Par les étudiants du programme de formation d’enseignant(e)s

La langue originale du témoignage est respectée. Parmi ceux en anglais, vous y retrouverez en italique une phrase clé traduite en français.

iv et Francis, finissants, 
avec Gustave Alexander Bones.
Photo : Bob Forbes

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!*

* C’était aussi un grand plaisir !

Vivienne, artiste, finissante

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.

Krystal et la visite de son père
Photo : Keith Walls

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 was taught in this atmosphere.*

* Je sens que je pourrais tout apprendre quoi que ce soit si cela était enseigné dans cette atmosphère.

Krystal, clarinettiste, finissante

The Ottawa School of Alexander Technique is the best damn school I ever went to. There is magic everyday.

Halloween
Photo : Gabrielle Dubois

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 your self 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….*

* [Par l’intermédiaire de Facebook après avoir obtenu son diplôme], la meilleure école que je connaisse. Plus de magie qu’à Poudlard au quotidien et moins de malédictions ….

Keith, éducateur, finissant

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.

Erin et Alix (étudiante invitée de Montréal),
fête de fin de session
Photo : Keith Walls

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.

* Je n’aurais jamais deviné les changements profonds et englobants dans tout mon être.

Erin, violiste, finissante, , Accent Music Studios

Francis et Emmanuelle, avec
Gustave Alexander Bones, Halloween
Photo : Barbara Diaz

En tant qu’étudiante invitée, l’École de Technique Alexander d’Ottawa m’a offert la possibilité et le temps de prendre davantage conscience de mon corps dans l’espace et des habitudes physiques qui me limitent. Il est précieux de trouver un contexte qui offre un encadrement propice à la quête de profondeur, tant physique qu’émotionnelle. brigitte est une enseignante hors-pair, généreuse et attentionnée, qui a à cœur l’expérience authentique que vivent ses élèves, tout en sachant sagement lâcher prise pour permettre au cheminement de chaque individu de suivre son cours.

Emmanuelle, altiste, éducatrice en musique, étudiante invitée

Line Prince
Photo: Roxanne Lafleur

brigitte, ma belle amie et collègue depuis plus de 10 ans. Être dans ton école, c’est arriver en soi, chez-soi. Tu as le don de nous faire sentir l’expérience des directions Alexander. Sous tes mains et tes paroles très claires dans leur intention on rencontre notre sol, on s’allonge tout naturellement. Étudier, chercher, découvrir avec toi ce merveilleux monde du geste juste entre tension et relaxation. Ton école est un lieu de grande qualité d’apprentissage.

Depuis plus de 30 ans, la Technique Alexander fait partie de ma vie. Celle-ci a été un phare dans ma vie personnelle et professionnelle. brigitte grande chercheuse, tu amènes cette technique au-delà d’une technique. Tu es incontestablement la fille de F.M. Alexander.

Line Prince, étudiante invitée
gestion du stress, www.lineprince.ca

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.

* Je ne savais pas que la formation en T.A. aurait un impact positif sur ma vie entière.

Barbara, danseuse, finissante
www.barbaradiaz.ca

Barbara (2014, 2015, 2016)

My time at the Ottawa School of the Alexander Technique was transformative.

Leanna avec Evan et brigitte
Photo: Roxanne Lafleur

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.

* La formation est à la fois épuisante, exaltante et régénératrices.

Leanna, ébéniste, artiste matial, danceuse, finissante
www.integralbeing.ca

Mary Ellen (droite) avec brigitte et Marthe
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.*

* Si vous êtes intéressé à approfondir votre compréhension de la Technique et à obtenir de solides compétences en AT dans une atmosphère chaleureuse et encourageante, cette école est faite pour vous.

Mary Ellen, danceuse, professionnel en marketing à la retraite, finissante
www.integralbeing.ca

Evan Wise
Photo: Carol Ribeiro

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 b 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…

* Je suis venu à l’école de brigitte à la poursuite de quelque chose. […] En trois ans à l’école, j’ai découvert ma voix, j’ai appris à changer consciemment et j’ai réalisé ce que je cherchais. Je cherchais la liberté. Et c’est ce que nous offre la Technique Alexander.

Evan Wise, guitariste, finissant
www.thebalancedselfstudio.com

Une fête d’anniversaire 
Photo : Keith Walls