Interview with Dr. Heidi Brende Leathwood - Alexander Technique Specia

After confronting my own assumptions about the Alexander Technique, I am pleased to release this week's podcast interview episode with Alexander Technique specialist, Dr. Heidi Leathwood. Dr. Leathwood is not only a teacher of the Alexander Technique, she teaches others to be teachers giving her specialized insight into the way this practice can be applied.

This interview has been one of the most informative conversations I've had yet since it focuses greatly on an area of work that I've had little to no experience in but have heard a lot about throughout my music career.

Dr. Leathwood holds a DMA in Piano from the University of Southern California as well as her teacher training certificate from the Alexander Technique Institute - Los Angeles. She is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Lamont School of Music at the University of Denver. In addition to teaching Alexander Technique courses both in and out of the University, she keeps up a successful piano career and has been largely active in the field of new music for the last 25 years.

Make sure to check out our podcast now streaming on iTunes and SoundCloud and see the show notes below for mentions from the interview and ways in which you can connect with Dr. Leathwood.

Lastly, if you've been enjoying these podcasts, learning beneficial information or find the topics relevant to yourself and other music educators, please share! The best advertising is always a personal referral. I ask you to consider taking a moment to subscribe, leaving a review or sharing on your social media pages so that this information can move up the algorithm and reach a larger audience. Thank you for listening and enjoy!

Where to Find Dr. Leathwood

University of Denver Faculty Profile

Website

Upcoming Performances

Alexander Technique Denver

Piano Recordings

Learn More About Alexander Technique

Find a Specialist Near You at the American Society for the Alexander Technique

Complete Guide to the Alexander Technique

Alexander Technique Summarized

Podcast Mentions

AMSAT Online

Nobel Prize Winner, Nikolaas Tinbergen speaks about the Alexander Technique in his acceptance speech for the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discoveries "concerning organization and elicitation of individual and social behavior patterns in animals."

For more in depth reading on the neutral spine, the basic physical building block of the Alexander Technique, the need for harmonious movement in stability and mobility and why you need to build it into your music practice, check out yesterday's blog post. And, as always, you can get tips and updates from following along on the Musician Health Resource Instagram where I'll also have a quick tip from Dr. Leathweood posted.

Remember, our bodies should never limit our art so learn how to train like an athlete to play like a musician.

Less pain and more music!

Karen