Authors: Helena Roennfeldt, Leah Cotterell
Year: 2017
Event: 2017 TheMHS Conference
Subject: Lived Experience, Recovery,Community, Culture, Society,Wellbeing,Reducing Stigma and Discrimination
Type of resource: Conference Presentations and Papers
Abstract: This project is the crystallisation of two years of thought and discussion between a mental health researcher and a singer who share a lived experience of the impact of mental health challenges on an individual’s confidence, wellbeing and sense of identity.
Together, they propose that through speech and song we have capacities to connect to ourselves, to others around us and to wider audiences. Communication through speech and song can produce powerful feelings of agency, and when performed with skill, mastery. Creativity can open the door to new freedoms of thought, and the flexibility of creation allows us to reinterpret and reimagine our experiences in powerful ways. Through a focus on supporting strong artistic outputs this project offers participants and organisations new opportunities for showcasing mental health stories with impact and visibility.
The workshop series presents a well-defined, reproducible suite of interactive sessions culminating in an invitation to perform. The sessions focus on:
1. Sharing your stories with safety and purpose
2. Musicianship
3. Lyric setting
4. Melody writing
5. Vocal skills
6. Bringing it all together
Aims include:
· To set the creative bar high
· To support sustainable skills development
· To provide an opportunity to explore counter-narratives and renegotiate identities
Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: To begin to explore potential benefits and possibilities for partnerships with professional musicians and artists.
Learning Objective 2: To be inspired to consider mainstream and professional performance opportunities to raise community awareness and reduce stigma.
References
Welch, G. F., Himonides, E., Saunders, J., Papageorgi, I., & Sarazin, M. (2014). Singing and social inclusion. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 803.
Von Lob, G., Camic, P., & Clift, S. (2010). The use of singing in a group as a response to adverse life events. International Journal of Mental Health Promotion, 12(3), 45-53.
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