workshops & group experiences
Somatic Consulting for Voice Educators and Therapists
Workshops and group experiences offer a dedicated container for embodied learning that can be difficult to cultivate consistently within the constraints of individual sessions, lessons, or clinical hours.
These offerings support groups in slowing down, tuning in, and discovering how voice, movement, breath, and sensory awareness shape presence, communication, and relational contact.
Rather than adding more techniques to apply, workshops create space for direct experience—allowing understanding to emerge through the body and integrate over time.
Who These Workshops Are For
Workshops and group classes may be a good fit if you are:
A studio teacher or educator who wants to bring body-awareness and somatic exploration to students or clients, but finds that time constraints make it hard for this work to truly land and stick
A choral conductor or musical director looking to enliven singers through integrated voice, breath, and movement explorations—cultivating an embodied ensemble that sings, breathes, and moves together
A therapist, therapist educator, or training program seeking experiential learning that supports embodied presence, relational awareness, and response-ability in clinical work
A group leader or facilitator who wants to empower participants with embodied autonomy—supporting them to troubleshoot vocal, structural, or relational challenges through increased awareness rather than external correction
What We Explore Together
Workshops are experiential rather than instructional.
Participants are invited into exploration first, with understanding arising through sensation, movement, and reflection.
Depending on the group, workshops may include:
Guided movement and awareness explorations to help participants tune into the physical experience of voice, communication, or presence
Somatic explorations of breath, gesture, posture, and coordination
Functional and structural anatomy or body-mapping sessions to demystify the body and support technical clarity without fragmentation
Individual demonstrations to make the work visible, i.e.: seeing and hearing changes in someone else’s body-voice relationship can be deeply illuminating
Relational and group-based explorations that support co-regulation, responsiveness, and shared awareness
The emphasis is always on awakening embodied knowing, not perfecting performance.
Why Group Work?
You already know that your body is a crucial part of how you learn, express yourself, and connect with others and the world.
And yet, it can be challenging to create sustained space for embodied exploration within regular lessons, rehearsals, or clinical settings.
Group experiences offer:
Dedicated time to slow down and explore
Shared language around voice, body, and sensation
Opportunities for learning with and through others’ experience
A sense of collective inquiry and mutual support
For many groups, this work becomes a foundation that continues to inform teaching, practice, and relational presence long after the workshop ends.
Workshop Formats
I’m happy to collaborate with you to design a format that supports your goals and your group’s needs. Options include:
One-Off Workshops
A single workshop can introduce embodied awareness and spark curiosity, helping participants notice how movement, intention, and sensation impact voice, communication, or presence. These sessions often offer ideas participants can continue exploring independently.
Workshop or Class Series
A series provides space for deeper exploration and integration over time. This format is especially supportive for emerging or professional artists, educators, or clinicians who are already navigating high demands and are seeking sustainability, stamina, and vitality.
In-Person & Virtual Options
Workshops and group experiences are offered both in person and online.
Virtual workshops work well using simple, accessible movement and awareness practices within participants’ own environments. In-person workshops allow for richer spatial and relational exploration.
We’ll decide together what format best serves your group.
Getting Started
If you’re curious about bringing a workshop or group experience to your studio, choir, training program, or organization, I invite you to book a workshop conversation.
In this initial chat, we’ll explore:
your goals and intentions
the needs and context of your group
the scope, format, and focus that will best support meaningful learning
Together, we can co-create a workshop that builds shared language, embodied awareness, and lasting impact.
Virtual and in-person workshops are available.
Previous workshops and group classes include:
Strategies for enlivening the inherent wholeness of your mind + body + voice system - 11th International Congress of Voice Teachers (ICVT), co-presented with Maureen Batt, upcoming July 2025
How to create wholeness-compatible learning and teaching spaces - UofT Student NATS chapter (Skylar Cameron), November 2024
Valuing embodied knowing: Personal responsibility and body awareness in choral singing - Chorus Niagara (Robert Cooper), September 2024
Exploring performance anxiety through wholeness - UofT Faculty of Music (Nancy Sicsic), November 2023
Exploring breathing with freedom and ease - UofT Faculty of Music (Nancy Sicsic), November 2022
Range of recuperation: Knowing what you need to succeed - Voice Symposium (Melanie Tapson), co-presented with Maureen Batt, July 2021
Supported Singing: Exploring “support” through whole-self awareness and vocal play - Cantabile Choirs (Geoff Sirett), March 2021
Alexander Technique for choral singing - London Pro Musica (Markus Howard), November 2020
Voice and movement immersive: a 3-day workshop to explore voice+body+mind - co-presented with Maureen Batt, September 2020
Kind words…
“I first started working with Alison in 2018 because I wanted to explore and understand Alexander Technique more deeply in order to be able to apply it more consistently in my own singing and teaching. I had been exposed to the principles of Alexander Technique several times as a young singer and just when I was looking more intentionally for resources later in my career as a voice teacher and coach, I was introduced to Alison and her work.
The discoveries I made with Alison’s facilitation lead me to invite her to do workshops with my own clients and students, and I have been very pleased to be able to refer many people to her who have benefited from a deep-dive into body movement and exploration, especially as it relates to singing, but generally as it relates to ANY kind of voice use.
Under Alison’s gentle and thorough guidance, you will find a new depth of understanding and acceptance of your body, of the way it moves, of intention around movement, and of how all of these things can come together to facilitate an even more mindful and well-coordinated vocal production.
If you are experiencing stagnation or blockage in your singing journey and are open to exploration with a caring and dedicated guide, I highly recommend booking with Alison immediately. Working with her may just be the release or opening that you are looking for.”
Dr. Shannon Coates, DMA - Grand Maester, The Vocal Instrument 101
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these workshops more educational or experiential?
These workshops are experiential rather than lecture-based. Participants learn through direct exploration of movement, voice, breath, and sensation, with reflection woven in. Theory may be named, but understanding comes primarily through experience rather than instruction.
Do participants need prior somatic, movement, or voice training?
No prior experience is required. Workshops are designed to meet participants exactly where they are, using accessible, everyday movements and awareness practices. This work supports beginners and experienced educators and practitioners alike.
Are these workshops only for singers?
Not at all. While some workshops may focus explicitly on singing or voice use, many are relevant for therapists, educators, conductors, facilitators, and anyone interested in embodied presence, communication, and relational awareness.
How is this different from learning techniques to take back to my work?
Rather than teaching techniques to apply, workshops focus on cultivating embodied awareness. Any application that follows tends to emerge organically over time, shaped by each participant’s own context, style, and needs.
What might a typical workshop include?
Depending on the group, workshops may include guided movement explorations, breath and voice awareness, sensory noticing, relational exercises, anatomy or body-mapping, and group reflection. The structure is curated and co-created with you, rather than formulaic.
Can workshops be customized for my group or organization?
Yes. Workshops are collaboratively designed based on your goals, group context, and setting. This might include adapting content for studio teachers, choirs, training programs, therapist trainees, clinical groups, or interdisciplinary teams.
Are workshops offered online as well as in person?
Yes. Both formats are available. Virtual workshops use simple, effective practices that work well in participants’ own spaces, while in-person workshops allow for richer spatial and relational exploration.
How long are workshops or series?
Workshops can range from a single session to a multi-part series. Length and structure are determined collaboratively, based on what will best support meaningful exploration and integration for your group.
Is this therapy or clinical supervision?
No. While the work is relational and embodied, workshops are not therapy or supervision. They are learning spaces focused on awareness, presence, and embodied experience rather than treatment or case consultation.
How do I know if this is a good fit for my group?
If you’re curious about slowing down, cultivating embodied awareness, and supporting presence rather than performance or productivity, this work may be a good fit. An initial workshop conversation can help us clarify whether it aligns with your needs.
How do we get started?
You can book a workshop conversation to explore your ideas, goals, and context. From there, we’ll co-create a workshop or series that supports your group in building shared language, embodied awareness, and lasting impact. Reach out via email if you’d like to learn more about working together.