Training Center for the Alexander Technique-NYC (TCAT-NYC)
Training Director, Tom Vasiliades
The TCAT-NYC teacher certification training program is approved by the American Society for the Alexander Technique (AmSAT), a professional organization that oversees standards of teacher training in the United States. The program is 1600 hours over three years, offering a teacher/student ratio no more than 1:5 and less most times. The training meets Monday-Thursday mornings for 14 hours per week, 38 weeks a year for three years.
The training is based on the work of F.M. Alexander as handed down to and taught by teachers he trained. This training builds on the intellectual and practical knowledge developed for well over one hundred years. The Technique, developed in the late 19th century, is as relevant today as it was when Alexander developed it in that the impact of use on functioning is still pertinent today. The teacher training approach is based on the training course of Walter and Dilys Carrington. Walter Carrington trained with Alexander and worked him closely over the last ten years of FM’s life, eventually taking over the training when Alexander died in 1955. Over the years, Walter and Dilys Carrington developed and refined the training of teachers certifying more teachers than any other training program. In addition, the TCAT-NYC training is greatly influenced by the work of John Nicholls who trained with the Carringtons and worked on their training for more than a decade. He has been a director of training in his own right for over twenty five years.
Tom Vasiliades is the training director of TCAT-NYC. Since taking his first Alexander lesson over 30 years ago, he has studied and experienced the Alexander work with over 150 teachers. Tom’s main influences are John Nicholls, Walter Carrington and Dilys Carrington. He has studied with John Nicholls for over twenty years and for ten years was a faculty member on training programs directed by John. Tom did intensive post-graduate study with the Carringtons yearly from 1995-2000. (click here for Tom's bio)
In addition TCAT-NYC offers:
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Daily visits and extended intensives to the general public to deepen their experience and understanding of the work.
•Post-graduate work, continuing education workshops, classes and lessons for teachers.
For more information contact Tom Vasiliades at tvasiliades@atcpd.com or call 212 564-5472.
From a former trainee:
I consider myself remarkably fortunate to have trained with Tom Vasiliades. His post-ACAT studies with Walter Carrington and John Nicholls inform Tom’s practice in the Carrington approach to AT in a way that closely matches my priorities as a student and as a teacher. With a wide background in other movement and breathing disciplines, in his AT training Tom is, nonetheless, a “purist” in the best sense – he does not dilute AT’s incomparable potency with other modalities. This means all three precious training years are singularly devoted to gaining mastery of the enormously challenging fundamental principles and pedagogic practices developed by F.M. Alexander himself. The deep immersion and exacting discipline with which Tom conveys the core of the work has given me confidence that I am well-prepared to teach, and equally well-prepared to continue learning for the rest of my life. Continuous with the rigorous technical standards of his teaching, Tom’s personal integrity and high ethical standards, along with his sensitivity and humanity, make him a role model for teachers-in-training – and a joy to know. I can’t recommend Tom’s training highly enough.
Elizabeth Ellis Hurwitt
Certified Teacher June 2017
