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Dorothy Whitford spent many years as a professional violinist playing throughout the UK and Europe with many of the UK's national orchestras and with small ensembles. These orchestras have included the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, BBC Scottish Radio Orchestra, Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Liverpool Philharmonic, Northern Sinfonia. She was a founder player for Opera North. She has played for world singers and soloists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nigel Kennedy, Heather Harper. Placido Domingo and Paul Tortelier’.
As Dorothy reduced her orchestral playing she established the Halcyon String Quartet to provide the opportunity of playing the music she loves the most. Throughout her playing career she has taught the violin, with her teaching methods and great rapport with children leading to pupils winning many prizes at musical festivals, five of her pupils led the Leeds Youth Orchestra and a number of other pupils were regular players with them. Other pupils have gone on to be professional musicians, managers or composers.
Both her playing and teaching experience brought about
an interest in the Alexander Technique,
which she saw as a way of overcoming the problems witnessed
in her pupils and the stresses and strains suffered
by professional musicians. By temporarily reducing her
musical activities, she was able to complete a three
year training course on the Alexander Technique before
adding the Technique to her activities.
In the course of teaching the Alexander Technique and
the violin, Dorothy Whitford realised that many of the
problems she was addressing had their origins back in
early childhood. Consequently she investigated the value
of Neuro Developmental Therapy
as a solution. Again, she avidly applied herself to
learning all about this complementary method of addressing
the long standing problems of pupils and studied the
subject at the Institute of Neuro
Physiological Psychology, Chester, to qualify
as a neuro-developmental therapist.
Dorothy Whitford taught at the North of England Training
Centre for The Alexander Technique and has acted as
Alexander Technique teacher to the National Youth Orchestra.
Her broad experience , wide learning and inner knowledge
allow her to confidently help adults and children to
overcome such problems as stress, dyslexia, dyspraxia,
and the stress related aches and pains, typically in
the neck and back.
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