https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5692-8252
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Amy R Smith, Functional voice skills for music therapists, Journal of Music Therapy, Volume 57, Issue 1, Spring 2020, Pages 120–123, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmt/thz015
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The voice is a central instrument to the practice of music therapy. Music therapists rely on the quality of their voice for implementation of music interventions and may use their voice to sing, chant, improvise, hum or create many other vocal sounds within a therapy session. Functional Voice Skills for Music Therapists by Schwartz, Boyle, and Engen (2018) is written as a resource for music therapy students and early professionals to provide valuable tools for developing a “rich, varied, and engaging clinical voice for use in music therapy practice” (p. i). Throughout the 15 chapters, the authors have included robust information spanning topics such as historical writings about the voice in music therapy, self-exploration of the voice, vocal health, and development of specific qualities of a clinical voice. The content and practical guidance throughout the text positions this book as a valid introductory voice training resource for music therapists.
For this review, I have selected to group each of the 15 chapters into four main categories, (a) background, (b) voice foundation, (c) musical elements, and (d) application. Chapters 1 and 2 cover background and historical material regarding how the voice has been viewed across music therapy approaches and throughout the history of the profession. Chapters 3–7 provide foundational information for understanding the voice as an instrument including structure, function, and health. Chapters 8–14 are based on musical elements as defined in the text Voicework in Music Therapy: Research and Practice (Baker & Uhlig, 2011) and describe how each musical element is represented and developed in the voice. Chapter 15 presents five case examples that demonstrate the application of the voice in clinical settings. A unique characteristic that the authors have used to organize the information are three levels of learning engagement interjected throughout each chapter. Readers find prompts for additional reading and foundational knowledge in the “examine it” sections, suggestions for personal exploration of key ideas in the “explore it” sections, and voice practice prompts in the “experience it” sections. These important learning modules can easily be used by an individual in self-study or as assignments in a course.
