The training course gave me the opportunity to understand and integrate the Alexander Technique at a much deeper level as well as the skills to teach it to a high standard. It was also a huge amount of fun.
Vivienne, artist, graduate
Viv and Francis, graduates
with Gustave Alexander Bones
Photo: Bob Forbes
My time in the Ottawa School of Alexander Technique with brigitte was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. The learning curve seemed so steep at first, but brigitte equipped me each day with the skills to handle not only Alexander Technique, but to face my own learning process as well.
The learning was holistic and exhausting, but incredibly powerful at the same time. I continue to grow (figuratively and literally) from what I learned under brigitte’s hands.
If you are even a little but curious about what teacher training might be like for Alexander technique, I recommend you visit the school. It is an amazing learning environment – completely different than anything I had experienced in all my years in music conservatories and universities. I feel like I could learn anything if it were taught in this atmosphere.
Krystal, clarinetist, graduate
Krystal with her dad who came for a visit.
Photo: Keith Walls
The Ottawa School of Alexander Technique is the best damn school I ever went to. There is magic everyday.
Don’t know if “school” is the right term; it is more of a laboratory. Don’t expect things to stay the same because they change and you have to be open to that. It also makes the school very exciting.
Alexander Technique is challenging for everyone; teacher and student alike. The deeper you go the more challenging it gets. That is where openness, kindness and respect come in. If you are not ready to change, to stop doing things the habitual way, to stop thinking the usual way, to confront yourself without compromise, this may not be your school, your work.
[Via Facebook upon Graduating] Best damn school I have ever been to. More magic than at Hogwarts everyday and fewer curses.
Keith, educator, graduate
Halloween
Photo : Gabrielle Dubois
I took AT lessons on and off throughout my university education as a musician, and when I moved to Ottawa I began working with brigitte. From my first lesson, I knew that I had found a master pedagogue of the technique. Over the years, I came to know that not only is brigitte a very gifted teacher, she is a kind, generous and inquisitive soul who is deeply committed to furthering her understanding and her students’ understanding of this great work. So, when she opened a teacher training school, I jumped at the chance to enroll.
My primary reason for beginning the training (besides getting to hang out with brigitte more), was to aid in my development as a professional violist. I didn’t even think I would finish the course, let alone become a teacher. Now I can’t imagine not teaching or continuing the work in some capacity. The biggest lesson – one in which I continue to learn and struggle – is that it is about the process. Not the end result, not the goal, simply focus on the “means whereby”. How refreshing after years of focusing on the next audition, exam or performance. Keith is absolutely right – the school really is more of a laboratory where we are constantly encouraged to experiment and have the courage to “go wrong”, because then, you might just learn something. The atmosphere and approach in this school is, in my opinion, how all educational endeavors should be approached, and certainly how I strive to teach all my students, whatever their discipline.
I never would have guessed at the profound and all-encompassing changes in my whole being. Of course, I am physically healthier and stronger, with less aches and pains. My physical changes are easy to see – my use has greatly improved and I lost 75 pounds in my second year, which I credit fully to the training. (I had not aimed to loose the weight; it happened through the process.) However, the changes one cannot see, are those that really matter. Some nice benefits: I am calmer (more at peace). I understand people better and know myself more. I am more balanced. And even though I have changed so much – to the point that many don’t recognize me – I know this is who I always was.
Erin, violist, graduate, Accent Music Studios
Erin and Alix (guest students from Montreal)
End of session celebration
Photo : Keith Walls
When I started training in the Alexander Technique I was looking forward to exploring habitual movement patterns and how we can change them or improve them, etc. As a dancer, I find it interesting to always find new ways of exploring the body. Little did I know that training in AT would impact my entire life for the better. In my second year I realized that not only would my body have to change but my whole thinking process on everything I do as well. I feel calmer, happier and connected to my body in a comfortable way. The Ottawa School of the Alexander Technique and brigitte Caron give students such a solid understanding of AT and provides a safe place for all of these changes to happen. It truly is a wonderful place to land.
Barbara, dancer, graduate
www.barbaradiaz.ca
Photo: Barbara (2014, 2015, 2016)
My time at the Ottawa School of the Alexander Technique was transformative.
The training is exhausting, exhilarating and regenerative all at once. You cannot teach what you do not know, and taking the Alexander Technique teacher training course is stepping into three years of learning how to transform yourself consciously, deepening your awareness of your self and your ways of being and moving out of the known, the habit, without committing to knowing what the outcome will be.
brigitte is a skilled and insightful teacher, sensitive to when it is time to push boundaries and move you into new territory, and when it is time to support you in consolidating your new understanding. She doesn’t hold back on her own experience and learning as she goes either, giving her students a role model for stepping into the uncertainty and even discomfort of the unknown.
She does all this within the calm and nurturing learning environment she’s created, filled with laughter and compassion.
Leanna, carpenter, martial artist, dancer, graduate
www.integralbeing.ca
Leanna with Evan and brigitte
Photo: Roxanne Lafleur
Being in brigitte’s training course was an amazing experience and truly life-changing. Every day was a voyage of discovery led by brigitte, our chief explorer, into the fascinating psychophysical world of the Alexander Technique. She made it fun and interesting and always encouraged us to explore on our own in an ambiance that was kind and non-judgemental. Her enthusiasm was infectious and laughter was always a part of the day. If you are interested in deepening your understanding of the Technique and obtaining solid AT skills in a warm and encouraging atmosphere, this is the school for you.
Mary Ellen, dancer, retired marketing professional, graduate
www.integralbeing.ca
Mary Ellen (right) with brigitte and Marthe
Photo: Roxanne Lafleur
I came to brigitte’s school on a hunt. I wasn’t sure what it was I was looking for but as soon as we met I knew brigitte and Francis were the people who could help clarify my then ambiguous path.
Throughout my Alexander Technique training brigitte and Francis showed up every day with boundless energy, humour, and depth. brigitte’s willingness to explore the unknown led me to discover and draw upon all my available resources instead of being continuously corralled by my unconscious habits. Francis’s commitment to the details of the work helped me to grow every day and his ability to marry joy and dedication is still a delight to experience.
In three years at the school I’ve discovered my voice, learned how to consciously change, and realized what I was hunting for. I was hunting for freedom. And that’s what the Alexander Technique offers us all. Just remember, freedom isn’t a place, it’s a path.
Evan Wise, guitarist, graduate
The Balanced Self Studio
www.evanwisemusic.com
Evan Wise
Photo: Carol Ribeiro
brigitte & Francis create a safe and inquisitive space for learning and exploring, where curiosity is encouraged and making mistakes is celebrated as a key part of the learning process.
The School was a space where I felt invited to show up as I was, where every student is seen as capable of growing their understanding for the Alexander technique and applying its principles, regardless of their varying levels of experience.
brigitte & Francis were able to balance the learning needs of a diverse group of students, while making learning the technique a process that was fun and engaging, tailoring their approach to each trainees specific interests and areas of expertise.
Learning A.T. is a process unlike anything I’ve experienced in my other schooling, throw to the wind the notion of procrastination and cramming for an exam, to learn the A.T. you say yes to a lifelong journey of growing and expanding and accepting that what you know today will change and evolve, this message was always the undercurrent of the teaching interventions while studying with brigitte and Francis.
Justin, jack of all trades, graduate, jthom.ca
Justin (left), Félix Dallaire (right)
Photo: brigitte Caron
De loin, la meilleure expérience éducative de ma vie. Quel chance d’avoir pu s’instruire dans un milieu si sain, si compréhensif, si humain. À l’École de technique Alexander de Montréal, j’ai pu prendre le temps de vivre un changement très profondément personnel, sans jamais avoir l’impression de cheminer seul.
By far, the best educational experience of my life. What a privilege to have been able to learn in such a healthy, understanding, and humane environment. At the Montreal School of the Alexander Technique, I was able to take the time to undergo a deeply personal transformation, never feeling like I was on this journey alone.
Félix Dallaire, musicien
The Alexander Technique not only brings physical improvements such as better posture, reduced muscle tension, smoother breathing and less pain, it goes beyond that to offer a broader sense of well-being. That is exactly what I had the opportunity to explore at the Montreal School of the Alexander Technique with my dear teachers, Brigitte Caron and Francis Caron. Acquiring the practical skills to teach A.T. allowed me to access a profound psychophysical and emotional well-being that positively impacted and expanded my perception of both the world and myself.
Ariana Pedrosa, musician
https://arianapedrosa.com
Photo : Keith Walls
Gustave Alexander Bones, Halloween
Photo: Barbara Diaz