From “SINGING” Magazine – the “Voice of The Association of Teachers of Singing

BOOK & DVD REVIEWS

Walter Carrington: An Interview with Glynn MacDonald,

2006, DVD, Bardo Publications, 39 mins. f20.00

Walter Carrington: On Breathing + Revealing His Larynx, 2006, DVD, Bardo Publications, 31 mins. f20.00.

Walter Carrington (1915-2005), trained by F.M. Alexander himself, qualified as a teacher of the Alexander Technique in 1939. Carrington then trained teachers and private pupils for over sixty years. In this interview with Glynn MacDonald, filmed in 2001, he defines the Technique as psychophysical training in self-help.

Alexander had vocal problems that no one could resolve. He came to the conclusion that it must be something he was doing wrong and asked himself, 'What causes the trouble? What am I doing wrong?' Carrington says that many people fail to ask these obvious questions. We have to learn to stop whatever we are doing wrong in order to give ourselves a moment to think what we are doing and it put it right. To change a wrong habit in order to put it right is quite a task. (Singers and singing teachers will be well aware of this). Carrington tells us that the magic word is 'No!' which we need to say quickly before we consider what we want to do, and then we can choose what to do or not to do. The ambiguous Alexandrian technical term 'direction' is not defined for us, but instead we are told to look in the books by Alexander for the information.

The interview moves on to physical misuse. Alexander found that the poise and carriage of his head and neck were causing his voice problems; what he required for vocal efficiency was a free larynx. He discovered that he was throwing his head back when reciting, thus tightening his neck. According to Carrington, 'Self embraces everything including mind, body and spirit'. He is describing a concept of wholeness. He goes on to suggest that nature promotes the ways and means of doing - we don't need to make great effort, a wish 'to do' rather than effort is desired and everything else will follow. Carrington grants that it is difficult to communicate Alexander Technique, and advocates a 'hands on' approach for teachers rather than an intellectual approach, the hands reveal the problems of

the pupil. He says that it is better for the pupil not to get intellectually involved, but rather to quietly observe and be open to a new experience. Not all Alexander teachers would agree with this and many would refer to the quotation about 'wholeness' above.

This is a beautifully delivered interview by an extremely gracious Glynn MacDonald. She gives Carrington the time to reflect and complete his answers. The cameraman seems also to be in the same mood with his lack of intrusion and respect for the interviewee. It is an excellent DVD from the point of view of hearing the Technique explained dearly by the great man himself.

The breathing section of the 2nd DVD is a demonstration by Carrington with Glynn MacDonald as his pupil, in which he talks about the head-neck-back relationship during breathing. Carrington explains simple anatomy, beginning with the head and moving down the skeleton. He teaches that muscles need to be at their full length for full capacity, that they become shortened with misuse and thus resist stretching to their proper length. Circulation is impaired when the blood vessels are squashed. Balance is critical; our two legs are performing a balancing act. We stiffen up so that we don't fall over, thus we shorten and our natural balance is disturbed. He goes on to say that balance is fundamental to breathing, digestion and so on. In the second part of the DVD Carrington reveals his larynx while performing the whispered 'ah', speech, and singing, with the aid of Garfield Davies and his nasal endoscope.

If I had to choose between buying one or other of the DVD's I would select the first one as an excellent introduction to Alexander Technique. Although I found

the second DVD interesting, it is not quite so relevant to singers and singing teachers as the first, unless they particularly wish to see Walter Carrington teaching, are involved in the Alexander Technique, or have never seen the vocal folds in action.

It is unfortunate that there is no note either on the DVDs or the slipcases to alert interested purchasers that the items are DVDs and not CDs. In the opinion of this reviewer, the DVDs are also over-priced. They are available from: Sarah Cooper, Alexander Books, 154, Holbeck, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8XG, tel: 020 7831 8789.

Singing p30

Issue 51 Winter 2006