I am a New Zealander by birth, but have lived in the UK for most of my life.  I came to study at The Royal College of Music with aspirations to be a concert pianist.  However, as time went by I was increasingly plagued with RSI.  The more I practised, the worse it became.  I was not aware at the time that my problem was being caused by excessive muscular tension, a bad habit of use of myself.   It seemed to me to be an insuperable problem which I could not overcome and, although I sought help from other teachers, no one was able to provide the answers I needed. 

After some time I reluctantly abandoned the idea of a career as a performer and turned to other things.  I married and had two children, but never lost my desire to prove to myself that playing the piano was possible without strain.   A friend of my daughter dropped by one day and mentioned during her visit that she was taking vocal lessons which embraced the Alexander Technique.  I was immediately intrigued because, coincidentally, my piano teacher at the RCM was named Alexander.  I wondered if there might be a connection.  With that in mind, I booked my first Alexander lesson.  I discovered that the two men were not connected but, more importantly, I recognized that a way forward out of my long term habits of use was opening up for me and I was alive with enthusiasm.

I began regular lessons in 1983 and continued these until 1989 when I was accepted on the three year training course for teachers at the Hampstead Alexander Centre, under the directorship of Jean Clark and Robin Simmons, graduating in 1992. 

Post graduation, I had lessons with Margaret Goldie, who was one of Alexander's own first trainees in the early 1930s.  Miss Goldie, as she was always known, worked alongside Alexander until his death in 1955 and dedicated her whole life to promoting the Technique.  She had acquired a considerable reputation within the Alexander teaching world by the time I met her.   At 90, she was still devoted to ensuring Alexander's work was not misunderstood; and I discovered that lessons with her were indeed very powerful. I had over thirty lessons with her during a period of two years until her death in 1997.  I recorded these in the form of a diary after each lesson and value them now as a factual reminder of her wonderful way of conveying the power of thought.

I taught the Alexander Technique to students at the London College of Music over a period of 5 years and gave numerous talks and demonstrations elsewhere.  These included a 4-day seminar at the Music Conservatoire at Ioannina, Greece; a weekend with the UK Society of Teachers of Singing; and demonstrating the benefits of the work to Parkinson's Disease sufferers.  Since then I have been teaching from my home.  Over time I've taught a wide variety of people with various needs and concerns, including a number of horse riders interested in improving their riding skills; musicians wishing to improve their performance and stamina; many people who come for self development and many others with a variety of health problems.  My own playing has improved to a level where I no longer have physical strain and the journey that has brought me to this stage gives me pleasure each time I sit at my piano.

Whatever your personal interests, I encourage you to take time to discover for yourself how the principle of the Alexander Technique can bring a whole new meaning to your daily activities, as well as particular activities and goals which may be important to you.

I am a fully qualified and insured member of the Society of Teachers of the Alexander Technique - STAT and abide by their professional code of ethics.