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 profoundly effective 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. It helps me and 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. I wrote poetry and earned a BA in English Literature from UC Santa Cruz. On graduating I moved to NYC's Upper West Side, joined a church chorus, and shared a choirloft with trained singers and actors. To help 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 made my 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.