YouTube as an AT Resource
I have just been watching ‘A Conversation With Marjorie Barlow’ on YouTube and it was good for me to be reminded of the wonderful AT lessons I had with this ‘first generation’ teacher. I also realized yet again just what a valuable resource YouTube can be for people interested in the Alexander Technique. There are videos suitable for complete beginners, right through to videos that are a useful resource for teacher trainees and experienced AT teachers.
Marjorie Barlow was F M Alexander’s niece and she trained as an AT teacher with FM himself. Later, she was one of the first people to start training AT teachers and she ran a training course for many years with her husband Dr Wilfred Barlow.
In the video, Marjorie Barlow maintains her quiet poise throughout and her face frequently lights up with smiles and laughter as she shares some of her extensive knowledge of the Technique. She stresses how important it is for each of us to ‘think in activity’ and that using the Technique is an attentive process. Whilst she encourages people to apply the Technique to many activities and acknowledges that each teacher will bring their own personality and experiences to the work, Marjorie Barlow encourages us to maintain the Technique in a ‘pure’ form and not to mistakenly ‘throw the baby out with the bath water’ by diluting it too much – something I very much aim to do in my own teaching.
This YouTube video is particularly valuable for teachers or anyone thinking of becoming a trainee.