Alexander Technique Specialist – Music Education Specialist – International Music Educator
Tuesday, April 25, 12:30-1:45 p.m., Room 147 (Session: How Use of the Alexander Technique Can Improve Your Quality of Life and Professional Performance)
Session Description: Used for over a century by people who suffer from back pain, neck or shoulder pain and carpal tunnel syndrome, and frequently used by musicians, actors and dancers who want to improve the quality of their performance, the Alexander Technique can help you eliminate harmful physical tension from your body so that you can perform your daily activities with greater ease and efficiency. In this workshop, we will explore the principles and applications of the Alexander Technique in an informal and interactive setting.There will be gentle experiential exercises and demonstrations, with ample time for discussion.
Wednesday, April 27, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. Room 158 (Flute Studio Class)(Session: How Use of the Alexander Technique Can Improve Your Quality of Life and Professional Performance)
Session Description: same as above
Thursday, April 28, 12:30-1:45 p.m., Room 147 (Session: “Constructive Rest: 15 Minutes to Mid-Day Refreshment”)
Session Description: A reboot works magic when your computer drags. How often have you wished that you could press a restart button to get a fresh start? In this session, you’ll learn a simple procedure that for many replenishes energy, restores poise, and cools spinning brain overload. What benefits will you discover?
Friday, April 29, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Room 136 (Session: “Applying Alexander Technique to K-12 Music Education”)
Session Description: How do we help to improve the mindfulness of the music classroom. The Alexander Technique can help to meet this goal in addition to helping to promote healthy practice to avoid injury while we develop focused technique. Dr. Cody Gifford is an experienced K-12 educator who as applied his expert training in the Alexander Technique in schools worldwide.
Biography
Cody Gifford is an international school music educator and Alexander Technique teacher. Currently residing in State College, Penn., Dr. Gifford is teaching general and instrumental music, taking time to write and facilitate workshops, and preparing for the next teaching post abroad to begin in the fall of 2016 in the Dominican Republic. Previous posts include Colo., China and Israel. He has taught music at all levels including elementary, middle, and high school and university courses directing marching bands, concert bands, jazz ensembles, pep bands, orchestras, and mariachi ensemble and other courses including International Baccalaureate music, general music, and theater tech.
Dr. Gifford holds degrees from Arkansas Tech University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. While in Colo., he founded the University of Colorado Campus Orchestra and served as music director of the Front Range Youth Symphony in Arvada. An advocate for student empowerment, through writing and workshops, Dr. Gifford shares ideas for cultivating students’ self-efficacy and personal responsibility for learning. A new article on creating space for student-initiated performance, co-authored by Dr. Erik Johnson, recently appeared in the Dec. issue of the Music Educators Journal. Dr. Gifford completed the three-year course in Alexander Technique Teacher certification at the Tel Aviv School for Teachers of the Alexander Technique. A member of the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT), Gifford serves on the publication team for the AmSAT Journal.