Using Voice and Song in Therapy

Reviewed with Using Voice and Movement in Therapy 'Both books certainly provide a wealth of interesting concepts, structured theoretical frameworks for considering movement and voicework, detailed descriptions of practical exercises and techniques and clear case studies. Readers need to be aware that Newham uses an eclectic mixture of physiological, psychological, mythological and artististic approaches in his work. Personally, I find this blend of scientific and artistic approaches to be innovative, erudite, stimulating and reassuring. Newham is a sincere and enormously able practitioner who has a unique abiliy to connect deeply linked aspects of personality and voice. Newham's books are of value to therapists already interested in the emotional release aspects of voice work with clients, and those beginning to investigate the whole field of psychotherapeutic literature. They fulfill his own goal "to be both theoretically informative and practically inspiring - there are parts of the voice movement methodology which theorists from other orientations can borrow from, adapt and utilise." - Bulletin Using Voice and Song in Therapy is a practical and imaginative guide to the way in which singing and the expressive use of the voice can facilitate therapy. Paul Newham examines how melody creation combined with story-telling in song, can alleviate certain emotional, psychosomatic and psychological symptoms. He describes how the sounds made by the human voice can be shaped compositionally to form songs which reveal and express the self. His book provides practical support for non-clinical professionals working as group leaders and facilitators, who are interested in incorporating singing and vocal expression in their working method. He covers such themes as: - the use of myth and archetype in narrative - the history of the use of song in human interaction - making personal biography into fiction in melody. The author draws on his own professional experience to describe therapeutic techniques and exercises which he has found to be effective, illustrating these with case studies. In particular, he focuses on the benefits of voicework for the mentally and physically disabled, and for children with special educational needs. This is the second of three volumes which are written to provide practical information on the therapeutic use of vocal expression within psychotherapy, arts therapies and group process. The three books will form an exploration of how singing and vocal sound-making can contribute to an artistically orientated psychotherapeutic process, and will be a comprehensive resource for practitioners.