Alex Toenniges is a Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner. She graduated in 2019 from the 4-year Feldenkrais Professional Training Program in New York City directed by David Zemach-Bersin. The training program involved in-depth study of the principles and theory of the Feldenkrais Method® and human learning, development, and movement, as well as the instruction and practice of Awareness Through Movement® and Functional Integration®. Alex works with a variety of clients and specializes in working with musicians.
Upon initially discovering Feldenkrais, I was struck by how much of a difference it made in my ability to deal with the stresses and anxieties of school. It helped me to feel surer of myself and to use less effort to accomplish more. The more I studied, the more fascinated I was, and I've continued to pursue it further and further. Feldenkrais has influenced every facet of my personal, professional, and interpersonal life to help me feel truer to myself. I've learned to trust myself in an embodied way and to listen to myself and what I feel, think, need, and want. With regard to music, it has enhanced the way I hear music, increased my physical experience and awareness of playing, and given me a better appreciation of how music fits into our culture and my life.
Alex has been studying the Feldenkrais Method since 2013. She began taking classes at Bay View Music Festival with Nancy-Laurel Petterson before studying for two years with Rich Goldsand at Arizona State University (ASU). Her studies at ASU included Transformational Leadership and Embodied Activism, a course on Feldenkrais, meditation, and leadership in ASU's School of Social Transformation.
"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."
- Susan V.
Alex's article, “Creating Optimal Learning Conditions: A Practical Application of the Feldenkrais Method® in Music," was published in The Double Reed journal in November 2016. Her master's thesis was "The Feldenkrais Method® in Music: A Practical, Awareness-Based Approach to Learning and Teaching." Alex has does workshops on Feldenkrais for Musicians at the Jacobs School of Music (Indiana University), the 2016 Mid-North Horn Workshop, Ball State University Collegiate Chapter of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), Ball State Viola Studio, and Ball State Bassoon Studio. Alex currently performs as a bassoonist with various orchestras in Western Michigan.
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 near Detroit, Michigan, 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 near Detroit, Michigan, 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 learning, and to incorporate these disciplines into her professional work
