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:
to increase the chance of analysing sound
to improve vocal posture by influencing timbre, rhythm and intensity.
By using the Tomatis Listening Device, 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.
“We sing with our ear”.
- Alfred A. Tomatis
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 Tomatis Listening Device also known as 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:
production of quality sounds, spoken or sung (produced without effort)
breath control
posture control
vowelisation and its application in spoken texts or song
elocution, fluidity.
The Tomatis Program is available in Sydney where Françoise Nicoloff, the Director of the Tomatis 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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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.”
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.”
