Integrated listening programs and ear/voice training improve auditory processing skills to help with academic, emotional, musical, expressive, cognitive and social challenges, such as:

Music-based therapeutic listening programs can bring about lasting change.  When listening improves, learning and communication improve.  TLP, Learning Ears® and iLs programs are involved in on-going clinical research, studies and trials.

Auditory processing problems are common in people with dyslexia, learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, vocal problems and autism spectrum disorders.

Listening programs help performing artists fine-tune their vocal or instrumental abilities by improving the brain's ability to perceive the full spectrum of sound, attune to higher harmonics, and reproduce those in their voice or other instrument.  Musicality, expression and technical ability may all improve.

To see if listening programs could be helpful for you or someone you love, fill out my Listening Questionnaire.  This helps me see if listening programs could be helpful for you, and helps you see how many areas of life are potentially affected by listening, and could be improved with a listening program.

I value your time and my time!  Please do this only if you're serious - it's long because a lot of information is needed.  Here's the link : 
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGZHVjZcrzFvdVFqVVhZrjhnWkxmX0E6MQ

I will contact you to discuss the results.  Your first 30-minute consultation is FREE!

If you prefer, download a pdf of the LQ here, and contact me for the address to mail it to:
 

Listening Questionnaire.pdf

Auditory processing is what happens when the brain recognizes and interprets the sounds around us.  This process of perceiving sound is complex and requires a number of individual skills that need to work together in perfect harmony.

If the harmony is disrupted, it can be difficult to process or interpret auditory information. (An example is the ability to hear the difference between the sounds “ba” and “da,” and the ability to tune in to a voice and tune out background sounds.) Childhood ear infections, stress, or the long-term impact of toxic noise, among other things, can diminish the brain’s ability to understand sound.  The resulting auditory processing problems can lead to academic, social and emotional challenges.

Are auditory processing problems permanent?  With sufficient intervention, no.

How can something that seems so simple – listening to specially modified classical music through headphones – actually impact a wide range of abilities?

Listening programs gently exercise and tone the tiny muscles in the ear and help build new neural pathways in the brain.  The brain receives rich auditory stimulation and its ability to process sound improves.  (The brain is capable of changing throughout life.  This ability is called neuroplasticity.)  Integrated Listening combines listening with balance, visual and vocal components.

The music in the programs is produced with techniques designed to stimulate, or “exercise” the different functions of the auditory processing system.  Musical sound waves arrive in different frequencies, measured in Hertz (Hz). These stimulate the brain, and affect different functions of the mind and body.  Filtration removes certain frequencies for therapeutic effect (see Treatment Categories below).  Gating, audio bursting, blending, spatial dynamics and audio morphing are techniques that create random sonic events that deliver a powerful auditory workout.

Ear/voice training is done with a microphone and headset, either at home (Learning Ears®) or at Ariana's studio.  Ear/voice work improves vocal control, expression, self-awareness and auditory skills, and solidifies gains made through receptive listening.

             When listening improves, learning and communication improve.

With listening programs and ear/voice training, children and adults with learning/attention difficulties, autism spectrum disorders, developmental delays, auditory processing problems, sensory integration and perceptual challenges, vocal problems and difficulty learning a musical instrument have experienced profound improvement.

For individuals who have hearing loss, listening can improve the functional use of their remaining hearing.

After an initial intake and interview, we will choose the listening program that best suits your needs and budget.  Your first 30-minute consultation is FREE!  (See the Programs tab for more information.) Then Ariana will design a listening and ear/voice training plan for you based on your goals and schedule.  Ariana will monitor your progress and adjust your listening program as needed.  Weekly consultations are an integral part of your program!  After your initial program, we may follow up with maintenance listening to build on specific benefits, or as you feel you need it. As your Provider, Ariana is available to consult with you on an ongoing basis.

You purchase the equipment and the TLP or iLs and Learning Ears® programs through Ariana. (Please call 831-419-4724 for price information.) One hour’s coaching on how to use your listening materials is included in the price. Ariana's time for regular consultations is charged at $75.00 an hour.  We will consult weekly, so Ariana can monitor your progress, answer your questions, make any needed modifications in your program, and work with any other enrichment programs we choose. You will do most or all of your listening at home, and most of your actives at Ariana's studio. Learning Ears® ear/voice training will be done at home.

Ariana is also available to give lessons in vocal technique to those who request it.  If you are working with another voice teacher, Ariana is happy to consult with your teacher or coach.  You will do your listening training and ear/voice work with Ariana, then return to your regular teacher for ongoing lessons.

Psychoacoustics is the study of the perception of sound.  This includes how we listen, our psychological responses and the physiological effect of music and sound on the human nervous system.  The field builds on the work of Alfred A. Tomatis, MD, who helped identify the relationship between certain sound frequencies and their effect on functions of the mind and body.  He is the discoverer of The Tomatis Effect:  "The voice can only produce what the ear can hear," or "The voice only contains the frequencies the ear can hear."

The field of psychoacoustics is constantly evolving and growing.  Clinical research in fields including neurology, physiology, psychoacoustics, auditory processing, music theory and more has been included in the development of all the programs Ariana offers.

Full Spectrum – provides an overall “organizing” experience. Sensory Integration – targets the lower frequencies to stimulate functions such as balance, coordination, motor skills and more. Speech & Language – emphasizes the mid to higher frequencies to stimulate the brain for memory, attention, vocal control and more. High Spectrum – focuses on the higher frequencies that impact creativity, expression, intuition, energy and more.

We hear in two ways: 

1.  Air conduction - sound vibrations travel through the air, enter the ear, cause the eardrum to vibrate, which passes the sound through the middle ear to the inner ear, where the cochlea and vestibule receive the sound vibrations and pass messages to the brain, which then interprets them as sound and movement.

2.  Bone conduction - sound vibrations are perceived in our bones and skin and passed directly to the inner ear through the bones, stimulating the cochlea and vestibule, which pass messages to the brain, which then interprets them as sound and movement.  Lower frequencies in particular and conducted by bone, and have a positive effect on vestibular function.

Bone Conduction Technology takes music-based auditory stimulation to the next level. It combines the experience of listening to music through specialized headphones adding subtle vibration of the skin and skeletal system, engaging the whole body and brain in the listening process. This multi-sensory approach accelerates and expands the benefits of listening programs. Portable and affordable, bone conduction technology offers the convenience of home or school based listening and is now available with all our systems.

Bone conduction headphones contain a transducer in the center of the headband which vibrates sound directly to the top of the head.  An amplifier must be used to vibrate the transducer, so a bone conduction system consists of special bone conduction headphones + a bone conduction amplifier.  Ask Ariana if bone conduction technology is right for your needs.