Royal Hospital School has recently enlisted the help of a leading practitioner of the Alexander Technique.
Hidemi Hatada is a professional singer and a graduate of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. She qualified as an Alexander Technique teacher in 1996 and is a registered teacher for the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine and the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. She also lectures on the Music Course at Soai University and Doshisha Women’s college of Liberal Arts, Japan.
The technique is a skill for self-development, teaching us to change long-standing habits that cause unnecessary tension in everything we do. It can help boost your performance in any activity and relieve the pain and stress caused by postural habits, like slouching or rounded shoulders. Everyday things such as tensing when the phone rings, rushing to pick up the children from school or worrying about deadlines lead to physical and mental strain. Over the years, this accumulates and can cause illness, injury or common aches and pains that may seem to come from nowhere.
Hidemi will primarily be focusing on the musicians at the school, helping them with their posture and playing techniques.
Olivia in Year 12 said: “I had my first session with Miss Hatada yesterday, and within a very short time I could feel the benefits of sitting and standing correctly when playing my violin. The beauty of it is that it translates to many other aspects of daily life too.”
Following her first day, Hidemi said: “It was great to work with some of the pupils and staff at RHS – it’s so encouraging to work in a school that clearly invests in its pupils’ wellbeing and embraces disciplines such as the Alexander Technique.”