Thesis
Harmony in progress: the impact of a vocal crash course on music therapists' clinical practice
Master of Arts (M.A.), Drexel University
Jun 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00002043
Abstract
This project stemmed from two large points of my experience as a music therapy student and new professional: my identity as a singer and how that interacted with me as a music therapist, and a large gap in music therapy education regarding vocal health and ways to use the singing voice. I struggle with a lot of feelings in relation to my singing voice and this feeling inaccessible to the therapeutic space, and tend to feel a lot of vulnerability when using my singing voice as a music therapist. I also found myself manipulating my voice in ways that were not conducive to my vocal health or mental health. I spoke at length with colleagues and peers in relation to feelings of uncertainty with using the voice and feeling as though certain vocal skills were unachievable. Through this combination, I created and facilitated a "vocal crash course" for my peers in order to bridge this gap for them as students, and attempt to transfer my skills into a different space. This course covered mechanics of the voice and ways to use it in the most healthy way, especially considering music therapy can be one of the more strenuous vocal fields. This course showed to be valuable for students in naming mechanics of the voice, identifying where each voice naturally sat, and providing guidance for ways to improve vocal skills from where they are currently. For me as a facilitator, it allowed me to find different ways I could show up as a facilitator, and provided a potentially new avenue of ways I could use my voice in a music therapy context. Presenting myself as a teacher allowed me to feel more confident and empowered by my vocal skills.
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Details
- Title
- Harmony in progress
- Creators
- Lauren N. Carter
- Contributors
- Ethel Joy Bullard-Moore (Advisor) - Drexel University, Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Arts (M.A.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- v, 41 pages
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Creative Arts Therapies; College of Nursing and Health Professions; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991021883812404721