* The Congress location, in the colleges in Oxford....could not have been better.

* The guest speakers. All were extremely interesting, inspiring and fun!

* The ability to share work...every day in such wonderful, bright, large rooms.

* The friendly atmosphere and assistance given to participants and presenters.

* The whole organization from room tags to workshops running on time...amazing! Thank you.

* The accordion player and dancing...before the band came on... (the band was fun too).

And for me, a special highlight was the presentation by Prof. Lucy Brown. Though not an Alexander teacher, Lucy spoke so clearly and enthusiastically not only about her complex research on brain function & AT, but also how she works on herself with Alexander's directions. Several times Lucy spoke not only of the importance of applying inhibition & direction in her busy daily life, but she also demonstrated in her presentation the ability to be stop, to be quiet and think the directions, returning to her presentation effortlessly. In so doing she held our attention without trying, and was truly an inspiration of how F.M's work is to be incorporating into the act of living.

I hope I'm not being a, Tasmanian Devil here however. The disappointments were:

* That no mention of our great teacher F.M. Alexander or his work were made in the closing remarks.

* That out of the nine w'hops I attended only two presenters incorporated F.M's methodology of inhibition & direction in their presentation.

* That in the two Voice w'shops I attended, again, no mention was made of applying Alexander's principle to the act of speaking and or breathing.

* That allotted rooms for presentations were changed without verbal notification. So much time was wasted walking to a location only to find out that the presentation was elsewhere.

* That the F.M.'s unique teaching methodology, as outlined in his four books was not more apparent or incorporated...creatively in many of the presentations.

Again, thank you all for all the hard work.
Kind regards, Diana Devitt-Dawson. 15 September 2004.

Impressions of Oxford Congress
I thought this Congress was a considerable achievement on the part of the organisers, especially considering the number of teachers attending and the number of presentations. Since we have been asked for comments and suggestions as to how future congresses might be improved, here are a few thoughts.

1. Space
Could there be somewhere some places where people could meet and talk quietly? It is such a joy to see colleagues one may not have met for years, and frustrating when there is too little opportunity for serious conversation and discussion. A crowded dining-room, however cheerful, is not an adequate solution.

2. Time
Time should be allowed for such meetings. It is such a pity if one always feels in a hurry to get to the next presentation – or the next meal. People don't need to be kept entertained continually.

3. Books
Both at Oxford and at Freiburg, I heard many bitter complaints that there was not enough opportunity to examine at leisure the books that were on offer. Perhaps, at future congresses, somebody could be paid to keep the bookshop open all day, and perhaps in the evening, too? With a bit more time between the various happenings, and with more space around the stalls, this could be an important part of the success of a congress.

4. Audibility
This was a huge problem – which is odd when one thinks of Alexander's achievements in public speaking! I suggest

a. that all Alexander teachers should make a serious attempt to study voice production and
b. that all future congress lecturers should have the opportunity to test themselves in the acoustic of the space they will be using. It should be a matter of politeness to speak so that one can be understood by those for whom English is not the first language. I heard many complaints about this difficulty.
c. Microphones
The use of different types of microphone needs to be studied. It is a common mistake to hold the mike too near to the mouth, which results in distortion. Speakers need to know that microphones do NOT absolve anyone from enunciating carefully. A very loud voice does not necessarily solve the problems either. What counts most of all is

- the willingness to speak more slowly than seems right to oneself,
- giving enough time for a thought to sink in,
- not skimping the small, "unimportant" syllables, and
- not letting ones voice tail off towards the end of a sentence.

d. Use of sound equipment
Testing of equipment should be done in advance, and not while a lecturer is speaking! (The only time I could not hear Walter Carrington, with or without amplification, was when sound engineers insisted on causing distractions.)

5. Congress Papers
I do sincerely hope that all presentations will be fully reported in the Congress Papers. For reasons given above, many presentations, to which I had been looking forward with eagerness, were impossible to understand properly. I am sure that many people will be glad of a chance to read them quietly.
Elizabeth Langford, 9 September 2004

Dear Jean, I would just like to express my very grateful thanks and congratulations to you, Peter and Lucia, for a superbly organised Congress. I thought that the lectures in the Town Hall were outstanding - I'm not sure whether it would be possible to e-mail any of their presentations but it would be of great value to me - and the Workshops were excellent. And it was so good to meet so many teachers from all over the world in the Work Exchange periods. Many thanks again, Best wishes and see you soon,
Mary, 31 August 2004