My Story
Growing up as a classical musician, I was trained to be constantly looking for ways to improve. An academically bright student, I put a lot of pressure on myself at school. No matter what I accomplished, I never felt good enough. While studying bassoon in college, I stumbled upon Feldenkrais®. Doing Feldenkrais I had the experience for the first time that I was okay exactly as I was and that, if nothing else, at least the ground would support me. I realized that with all the excess effort I was exerting and the pressure I was putting on myself, I was actually getting in my own way.
I began studying Feldenkrais in 2013, with an emphasis in embodied leadership and social change. My passion with Feldenkrais is how the movement lessons allow us to reexamine our established patterns and find new ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. When we are able to be present, in our bodies, and sensing ourselves in new ways, we are able to profoundly change the way we relate to ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
I began my Feldenkrais practice teaching Awareness Through Movement® in 2017, after finishing a master’s degree in bassoon. In 2019 I completed a four-year Feldenkrais professional training program and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I now offer Awareness Through Movement classes, private Functional Integration® lessons, and Feldenkrais workshops. I continue to play bassoon semiprofessionally and travel around the country for Feldenkrais advanced trainings.
I began studying Feldenkrais in 2013, with an emphasis in embodied leadership and social change. My passion with Feldenkrais is how the movement lessons allow us to reexamine our established patterns and find new ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. When we are able to be present, in our bodies, and sensing ourselves in new ways, we are able to profoundly change the way we relate to ourselves, each other, and the world around us.
I began my Feldenkrais practice teaching Awareness Through Movement® in 2017, after finishing a master’s degree in bassoon. In 2019 I completed a four-year Feldenkrais professional training program and moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, where I now offer Awareness Through Movement classes, private Functional Integration® lessons, and Feldenkrais workshops. I continue to play bassoon semiprofessionally and travel around the country for Feldenkrais advanced trainings.
Workshops & Publications
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Feldenkrais Training
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"Alex has such an intelligent and gentle manner about her that it was with full confidence that I put myself in her hands. She helped ease my movement and made me aware of the body’s alignment and how to adjust it. She and Feldenkrais really made a difference." |
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musical Background
Alex studied Bassoon Performance at Ball State University (BSU) with Dr. Keith Sweger, earning a Master of Music in 2017. In addition to being a member of the the BSU Graduate Woodwind Quintet, Muncie Symphony Orchestra, Ball State Symphony Orchestra, Ball State Wind Ensemble, and East Central Indiana Chamber Orchestra, she has played in opera and ballet orchestras for The Marriage of Figaro, La Périchole, Die Fledermaus, The Nutcracker, and Falstaff. As a Graduate Assistant for the bassoon studio, she coached chamber groups, helped teach bassoon techniques class to music education students, and taught private lessons. She studied contrabassoon throughout graduate school and has played contrabassoon in orchestras and wind ensembles since high school.
Alex pursued undergraduate studies as a National Merit Scholar and Barrett Honors College student at Arizona State University with Dr. Albie Micklich, graduating cum laude in 2015 with a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance and minor in German. During undergraduate, she spent two summers studying chamber music at Bay View Music Festival with Jill Marderness. While in Phoenix, she also played with Arizona Pro Arte Ensemble, North Valley Symphony Orchestra, San Tan Orchestra, and Scottsdale Arts Orchestra.
Alex grew up in metro Detroit, attending Cranbrook Schools, studying with principal bassoonist Bob Williams, and playing with the Detroit Symphony's Civic Orchestra.
Alex pursued undergraduate studies as a National Merit Scholar and Barrett Honors College student at Arizona State University with Dr. Albie Micklich, graduating cum laude in 2015 with a Bachelor of Music in Bassoon Performance and minor in German. During undergraduate, she spent two summers studying chamber music at Bay View Music Festival with Jill Marderness. While in Phoenix, she also played with Arizona Pro Arte Ensemble, North Valley Symphony Orchestra, San Tan Orchestra, and Scottsdale Arts Orchestra.
Alex grew up in metro Detroit, attending Cranbrook Schools, studying with principal bassoonist Bob Williams, and playing with the Detroit Symphony's Civic Orchestra.
More ABout alex
Alex has taught youth programs in wilderness skills and nature connection at The Wild Nature Project. She studied the Fertility Awareness Method and menstrual health with Ashley Hartman Annis, and she spent a year living at Green Acres Permaculture Village. Alex also completed a holistic sexuality course with Sarah Byrden of The Elemental Self. Alex continues to study nature connection mentoring, menstrual and sexual health, and human learning, and to incorporate these disciplines into her work.
