FM Alexander was born in 1869 in Wynyard, a small town in Tasmania, the southernmost state of Australia.

 

During his school years, the teacher found his numerous questions difficult to handle, and informed FM’s parents to let him roam the countryside in the daytime. In the evening, the teacher visited their home to teach the young boy with particular emphasis given to the study of poetry and Shakespeare. Thus, FM spent the daytime outdoors, exploring or riding his horse through the surrounding bushland.

 

FM made good progress with his studies and in 1883 he was appointed a School Monitor.  A Monitor was an older student with skills to help the teacher with the younger students in which there was a small remuneration. 

 

In 1885, as the eldest of a growing family, FM needed to earn money. He moved 50 miles south to Waratah to work as a junior accountant at the Mt Bischoff Tin Mines; at the time one of the richest tin mines in the world.

 

Waratah had a Mechanics Institute building, which doubled as the town’s cultural and educational centre, with a stage suitable for dramatic performance.  FM took part in many of the productions and thus began his desire to become a professional actor.

 

In 1889, FM moved to Melbourne, capital city of Victoria, to pursue an acting career. Melbourne had benefited greatly from large gold discoveries over the previous forty years. With a population of nearly 500,000 the city was thriving, with many theatres and vibrant cultural life. Here, FM began acting lessons and undertook various jobs to earn money. 

 

Troubles began for FM when he began performing on stage.  After one such performance, friends told him that his breathing sounded very noisy and there was a gasping sound whilst on stage (voice hoarse and breathing difficulties). FM realised that when talking with friends he did not have these problems.  He sought medical advice, but this brought no solution as to why his speech was fine off stage, but problems arose whilst on stage.

 

FM was puzzled by this contradiction. If at least his speech was fine off stage, then that meant he did not have a permanent physical structural problem. But why did speech fail him on stage? He had to find an answer.

 

Obtaining mirrors, FM observed his manner of speech both on and off stage.

 

Following months of careful observation and experiment, FM realised on stage, as he prepared to recite, he made several alterations to his physical body which he did not do when about to speak to friends. These included tendencies to ‘pull back the head, depress the larynx, and suck in breath through the mouth in such a way so as to produce a gasping sound’. 

 

It took him some time to change these habit patterns. 

 

As FM continued with his experiments, he realised the importance of the head/neck area, calling it the Primary Control Area. He also noted that the effect of how he used this area of his body had a marked effect on how the rest of his body could function. With these changed habits, FM gained ‘fine voice resonance and remarkable breath control’ and resumed his stage performance.

 

Other people, who noticed his performance improvement, wanted to learn his methods of voice production from him. After obtaining interested students, he now had a dual career as an actor and teacher of Elocution.

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FM was often referred to as ‘the Breathing Man’ due of his knowledge and ability to help others with their breathing problems. He developed certain breathing procedures that have now become an integral part of the Alexander Technique.

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FM’s dual career as actor and Elocution teacher lasted several years, involving long stays in Tasmania, New Zealand, Melbourne (again), then Sydney (1900-1904).  By this time, doctors were sending patients to FM for help with a variety of health problems and several leading medical practitioners urged him to go to England to teach his work.  In 1904, FM moved to London, which became his permanent home. FM also travelled to the US for a number of prolonged teaching visits.

 

In 1931, FM founded a formal Alexander Technique teacher training course in London so others could carry on the work he had developed. FM never returned to his homeland, Australia, and died in London in 1955.

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For more detail about FM Alexander's life, please check out my 70-minute DVD!