My practice of AT is informed by Tom's own training with John Nicholls and Walter Carrington. Carrington helped preserve and communicate the principles established by F.M. Alexander, AT's founder, taught into the present at the Constructive Teaching Centre in London.
This deeply beneficial way of teaching emphasizes the engagement of the postural muscles via the body's elastic, opposing pulls, encouraging a widening as well as lengthening back, freeing the rib cage for deep and natural breathing.
why I teach AT
AT has changed my life for the better, and helps my pupils, improving how we function every day, enhancing our well-being, and promoting our personal growth.
I prize the mindful awareness that AT cultivates, and the skills it teaches for becoming healthier and happier. It's a joy to share these benefits with others.
AT is uplifting, literally and figuratively. My AT certification is a license and obligation to practice expert care, which begins with taking care of myself.
other background
I come from Northern California and earned a BA in English Literature from UC Santa Cruz, a scholarly enclave nestled in a redwood forest at the top of a hill scattered with herds of grazing cattle. After graduating, I moved to New York City's Upper West Side, joined a church chorus, and shared a choirloft with trained singers and actors. To improve my vocal abilities, I took my first AT lessons with Pamela Anderson.
I dabbled in music journalism, learned to run a law office, and eventually established a career in performing arts management, with a long run as Executive Director of New York Festival of Song. Today, in addition to teaching AT, I serve as Development Director of Copland House, a creative center for American music based in Aaron Copland's historic home in Cortlandt Manor, New York. I live with my husband Elliott Hurwitt, a music historian, in Lower Manhattan.