Please note that to apply for this program, you must be fully accredited as an Alexander Technique Teacher by either ATI or a STAT program (Canstat, Nastat, etc).
Download an Application Form for the Teacher Apprentice Program
A word from Candace...
Dear Alexander Technique Teacher (or soon-to-be teacher):
In my past decade as an Alexander Technique teacher, in both Canada and abroad, I have experienced first-hand as well as witnessed how difficult it is to establish oneself as an Alexander Technique teacher. Even the most promising AT teacher is faced with having to educate the public, to procure (hopefully) some students, to gain (eventually) some experience… all largely unmentored and on his/her own. We do not have the luxury of interning in a hospital, as a doctor does, or applying for an existing job, as the rest of the world does!!
I want to offer you an intense immersion in "real life" application of the power and principles of the Alexander Technique. By following 60 opera singers and pianists through a summer program, you will have the opportunity to see the Alexander Technique presented in a "curriculum" format, and you will see first-hand how people with no knowledge of the work at all change and grow over four weeks. Most importantly, you will also work directly with the students yourself, becoming part of the development of the students and their operatic productions.
Course Content
We are excited in 2010 to be able to offer apprentice students full time participation as "ATech" assistants at Opera Nuova. This is an unparalleled chance to spend five days a week watching and learning alongside the opera students as Candace introduces them to the Alexander Technique, then goes on to show them how to directly apply it to operatic performance in a variety of ways. Included in this are the opportunities to develop "coaching skills" by consulting with directors and conductors, observing rehearsals, and then taking these "notes" back to the opera students. In addition to significant work on singing, a parallel course is given to the pianists on the program. Apprentice students will take the information offered in the group settings and develop it in private work with the singers and pianists.
In addition, apprentice students will be offered:
- Teaching experience with a wide variety of private students, outside of Opera Nuova hours, for remuneration.
- Regular meetings with peers and a senior Alexander teacher to discuss students, situations, and mistakes in a safe and nurturing environment.
- Aid in development by each apprentice of an outline for an introductory group workshop.
- Official affiliation with the Opera Nuova, one of North America's leading programs in development of young professional singers.
- Aid in evelopment of a professional CV for each apprentice.
- Training in the practical side of setting up a practice including scheduling, promotional materials, bookkeeping, etc.
Course Dates
The course runs five weeks: May 17 to June 19, 2010.
A maximum of four (4) apprentice teachers will be accepted. The cost is $1400.00 CAD per course.
We appreciate the expense you've already incurred in training as a teacher! Apprentices will be offered remuneration for any classes they teach outside of the Opera Nuova Program, at a rate of $35/class. A minimum of 5 such classes will be arranged per apprentice, per week. Accommodations can be organized through the University of Alberta or possibly in a home-stay setting. A three-day weekend will be given halfway through the course to allow apprentices to enjoy the fantastic countryside surrounding Edmonton, particularly Jasper and Banff National Parks in the nearby Rocky Mountains.
Comments
“Oh, Boy, where were you when I graduated in June ‘05?? The next 15 months were pure hell. I learned a lot of things that didn’t work to build business and try to get my own skills together...”
“I qualified as a teacher 1988 from a school in Totnes, England. We have not been that many teachers here in Sweden but I guess we are about 35-40 trained teachers by now. Maybe 10-15 actually teaching and I guess even fewer who tries to earn a living from the AT-work. So I would have loved to have been able to join a post-graduate course like yours!”