PEDRO DE ALCANTARA

To live is to face problems and to find solutions for them. We do so consciously or unconsciously, using intuition, reason, imagination and many other faculties. We notice a situation, we draw conclusions from what we see, hear and feel, and we act on our conclusions in a constant process of observation, analysis and remedy. My shoulders are tight, because I am under a lot of stress, I need a good massage. We observe a problem (tight shoulders), analyse the cause (stress) and seek a remedy for it (the massage). But what if we have misunderstood the problem? What if our description of the problem is based on false perceptions, or our analysis on false assumptions? What if the solution aggravates the problem? This book is about our suppositions, habits and behaviours. It is about posture and attitude, tension and relaxation, movement and rest. It is about interpersonal relationships, sports and performing arts. Above all, it is about embodied emotions and the body that thinks and feels. In this fully revised new edition, Pedro de Alcantara invites you to redefine the meaning of health and wellbeing, using the insights and tools developed by a man of genius: F.M Alexander.

INDIRECT PROCEDURES is the first book to consider the musician exclusively as a subject for Alexander Technique (AT). Often recommended to musicians as a way to reduce the risk of repetitive stress injury and shoulder tension, AT works to bring the body and mind into harmony and expand mobility, balance, and physical coordination through a systematic series of exercises that concentrate on proper alignments. Musicians are notorious for suffering silently in the name of their art, but with these simple, practical techniques, they no longer have to. Written by a cellist and AT teacher, INDIRECT PROCEDURES takes the practice of music seriously, and no nuance is left unconsidered. In addition to basic exercises and stretches, each major instrument is considered for its potential problems, and appropriate recommendations are given for the musician to make adjustments. While every musician could benefit from the information in INDIRECT PROCEDURES, those in a conservatory or orchestra setting will most appreciate the author's attention to detail.

Becky Cohen has a rough life. Shes an outsider everywhere she goes: shunned and mocked at school, at her violin lessons, and at home by her disapproving mother. Her only true friend is her brilliant little brother, newspaper-loving Benjy. She dreams of becoming a great violinist, but at the group lessons shes forced to take at the Y, Becky panics and plays badly. Then Becky meets Mr. Freeman, her buildings handyman. He has a lot to teach her about becoming a musician, and being a friend. Gradually, Becky begins speaking her mind more often, and finds that people are actually listening. Then Mr. Freeman tells Becky about a local performing arts high schools scholarship contest. With the lessons learned from Mr. Freeman and Benjy, can Becky overcome her fears and play whats in her heart?

Tommy Latrella is haunted by the ghost of his perfect older brother, who died on 9/11. Unable to live up to Jimmys memory, Tommy spends countless hours riding the subway and tagging the stations with graffiti. But when Tommy plays a dangerous prank in the Times Square station, the subway turns on him, and Tommy is hurtled back in time.As Tommy travels, he experiences the hardships faced by the New Yorkers that preceded him, and gains perspective on his own comfortable life. But will he ever be able to get back to 2006? Tommy is desperate to mend his ways and get back home, but the trains may have other plans for him. . . .