American Society for the Alexander Technique

03/11/2024

Karl Snider

Dr. Karl William Snider was born on June 24, 1960, to Clella Carpenter Snider and William Wesley Snider in Whittier, California. He passed away peacefully and with dignity on January 21, 2024.

A lifelong musician, Karl received his undergraduate degree from Pomona College in piano performance in 1982, a Master’s degree in Musicology from Eastman School of Music in 1984 and a DMA in vocal pedagogy, choral conducting, and music history from the University of Southern California in 1988. As a singer, Karl performed with the Opera Pacific, Pacific Chorale, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. He was also a skilled flutist.

Karl’s professional music educator’s career at Mount St. Mary’s University and Loyola Marymount University spanned over 40 years.

Karl graduated from ATI-LA in 2003. The Technique became the subtle foundation of his pedagogy, and he developed a reputation for transforming voices without giving his singers much of anything to “do” to sing differently. Many of his vocal students enrolled in Alexander lessons to gain a deeper understanding of his way of facilitating natural, beautiful singing. He also taught the Alexander Technique as a group class for the Music Department, Vocal Pedagogy to the singers, and The Vocal Experience for non-majors.

He trained in the Art of Breathing with Jessica Wolf in 2010, which became a fundamental component of his teaching and understanding the Technique. He served as a member of the Judith Leibowitz Scholarship Committee for over two years.

Due to the nature of his condition, Karl’s muscles weakened over the last few decades of his life. By the time he retired from LMU in 2016, he was using a motorized chair and, like A.R. Alexander, taught from a seated position at his home studio. Although the Technique had long since become a way of life for Karl, using himself well became the necessary means by which he could perform basic daily tasks. The principles of this work enabled him to continue to cook, garden, and teach until the end of his life.

Karl is survived by his husband, David Sateren; siblings, Bonnie Jean Johnson and Stan Alan Snider; nieces and nephews; and his cocker spaniel, Lucy. His legacy continues through the hundreds of students he mentored and loved.