Thanks for your replies. We are going to bring a teacher here in the Spring and I feel better about recommending the book to my students in preparation for the course.
One embarrassingly important revelation (because I'd never realized it in many years of singing and body work) that came from reading the book was that I could choose to release delicately at the sterno-clavicular joint (where the clavicles attach). It really freed me up across the chest and shoulders in a way I hadn't done before in years of "lengthening and widening". When I thought of widening across the shoulders, I'd always thought of shoulders and shoulder blades, not collar bones. Because I'm hosting an Alexander Technique workshop for my students, I've been dutifully doing "lie-downs" at night. Lie downs are a sort of self-observation time done while lying on one's back with knees bent or straight out and arms bent and out to the side with hands falling back across the chest area. When I allowed the SC joint to release I felt a rather stunning change in how I was breathing and realized I have a habit of grabbing muscularly at that spot in an inward and sort of downward way as though I were bracing there to balance the expansion that was going on below.
So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm glad the book is a good representation of the work, I've already found it quite helpful, and if you can get past the rather silly presentation, I would recommend it for any musician.
Best!
Laura Sharp Sterno-Clavicularly Aware in Albany NY
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