It is becoming increasingly common that music therapists work with clients who are from other countries and cultural backgrounds. Music can play an important role in the culture of every client, so when preparing client-preferred music it’s important to be intentional about honoring different styles, genres, and languages of music that are client preferred in order to connect with your client and be most effective in therapy. This can be daunting at times, since you may not be able to speak the language, you don’t share the same background, or perhaps western instruments are not even capable of producing the same sounds and notes. This is where we have to get creative!
Read MoreI’m going to be going over some very basic and doable techniques for vocals, guitar and piano that will add some character and authenticity to your music performance. I’m no expert by any means……..but I want to give you some ideas from things that I’ve thought about and link you to teaching resources so that you can take your practice to the next level.
My name is Ellisa and it feels so good to be back with you in a new year, new look, but the same amazing content. I have been working on a 3 part series called “Authenticity in Music”. I’m so passionate about this topic and I hope that by the end you will be too. Together, we’re going to be exploring what authenticity means when performing popular songs, how to be authentic with your instruments and voice and how to adapt to stay true to your abilities and the music. This is a topic that is important to me because I feel that it helps us advocate for our field. Good music speaks volumes! It helps us connect with our clients and understanding what authenticity means makes us grow as music therapists. That’s where I want to start part 1: What is Authenticity in Music?
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