Maria Latysheva, Maria Pakosh, Elena Efimovskaya, Ekaterina Molodykh – “Voice and Song in Music Therapy: Repertoire, Cases, Phenomena”
Our presentation will consist of four parts covering issues of voice and song selection in music therapy.
The first report explores the challenges of selecting and composing songs in therapeutic sessions with children. The author introduces the “round (circular) song” method, a flexible approach that fosters engagement and adapts to the child’s interests and therapeutic goals. By organizing the session around toys and musical instruments, therapists can create a dynamic environment that encourages joint singing. The method allows for the modification of song content and duration to address specific therapeutic tasks, enhancing the overall effectiveness of the session.
In the next part of the presentation we’ll try to explain In music therapy with elderly individuals, significant songs often elicit “non-obvious” reactions that may go unnoticed by external observers. This presentation examines the impact of these songs on self-regulation and social health, drawing from Maria Pakosh’s work with the therapeutic playlist project “MusNii. Music Works.” It addresses the reasons behind selecting specific songs and their profound effects on participants, highlighting the importance of music in fostering emotional well-being and social connections among older adults.
Will be discussed further the phenomenon of Vysotsky’s hoarse voice: a case of megagroup therapy spanning half a century. There are many cases when singers with rough and hoarse voices became idols of generations. They united and inspired people no less than their sweet-voiced colleagues. What are the possible reasons for this phenomenon? How can it be used in vocal therapy practice? Let’s talk about this using the example of Vladimir Vysotsky’s artistic work.
In the last part of the presentation, author would like to discuss the phenomenon of “vocal psychosomatics,” specifically the relationship between the timbre of the singing and speaking voice, the method of phonation, and the psychological state of the client, including their personality structure, level of personal development, and past traumas through several generalized cases from practice.
All our reports, one way or another, answer the question: why do we choose these particular songs when working with clients?
Biographies
Musicologist, inclusive educator. Specialist of the Association Musical Psychologists and Psychotherapists (Russia) in work special needs children. Researcher overlap between music therapy and music education, scientific articles’ author. Musical Pedagogy and psychology conferences’ and seminars’ speaker. Author of the workbooks for children (“Musical instruments”, “Musical language”, Phoenix-book, 2020).
Specialist in music therapy and the therapeutic use of music in geriatrics and palliative care. Head of the section of working with seniors of the Association Musical Psychologists and Psychotherapists (Russia).
Specialist in physical and socio-cultural rehabilitation at the post-stroke department of the St. Petersburg City Rehabilitation Center. Author and presenter of the vocal-rehabilitation project “Wake up and sing”. Specialist adaptive pedagogy in the field of art, specialist in working with correction of organic and functional disorders of voice and speech.
A singer (“Elem” project, ensamble “Lik”), vocal coach (more then 20 years of practice), music therapist, independent researcher of russian folklore, founder and director of vocal school for adults, founder and head of faculty of church music (SPIRiZI and RHGA), author of numerous practical programs (dedicated to living through grief, working with trauma, sexuality, therapy) in connection with Russian traditional culture.