Workshops offer an excellent venue to go beyond the basic understanding of the concept of listening. They give the participants a ’hands-on’ experience of listening.

Background

The Listening Experience Workshop (1988), originally introduced the Earobic Exercises described in Paul Madaule’s book, When Listening Comes Alive.

< Earobics Series #1 and #2 > are now available on tape and CD through The Listening Centre.

The Ear-Voice Connection Workshop

The Ear-Voice Connection Workshop is our most recent workshop. Its main focus is the interplay between the ear and the voice in singing, speaking or reading. Workshop participants are invited to explore and exercise the feedback loop between sound production (voice) and sound reception (ear) with the idea that each feeds, reinforces and enriches the other. This ear-voice feedback loop plays a key role in the acquisition of speech and language. It also plays a role in the development of self-regulation, self-awareness and self-control. The ear-voice connection is a fabulous integrator of body and mind, influencing sensory-motor, emotional, communicative and cognitive functions.

Workshops are organized for groups of 8 to 30 participants, upon request. The workshop is adapted according to the needs of the group with the minimum duration of one day and a maximum of two days. It includes the demonstration and practice of the Earobic Exercises.

The Ear-Voice Connection Workshop targets several distinct groups:
Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Music Therapists and other practitioners who work with young children with developmental delays and autism. The workshop shows them how to put the ear-voice connection in place with children who do not use speech effectively for communication.

Parents, Teachers and Early Childhood Educators
The workshop emphasizes the importance of the voice in transmitting both knowledge and energy as well as the impact of their voices on their students’ receptiveness, drive, focus and attention span. Enriching for both teachers and their students, the ear-voice connection enhances motivation and interaction, facilitating integration and making teaching and learning dynamic and fun.

Singers, Actors, Voice and Drama Teachers and other voice professionals
The workshop demonstrates how to maximize voice quality with minimum strain on the larynx by becoming aware of the role of listening in voice production. Techniques are introduced to maximize bone conducted sounds to increase ‘the feeling of the voice’ or, what singers call - the “ring”.