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Alfred A. Tomatis was led to discover,
thanks to research undertaken with comedians, singers
and professional musicians, the fundamental connection
between the ability to hear sounds and the ability to
reproduce them vocally or with a musical instrument.
By influencing the way a person hears,
one can change their voice and their speech.
The implementation of a proper listening
posture thanks to the use of the Electronic Ear enables
participants:
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to increase the chance of analysing sound
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to improve vocal posture by influencing timbre,
rhythm and intensity.
By using the Electronic Ear, providing gymnastic
exercise for the ear, the participant heightens their sensitivity
to sound perception. Any change in listening patterns
leads to an immediate change in speech, singing or instrumental
output.
Performing,
Your Ear and the Wonders of Change
Gérard Depardieu, the French actor of cinema
and theatre says in his biography: “Jean-Laurent
Cochet opened for me the craft of acting, and Alfred Tomatis
opened me up to language. Before Tomatis, I could
not complete any of my sentences. It was he who
helped give continuity to my thoughts, and it was he who
gave me the power to synthesise and understand what I
was thinking.” “We were lucky with Gérard,”
Tomatis says. “As we re-established
his proper ear and as we liberated his mental energy,
the improvement was stark; he refound his voice and his
memory.”
Benjamin Luxon, English baritone
“I now have a much stronger technique.
It’s ironical but, at 56, I really think I am approaching
a time when I can sing better than I ever did before.”
Sting, a former member of The Police, now world
renowned as a solo performer.
Struck by the same loss as Beethoven and Caruso, Sting
visited Tomatis on a regular basis in Paris to improve
the deficiencies of his eardrums, caused by the level
of noise on stage and his recordings, which is not unusual
within the world of musicians.“Before
meeting Tomatis,” said Sting, “I
visited many American specialists who told me that I
wasn’t lucky, however I had earned a fortune and had
great success in my career so I should accept the way
things were.”
Fortunately Sting did not ‘hear’ their advice!
What do these celebrities have in common?
They all suffered from a voice problem, a hearing problem
or difficulties in processing their thoughts. They all
eventually found a solution to their difficulties by visiting
Dr Tomatis, a French Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist,
who designed a Listening Program to overcome difficulties
with speech, singing, memory and attention.
Tomatis’ first principle is: “The
voice can only reproduce what the ear hears” which
is extremely important for singers, musicians and actors.
How can they reproduce sounds and express themselves if
their ability to process the information is not 100% accurate?
To help people overcome their difficulties
and access their true potential, Tomatis designed the
Electronic Ear, which exercises the whole ear through
air and bone conduction.
It is a great tool to increase and fine-tune
the perception of sounds and therefore improve one’s vocal
and instrumental posture.
“Our voice is our best friend”
These applications are particularly directed
at:
Communication Professionals:
lawyers, sales executives, politicians or businessmen
who have to express themselves in public; in other words,
all those professions where relating to others is important.
Exercises with
the Electronic Ear are very efficient at improving diction
and elocution, and therefore improve self-confidence.
Comedians, singers and musicians,
both professional and amateur, who want to make the most
of their skills by learning how to use their voice and
improving its tone and rhythm.
Dancers and actors:
body language interests more and more specialists.
The body has re-established its dominant role; it is more
and more present in our daily life, both as a vehicle
for communication, but also in spoken expression and song.
After following sessions to help open the
ear; it is possible to take audio-vocal courses,
which last four days. These courses cover intensive
work with:
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production of quality sounds, spoken or sung (produced
without effort)
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vowelisation and its application in spoken texts
or song
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The Tomatis Listening Program is available
in Sydney where Françoise Nicoloff, the Director of the
EARobic Centre™, offers the same programs from which Maria
Callas, Juliette Binoche (The English Patient, Chocolat)
and other famous and less known people have benefited.
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