexander Technique.  I had never heard of it--I thought it was some sort of flute-learning technique, like the Suzuki method.  Looking at wikipedia, I learned that it was developed by a Shakespearean actor whose voice kept wearing out.  Apparently through this technique--which seems to focus on breathing and posture--he was able to continue performing.  And it looks like it's quite popular with musicians.  When I mentioned it to my flute teacher, she said the annual flute conference offers a workshop on the Alexander Technique.  The next MidAtlantic flute conference will be in Feb. 2013.

Always attracted to new ideas, I looked at who teaches the technique in the DC area, and have contacted one to get more info.  Everything I read suggests that teachers prefer to teach one-on-one.  And they recommend that students take 30-40 lessons.  So it's going to be expensive.  I'd like to try a session or two to see if it might help.