become a teacher
Train to be an Alexander Technique teacher…
The Alexander Technique Center at Cambridge offers an internationally recognized Teacher Training Program. Founded by Tommy Thompson in 1983, the program offers a three-year, 1600-hour course of study. Upon successfully completing the program and fulfilling all program requirements, graduates receive a Certificate of Qualification in the Alexander Technique. Each graduate is eligible to become a Certified Teaching Member of Alexander Technique International (ATI), an international professional society of Alexander teachers.
Postgraduate Study leading to Postgraduate Certification from the Alexander Technique Center at Cambridge
The Postgraduate Training is open to any Alexander Teacher who has previously qualified from a teacher training program and who wants to sharpen their skills and enhance the depth of their insight and understanding of teaching. Commonly, certified teachers who enroll in this program do so for a full year of study in the three trimesters along with first, second and third year trainees who are training to become certified teachers. The blend of ranges of experience works beautifully. Some post graduates attend the full classes three days a week, some two days and some one day. So the tuition is flexible. Some graduates from Tommy’s training stay for an extra year of postgraduate study. And teachers who have taught for years from a variety of countries also sign on for further training. The center is currently investigating visa status for teachers and trainees not from the USA.
Whereas three year teacher training tuition is $9,000 a year or $3,000 each trimester, plus $500 commitment fee every June for each of the three successive years of training, Tommy offers half this amount of tuition for postgraduate training, in deference to a teacher having already been responsible for covering tuition for their initial teacher training program.
The breakdown is as follows:
$4500 annually for 3 days a week. Or $1500 each trimester.
$2250 annually for two days a week $750 each trimester.
$1500 annually for one day a week. $500 each trimester .
For further information contact Tommy personally:
Text: +1-617-413-1638
Email: Tommy@easeofbeing.com
Teacher Training Program Overview
When & Where
The academic year runs September through May (current Calendar)
Classes are held Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 9 am – 1 pm, with a half hour break on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 11 – 11:30 am
Classes are held at the Alexander Technique Center at Cambridge, 1692 Mass Ave, Cambridge MA, USA
What Does the Program Involve?
Practice – lots and lots and lots of practice!
Students practice hands-on skills, working with each other, the faculty, and invited guests, always under the supervision and mentorship of experienced faculty members.Discussion
Tommy typically introduces a theme or concept at the beginning of the week. This theme is explored in group discussions, as well as in demonstrations and hands on practice, over the course of the week.Demonstration
Faculty members demonstrate concepts or techniques. Demonstrations can range from a quick illustration of a point to a full lesson, in which trainees observe a master teacher giving a lesson to a student. In the latter case, the teacher narrates his or her observations, and explains the choices he or she is making in the work.Receiving hands-on work
Trainees each receive a 20 minute private lesson with Tommy every week. In addition, trainees receive shorter “turns” with Tommy and other faculty members on a regular basis.Reading assignments
Reading is assigned weekly. Required reading in the training program includes the four books written by F.M. Alexander about his work (Man’s Supreme Inheritance, The Use of the Self, The Universal Constant in Living, and Constructive Conscious Control), as well as Frank Pierce Jones’ book, Freedom to Change. Other books and articles are assigned depending on the needs and interests of the group. Approximately an hour a week is devoted to in-depth discussion of the reading. In addition to the assigned reading for the whole class, each year each trainee selects an additional book about the Technique to read, and delivers an oral presentation about it to the group.Writing assignments
Written work is assigned monthly. Topics vary from research-oriented questions to personal reflections. Most students hand in about a page for each assignment, but that length varies by the student and assignment (there is a range from a few paragraphs to 5 pages).Anatomy training
Basics of musculo-skeletal anatomy (including the fascia) are taught once a month. Emphasis is always on applying the anatomical knowledge to the Alexander work, and on experiencing the design of the body in ourselves. The monthly sessions are taught by senior faculty and guest teachers with special expertise. No prior knowledge of anatomy is required in joining the training program.Tutorials
Twice a year, in the late fall and late spring, Tommy meets privately with each student in a tutorial. The tutorials are an opportunity for each student to check in about his or her progress in the program, as well as to receive hands-on work from Tommy.Visiting guests
We are fortunate to welcome visiting teachers from Japan, Europe, Canada, and around the US. They come to both learn and teach, both learning from Tommy’s deep perspective on the work, and sharing their own perspectives and insights.Supervised teaching
Trainees in the final term of their third year give a series of at least 10 one-hour private lessons to a volunteer student. Typically these lessons are given at the ATCC during the training class, with Tommy mentoring.Entrance and Exit reports
Toward the beginning of each student’s first Fall term, he or she presents an Entrance report to the group, and at the end of the student’s last term in the program, an Exit report. These reports are personal reflections. In the case of the Entrance report, students introduce themselves to the group, talking about what drew them to the work. Each Exit report is a unique reflection of each student’s path through the work. For students who are musicians or other performers, it is not uncommon to include a performance (though this is in no way a requirement).Internships
The ATCC Teacher Training Program can help graduates set up internships at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee or Berklee College of Music.