Save the Dates
Fifth Annual International
ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE Online Summit
Brought to you by Alexander Technique Teachers of Greater Philadelphia (ATTGP)
Celebrating the Discoveries of F. M. Alexander
Free Classes for the Public
January 20-25, 2025
Please join our mailing list to keep informed about other events and next year’s Summit.
Click here to join the ATTGP Mailing List >>
Below find information on our 2024 Summit. Details about our 2025 Summit will be posted by the end of the year.
Learn more:
Do any of the following sound familiar?
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- “I feel stuck.”
- “I’m tense all the time.”
- “I want to feel calmer.”
- “I’m worried about my posture.”
- “I get so stiff.”
- “Working at the computer exhausts me.”
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Discover what fuels your stiffness, feeds your anxiety, creates that hurry mode, and wears you out.
The versatility of the Alexander Technique (AT) addresses all this and more.
With the Alexander Technique you can reclaim your natural coordination, and learn how to coach yourself to be more present, connected and comfortable in your own skin.
Alexander Technique offers you resilience in mind and body, deep connection with yourself, others and the world, and a community of like-minded people.
Join us in celebrating the discoveries of F.M. Alexander in our fourth annual international Alexander Technique Online Summit. During this week-long event our teachers will share their expertise in both introductory classes, and in workshops and events on a variety of topics and applications.
All for FREE.
Attend one session, attend them all. It’s totally up to you!
The Summit is now over. Please join our mailing list to keep informed about other events and next year’s Summit.
Click here to join the ATTGP Mailing List >>
Meet our presenters and see our full schedule of events below.
The Week-Long Summit includes:
Daily Guided Constructive Rest Sessions
Each day one of our ATTGP teachers will lead a guided Constructive Rest session. Constructive Rest is a way of lying down in a semi-supine position (typically on the back with the knees elevated) that promotes good spinal alignment and release of excess tension. It is also known as “Active Rest,” “Semi-Supine” or simply an “Alexander Lie Down.” These sessions provide a simple yet powerful way to find balance, ease, and alertness, offering participants a time of rest, thoughtful awareness, and insights into your body’s amazing design.
Three Additional Events Each Day
Our unique line up of live online classes, workshops and presentations are being lead by our Alexander Technique teachers at ATTGP on a variety of topics, from stress relief and embodiment, to speaking, walking, mindfulness, breathing and much more. It’s a chance to learn from different teachers with different styles and areas of expertise. Whatever your interest, whether you are brand new to AT, are coming back to it after a while, or have studied for years, there’s something for everyone!
Ask Us Anything!
Please join us for our final event of the Summit in which ATTGP members will share some of their favorite Alexander aphorisms and inspirations, and you can ask us questions and share your discoveries.
The Summit is now over. Please join our mailing list to keep informed about other events and next year’s Summit.
Click here to join the ATTGP Mailing List >>
SUMMIT SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Note: All times are US Eastern Time. All sessions are conducted live in real time!
Use this Time Zone Converter to find your time.
Monday, January 15, 2024
Embodying Peace
with Ariel Weiss
Monday, 10:00 – 11:00 AM
How do you inhabit your own physicality? Are you at peace and “at home” in your own skin, or do you have habits of self-bullying and quarreling that keep you from feeling and functioning at your best? Alexander’s discoveries provide us with a profound tool kit to tune in to our own habits of being. When we come into peaceful agreement with our selves, we open up endless possibilities for how we can respond to each other and the world around us. Together we will explore some simple strategies for finding peaceful agreement within ourselves mentally, physically and dynamically in the world.
Ariel Weiss has nurtured a lively private practice teaching AT in Philadelphia since 1988. Trained as a dancer and choreographer, she delights in helping her students move freely in cooperation with their best functioning. Ariel teaches online and in her Center City and Delaware County studios, and at The Curtis Institute of Music and Crosslands retirement community. She also coordinates a Wellness Program for surgeons at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and presented her TEDX talk: Posture myth-busting in 2021. An active member of ATLP (Alexander Technique Liberation Project), Ariel is interested in bringing AT to a wider audience centered on core values of belonging and agency. More info at: atphila.com
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Breathing is Movement
with Amy Ward Brimmer
Monday, 3:00 – 4:00 PM
You possess a power that gives you ease, resilience, emotional and mental clarity, postural alignment, and improved health and wellness. You are doing it right now. Or rather, it is “doing” you. Breathing.
The Alexander Technique is one of the best ways to understand your own breathing patterns. In this workshop we’ll take a look at the anatomy and mechanics of breathing, to rediscover the ways that the breath is constantly moving, and how every movement we make can be infused with breathing. We’ll consider when to direct the breath under different conditions, and when to leave the breath alone. Through these explorations, we’ll begin to recognize some of the breathing habits that can cause unpleasant symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and foggy brain.
Amy Ward Brimmer has been investigating mindfulness and self-expression since childhood. She is the owner of Way Opens Wellness in Yardley, PA, where she offers Alexander Technique, Somatic Release bodywork, Qigong, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Compassionate Listening, and Insight meditation instruction. Amy has taught at Yale, Villanova, Brooklyn College, and along the banks of the Delaware Canal, among many other places. More info at: wayopenswellness.com
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Guided Constructive Rest
with Heather Gardner
Monday, 4:15 – 4:45 PM
Heather Gardner is a musician and teacher who is fascinated with how we listen to, create and process sound. Her work as a certified Alexander Technique teacher and student of Deep Listening has led her to explore how we interact with sound at all levels of our existence, from singing with children to hearing in our dreams. She is an experienced performer in many time periods and styles having sung and played with many types of ensembles and as a soloist. She continues to perform all sorts of music as well as explore sound and community through improvisation. Through her studio in West Philadelphia, she brings music and sound awareness to people from all ages and abilities and is interested in using sound and music to build community. More info at: www.heathergardnerstudio.com
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Soulforce Arts: The vital role of musicians and artists in creating a more beautiful world
with Joseph Arnold
Monday, 7:00 – 8:15 PM
Embark on the Soulforce Arts workshop journey with Alexander Technique teacher, Joseph Arnold. Delve into the Alexander Technique’s power to alleviate muscular tension, and thereby open a channel to your creative Soulforce. This union of technique and spirit promises a transformative artistic experience, channeling pure, unobstructed creativity in a world craving genuine artistic expression.
Joseph Arnold is an Alexander Technique teacher, violinist, composer, and Director of the Soulforce Arts Institute. The Soulforce Arts Institute helps artists overcome personal and professional limitations, enabling them to earn a living through their art and make a meaningful impact on society. More info at: SoulforceArts.com
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Tuesday, January 16, 2024
Living in the Pause: The ground for self-care
with Anne Johnson
Tuesday, 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM
Living life with balanced awareness can be an opportunity to experience a quality shift in our coordination, sense of comfort, wholeness and presence. Alexander’s discoveries happened when he showed up in the present moment – open and curious…without expectation. Join Anne for an exploration of the relationship between our thoughts, physical body, breathing and the space around…and see what discoveries happen for you.
Anne Johnson has been teaching the Alexander Technique for 25 years to individuals and groups across the globe, in her private studio, the Mt Airy Learning Tree, as well as businesses in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. She taught at the Boyer College of Music at Temple University for 15 years. Her teaching practice includes both in-person and remote lessons and workshops. Anne finds pleasure in sharing the benefits of this rich body of work with people of all ages, skill levels and diverse backgrounds. More info at: alexandertechphiladelphia.com
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Brain-Body Bond through my Favorite 4-Letter Words
with Judith Saxton
Tuesday, 1:00 – 2:15 PM
In ‘Boosting the brain-body bond’ international trumpet performer and educator Judith Saxton presents her music and mindfulness transformational guidance in a practical, embodied approach. Beginning with a guided exploration of Rest, Slow, Wait and Time, rediscover your own resource-rich agency. Using listening, dialogue, curiosity and creativity, join Judith in partnership to amplify your voice. ‘Boosting’ provides a pathway for psychophysical unity, enhancing one’s ease and efficiency – in any endeavor. Come explore practice and performance habits in music and life which reduce anxiety, increase confidence, and promote ease and excellence.
Judith Saxton, a 35-year musician and educator, is certified with Alexander Technique International (ATI). A 2015 graduate of the North Carolina Teacher Training program of Chesapeake Bay Alexander Studies, she aids in boosting the brain-body bond for both individuals and groups. Teaching online and in-person, she facilitates choice, change, and ease of movement in activity via a gentle undoing and unlearning process. Judith also offers guest artist residencies worldwide that incorporate her somatic and musical worlds to amplify her students’ ‘voice’ and creativity. Judith is a Registered Somatic Movement Educator (R.S.M.E). of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). More info at: judithsaxton.com
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Guided Constructive Rest
with Imogen Ragone
Tuesday, 2:30 – 3:00 PM
Imogen Ragone has been a nationally certified teacher of the Alexander Technique since 2006. She has developed her own unique approach called BodyIntelligence, which integrates mindfulness, posture and self-care, to give her clients practical strategies to relieve and prevent stress and tension. Her approach has been particularly beneficial to clients suffering from emotional stress and even trauma. Constructive Rest is Imogen’s all-time favorite self-care practice. She has given hundreds of guided Constructive Rest talks over the years. Her students love it and she hopes you will, too! More info at imogenragone.com
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Take Root to Fly
with Diane Young Sussman
Tuesday, 5:30 – 6:30 PM
In Alexander Technique there is often an emphasis on the Primary Control, the powerful discovery that F.M. Alexander uniquely brought to the world. In this workshop we will explore the connection of the Primary Control with the rest of the body, notably the role of the pelvis and legs/feet, to complete the important relationship of the whole person in gravity. We will begin the class with a review of the relationship of the psoas with the piriformis musculature in the upright posture, and then we will have some fun in movement, feeling our way into the buoyant, springy nature of the head/torso on top of the legs.
Diane Young Sussman received her training from the American Center of the Alexander Technique, (ACAT- NYC), in 1987. Since then she has been joyfully teaching this powerful method for self-care and self-development in workshop settings, universities, and with private clients. Diane served on the faculty of ACAT for 23 years until her move to the Philadelphia area. She appreciates immensely the collegial relationship with teachers through ATTGP, and has pursued the further development of the Alexander Technique in this region. Diane has a practice in the Healing Arts as well, and always brings an Alexander approach to her work with Cranio Sacral clients. More info at: bodymindbalance.net
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Wednesday, January 17, 2024
Finding Ground to Release Up
with Andrea Bruno
Wednesday, 10:30 – 11:30 AM
Allowing yourself to release your tension, anxiety, etc. is necessary when practicing the Alexander Technique. Grounding is a method that enhances the ability to allow this release to occur. While grounding may direct you downward you can also use it to free into natural balance. Explore grounding combined with Alexander Technique’s constructive thinking to help you release into ease and natural balance.
Andrea Bruno is a certified practitioner of The Alexander Technique and principal of Empowering Directions: Guidance for Full Potential. She had both a hands-on private practice in Swarthmore, PA and a virtual practice with the VA. Her students have experienced a greater awareness of their movement patterns, pain relief, a restful mind and better sleep. Andrea is dedicated to spreading the word about this technique and sharing the positive effects it’s had on her own life. More info at: empoweringdirections.com
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Guided Constructive Rest
with Ariel Weiss
Wednesday, 12:30 – 1:00 PM
Ariel Weiss has nurtured a lively private practice teaching AT in Philadelphia since 1988. Trained as a dancer and choreographer, she delights in helping her students move freely in cooperation with their best functioning. Ariel teaches online and in her Center City and Delaware County studios, and at The Curtis Institute of Music and Crosslands retirement community. She also coordinates a Wellness Program for surgeons at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and presented her TEDX talk: Posture myth-busting in 2021. An active member of ATLP (Alexander Technique Liberation Project), Ariel is interested in bringing AT to a wider audience centered on core values of belonging and agency. More info at: atphila.com
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The Art of Walking
with Diane Young Sussman
Wednesday, 4:00 – 5:00 PM
It has been said that all yoga practice is a preparation for walking well. This is true also of the Alexander Technique. In Alexander lessons we spend a lot of time bringing conscious awareness to how we are moving, and the end result is the ability to move with more grace and coordination. Walking is a subtle and wonderful way to integrate all of the principles of the work in the very practical activity of moving through space. In this class we will carefully break down all of the components of walking, and practice moving with freedom and ease.
Diane Young Sussman received her training from the American Center of the Alexander Technique, (ACAT- NYC), in 1987. Since then she has been joyfully teaching this powerful method for self-care and self-development in workshop settings, universities, and with private clients. Diane served on the faculty of ACAT for 23 years until her move to the Philadelphia area. She appreciates immensely the collegial relationship with teachers through ATTGP, and has pursued the further development of the Alexander Technique in this region. Diane has a practice in the Healing Arts as well, and always brings an Alexander approach to her work with Cranio Sacral clients. More info at: bodymindbalance.net
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Speak UP!
with Kathryn Armour
Wednesday, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Alexander began his investigations with the intention of improving his breathing and his public speaking. We will first build on his breathing directions with my etude: “the twisted ah.” Then we will take a brief look at the relationship of the tongue and the larynx, and the use of the jaw. The primary function of the jaw and the tongue is for eating and swallowing, that is, for survival. In speaking we benefit from a mindful shift. We can learn to allow the tongue to follow the “forward and up” directions so that our authentic voice can be easily heard and understood.
Kathryn Armour received an MA from the University of Chicago and then trained as a classical singer in Italy and New York. She has performance credits in cabaret, oratorio, Broadway and concert repertoire and has performed many operatic roles. She taught vocal technique at New York University (Tisch) for 17 years. Kathryn was certified as an Alexander teacher by ATI in 2004. She has been the AT and Voice teacher to the Fiasco Theater Company in NYC since 2011. She coached the company in two Sondheim revivals produced for Broadway by Roundabout Theatre Company. The Kathryn Armour Studio is located in mid-town Manhattan. Her second studio is in her home in Wilmington. Kathryn offers AT/Voice intensives in late June at Lake Como, Italy. She has presented her work at the international Alexander Congresses in Limerick, Chicago, and most recently in Berlin. More info at: KathrynArmourStudio.com
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Thursday, January 18, 2024
P.E.P. – Pause for Excellence in Performance
with Judith Saxton
Thursday, 10:00 – 10:55 AM
Join me for a brief exploration into how and why the “Pause” is the first step to excellence in performance:
- Real-time practice in pausing
- Love your P’s: Press pause for potent, powerful presence while playing, practicing and performing.
- Love your E’s (and Ease): Enhance Excellence; consider the Exhale the beginning of the breath.
- Life and breath before, during and after the Pause
- What opens up after the Pause
- What does this have to do with me and how my brain-body functions
Judith Saxton, a 35-year musician and educator, is certified with Alexander Technique International (ATI). A 2015 graduate of the North Carolina Teacher Training program of Chesapeake Bay Alexander Studies, she aids in boosting the brain-body bond for both individuals and groups. Teaching online and in-person, she facilitates choice, change, and ease of movement in activity via a gentle undoing and unlearning process. Judith also offers guest artist residencies worldwide that incorporate her somatic and musical worlds to amplify her students’ ‘voice’ and creativity. Judith is a Registered Somatic Movement Educator (R.S.M.E). of the International Somatic Movement Education and Therapy Association (ISMETA). More info at: judithsaxton.com
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Guided Constructive Rest
with Meade Andrews
Thursday, 11:00 – 11:30 AM
Meade Andrews has been introducing individuals and groups to the exciting discoveries of F.M. Alexander, a pioneer in the art of CHOICE and CHANGE, For 40 years. Meade is an internationally recognized senior teacher of the Alexander Technique. For 12 years she taught theatre, dance and the Alexander Technique at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, and she continues to offer classes and workshops at Westminster Choir College. She is the former director of the Dance Program at American University, and has also served as an acting teacher, and acting coach for over 30 theatrical productions. She currently maintains a private Alexander Technique practice in the Princeton, NJ area teaching people in all walks of life, including computer workers, teachers, and business professionals. More info at: https://meadeandrews.net/
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A Powerful Combination: Alexander Technique and Neurobiology for Stress and Trauma
with Imogen Ragone
Thursday, 3:00 – 4:00 PM
For this presentation Imogen will be joined by her long-time client, trauma survivor and trauma awareness educator Shay Seaborne. As Shay studied neurobiology and neuroscience to help her understand and resolve PTSD, she increasingly understood that the Alexander Technique (AT) provides a very neuropositive approach and practice. Over the past two years Shay and Imogen have collaborated to offer workshops and courses for people dealing with trauma or chronic stress, combining Shay’s experience as a trauma survivor and her understanding of the neuroscience relating to trauma with the practical, mindful tools and concepts from Imogen’s BodyIntelligence work, which is founded in the principles of the Alexander Technique. In this presentation we will discuss the ways AT can be helpful for trauma survivors, as well as anyone who is ever stressed (!), and share a simple practice we teach to help people support the regulation of their nervous system.
Imogen Ragone has been a nationally certified Alexander Technique teacher for 18 years, and a student of the Technique for well over 20. She initially came to Alexander Technique to help her with chronic neck and shoulder pain and tension. It did – and gave her much more than she ever imagined. Imogen has now developed her own unique approach, BodyIntelligence, that offers a path to embodied mindfulness that is gentle and non-coercive. This means it is more accessible and effective when you are feeling stressed, and makes it especially valuable to traumatized people. Imogen has been successfully working with clients online, both individually and in groups, since 2014. More info at imogenragone.com
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Embodying Deep Listening
with Heather Gardner
Thursday, 7:00 – 8:00 PM
Our experiences are shaped by our perception and the more we are able to perceive from our environment the more we are able to fully participate in it. Listening is the beginning of building community and creating deeper understanding of ourselves and our world. During this workshop we will explore ways to more deeply listen to the world around us through our ears, our bodies and even our dreams! We will give new attention to our place in the sonisphere and discover new ways to perceive sound and movement.
Heather Gardner is a musician and teacher who is fascinated with how we listen to, create and process sound. Her work as a certified Alexander Technique teacher and student of Deep Listening has led her to explore how we interact with sound at all levels of our existence, from singing with children to hearing in our dreams. She is an experienced performer in many time periods and styles having sung and played with many types of ensembles and as a soloist. She continues to perform all sorts of music as well as explore sound and community through improvisation. Through her studio in West Philadelphia, she brings music and sound awareness to people from all ages and abilities and is interested in using sound and music to build community. More info at: www.heathergardnerstudio.com
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Friday, January 19, 2024
Nurture Your Creativity and Imagination with Alexander Technique Experiments
with Mary McCann
Friday, 10:30 – 11:30 PM
Please join us for this fun, interactive session! Embrace your inner ‘creative genius’ as we explore a series of AT experiments. Celebrate Alexander’s discovery by designing your own experiment! You will also learn a new ‘warm up’ to enhance social engagement in your daily life.
Note: Bring a small everyday item (such as a box of tea, a pen, or a book) and a pillow.
Mary McCann, Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique, has presented Master Classes at Harvard University, Bryn Mawr College, DeSales University, The Wilma Theater, Pennsylvania Hospital, and many other institutions. Mary trained as a professional actor with Broadway actor and director, Gordon Phillips. She teaches people in the performing arts, people in the healthcare field, lawyers, business leaders, IT professionals, fitness enthusiasts, artists, equestrians, and many others. Lessons are available in the Philadelphia area and online. More info at: explorealexander.com
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The Magic Pause: The 3-Second Technique To Release Tension On Demand
with Joseph Arnold
Friday, 12:00 – 1:15 PM
The 3-second technique that is the single most powerful, easy-to-implement, and sure-fire method for instant relief from the tightness and tension that causes back pain and other chronic injuries.
The “Magic Pause” will allow you to reliably and quickly relieve muscle tension and strain so you can get back to doing the things you love. It’s easy to learn and you can use it to be able to sit more comfortably at the computer, play music more freely, or feel better when you exercise. In this class, you will learn the Magic Pause and how to apply it to many different activities.
Joseph Arnold is an Alexander Technique teacher, violinist, composer, and Director of the Soulforce Arts Institute. The Soulforce Arts Institute helps artists overcome personal and professional limitations, enabling them to earn a living through their art and make a meaningful impact on society. More info at: SoulforceArts.com
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Guided Constructive Rest
with Anne Johnson
Friday, 4:00 – 4:30 PM
Anne Johnson has been teaching the Alexander Technique for 25 years to individuals and groups across the globe, in her private studio, the Mt Airy Learning Tree, as well as businesses in Philadelphia and surrounding areas. She taught at the Boyer College of Music at Temple University for 15 years. Her teaching practice includes both in-person and remote lessons and workshops. Anne finds pleasure in sharing the benefits of this rich body of work with people of all ages, skill levels and diverse backgrounds. More info at: alexandertechphiladelphia.com
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Release and Restore: Alexander Technique for Stress Relief
with Dianne Gaary
Friday, 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Join us to de-stress from the work week, shed some physical tension, and reconnect with your calm self in this workshop that explores how your thoughts, body awareness, and a little pause can help you unwind whenever you need to. If you have a lot on your plate and your week has been a bit much, nurturing self-care workshop might be just what you need.
Diane Gaary teaches Expression, Confidence, Comfort, and Mobility On Stage and In Daily Life. She holds teacher certification in the Alexander Technique, The Lessac System of Voice and Body Training, and The Feldenkrais Method® and is an Estill Voice Master Teacher®. Diane’s training also includes classical singing, numerous theatrical voice and speech techniques, an MFA in Acting, and 2 years of graduate level speech pathology. Diane teaches at Temple University, Arcadia University, and Westminster Choir College. Her students have performed extensively on Broadway and in Regional Theatre, in film and television, and in major opera houses such as The Metropolitan Opera, The New York City Opera, and La Scala. Diane maintains a studio for private students online and in person in Ardmore, PA. More info at: https://www.dianegaary.com
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Saturday, January 20, 2024
The Birthday of F. M. Alexander, Founder of the Alexander Technique
January 20, 1869 – October 10, 1955
An Alexander Technique based Voice and Body Warm Up for a Relaxed and Energized Weekend!
with Diane Gaary
Saturday, 9:00 -10:00 AM
Tap into your body’s natural coordination, alignment, and breathing as we apply the Alexander Technique to gentle yoga postures and enjoyable vocal exercises. This workshop is a pleasurable way to connect with your body and voice, center yourself, and warm up for the day ahead.
Diane Gaary teaches Expression, Confidence, Comfort, and Mobility On Stage and In Daily Life. She holds teacher certification in the Alexander Technique, The Lessac System of Voice and Body Training, and The Feldenkrais Method® and is an Estill Voice Master Teacher®. Diane’s training also includes classical singing, numerous theatrical voice and speech techniques, an MFA in Acting, and 2 years of graduate level speech pathology. Diane teaches at Temple University, Arcadia University, and Westminster Choir College. Her students have performed extensively on Broadway and in Regional Theatre, in film and television, and in major opera houses such as The Metropolitan Opera, The New York City Opera, and La Scala. Diane maintains a studio for private students online and in person in Ardmore, PA. More info at: https://www.dianegaary.com
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Guided Constructive Rest
with Mary McCann
Saturday, 11:30 AM – 12 PM
Mary McCann, Certified Teacher of the Alexander Technique, has presented Master Classes at Harvard University, Bryn Mawr College, DeSales University, The Wilma Theater, Pennsylvania Hospital, and many other institutions. Mary trained as a professional actor with Broadway actor and director, Gordon Phillips. She teaches people in the performing arts, people in the healthcare field, lawyers, business leaders, IT professionals, fitness enthusiasts, artists, equestrians, and many others. Lessons are available in the Philadelphia area and online. More info at: explorealexander.com
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Closing Celebration! Ask Us Anything!
Saturday, 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Come join us for this final event of our Online Summit to celebrate the week’s offerings and F.M. Alexander’s birthday!
ATTGP members will share some of their favorite Alexander aphorisms and inspirations, and you can ask us questions and share your discoveries.
All are welcome – please help us close the week’s events with this celebratory sendoff!
You must register for the Summit to get access to the classes.
You may attend as many as you wish!
We are now planning AT Summit 2025. Please join our mailing list to keep informed about other events and next year’s Summit.
Click here to join the ATTGP Mailing List >>
Learn more about ATTGP at: alextechgreaterphila.com