Comments on: How is Primary Control Taught? http://myhalfof.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/how-is-primary-control-taught/ Learning Effortlessness Fri, 17 Jul 2009 18:56:20 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: myhalfof http://myhalfof.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/how-is-primary-control-taught/#comment-3 myhalfof Mon, 24 Sep 2007 05:12:47 +0000 http://myhalfof.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/how-is-primary-control-taught/#comment-3 Welcome Colin! Thanks for your comment. Patrick MacDonald was a really amazing first generation Alexander teacher who was nicknamed "the Mechanic" because of the practical organizational knowledge he could convey with the quality of his hands. He was personally responsible to decide that I was ready to put "hands-on" when he was a visiting master guest teacher in my training course. In our field of Alexander Technique, a first generation teacher means this was someone who trained with F.M. Alexander, the originator of the Technique. If you want to learn more about Patrick MacDonald's work, here is a link with a review of the book MacDonald that is a compilation about his teaching style: http://books.google.com/books?id=8p3MLa4-pPUC#reviews_anchor Welcome Colin! Thanks for your comment.
Patrick MacDonald was a really amazing first generation Alexander teacher who was nicknamed “the Mechanic” because of the practical organizational knowledge he could convey with the quality of his hands. He was personally responsible to decide that I was ready to put “hands-on” when he was a visiting master guest teacher in my training course. In our field of Alexander Technique, a first generation teacher means this was someone who trained with F.M. Alexander, the originator of the Technique.

If you want to learn more about Patrick MacDonald’s work, here is a link with a review of the book MacDonald that is a compilation about his teaching style:
http://books.google.com/books?id=8p3MLa4-pPUC#reviews_anchor

]]> By: Colin http://myhalfof.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/how-is-primary-control-taught/#comment-2 Colin Fri, 21 Sep 2007 01:15:03 +0000 http://myhalfof.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/how-is-primary-control-taught/#comment-2 Master Teacher Patrick Macdonald would use the words, " drop the face" to achieve the same result. People often engage the neck muscles when asked to nod the head. Forwad and up is taught by the teacher's hands, or more subtley, by the fingers directing the pupil's head in the way Alexander called F&W, at the same time associating this direction with the words F&W. This makes the process truly psychophysical. The pupil does not need to consciencely feel this, they cannot avoid feeling it. This is all reinforced by the pupil thinking or saying the words which eventually induces the sort after result i.e. the head directing itself F&W. Colin Master Teacher Patrick Macdonald would use the words, ” drop the face” to achieve the same result. People often engage the neck muscles when asked to nod the head. Forwad and up is taught by the teacher’s hands, or more subtley, by the fingers directing the pupil’s head in the way Alexander called F&W, at the same time associating this direction with the words F&W. This makes the process truly psychophysical. The pupil does not need to consciencely feel this, they cannot avoid feeling it. This is all reinforced by the pupil thinking or saying the words which eventually induces the sort after result i.e. the head directing itself F&W.
Colin

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