Authentic Voices Authentic Singing: A Multicultural Approach To Vocal Music Therapy

This book presents the exclusive use of the authentic voice to highlight its virtuosity, healing potency and its importance to well-being. It demonstrates the powerful impact of the voice with clinical examples from mental health, medical and special education settings. In the book the undiscovered potential of the voice in the music therapy field is emphasized - not limited to singing songs - but including sighing, crying, screaming, groaning, humming, laughing and lamenting as effective forms of vocalizations. The book focuses on natural forms of singing as human expressions in different cultural traditions. The vocal examples given are used to portrait how human beings around the world help and heal each other through authentic singing. The commonalities of contemporary and traditional uses of the voice reinforce its power and effectiveness as a therapeutic tool; outlining the emotional, relational, cognitive, physical, aesthetic, spiritual and technical aspects into a clinical method. This is a “how to” book for the music therapist, creative art therapist, psychotherapist, teacher, singer or actor who is using his/her voice in therapy, education or performance.