Mr Patrick Ardagh-Walter

“I started taking lessons in the Alexander Technique while training as a singer. It was the need to address the problems of my voice students with real efficacy that later led me to train as a teacher of the Technique. This has become a fascinating lifelong journey for me, continuing to learn as I teach, and seeing the possibilities for a better and easier experience of living unfold in myself and my students.”

I have pupils from many and varied backgrounds. My specialism is to work with all issues related to breathing and voice, and also with people in palliative care or approaching the end of life. However, I also enjoy working with people who have challenges around back and neck pain, with musicians, runners, horseriders, walkers and dancers, to name but a few.

My background is as a freelance opera, classical and session singer and I maintain my performing career alongside my teaching. I have taught vocal technique to singers and speakers for most of the past 20 years. I was, and remain, convinced that vocal nodes, polyps and haemorrhages should be treated with re-education rather than surgery: I came to realise that I needed ‘Alexander hands’ and so trained in Oxford with Stephen Cooper. I am proud to be an Associate Teacher in the UK of the David Jones Voice Studio of New York ( www.voiceteacher.com )

I prefer to work with pupils over 16 years of age, although I'm happy to give advice to the parents of younger children.