About Frances Marsden
The Alexander TechniqueFrances was introduced to the Alexander Technique when she was an acting student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland. Her first lessons allowed her to let go of tension so profoundly that she decided to make teaching the Alexander Technique her life’s work.
“I wanted to share the freedom that I had found with others who experience tension and stress.”
Frances returned to London, where she studied at the Constructive Teaching Center with Walter Carrington, a master teacher who studied directly under F.M. Alexander. In 1981, she completed the rigorous 3-year training program, developed by F.M. Alexander and still required for all certified AT teachers.
She moved to the United States, continuing her studies with Joan and Alex Murray at the Alexander Technique Center Urbana. The Murrays incorporate unique processes into their teaching, based on the work of the anatomist Raymond Dart and his work in human developmental movement.
She moved to California in 1983 and maintains a private studio at her home in Pasadena.
Frances is on the faculty and the board of directors of the Alexander Training Institute of Los Angeles (ATILA). She is also a part-time faculty member of the Applied Music Department at Occidental College and teaches in other arts programs, such as the Huntington’s Shakespeare teacher training program in Pasadena.
She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Liverpool University and a Diploma of Education from Leicester University.
The Alexander Technique
An Interview with Frances Marsden