Embody, Mind, Voice : Recovery of and through the Voice

Abstract

Embody, Mind, Voice is a professional integration project that investigates mental and physical qualities of a vocal injury and contextualizes the vocal recovery process within artistic performance. The voice is presented in its multiplicity of roles: in daily communication, emotional expression, artistic practice, and professional settings. A vocal injury affects not only the physical vocal apparatus, but also the voice user’s relationship with themselves. In turn, these psychological effects feed a vicious cycle that prevents recovery, and thus, cannot be ignored.Assessing the layered impact of a vocal injury, this reflective report approaches vocal recovery holistically through the questions: “how can I heal my voice?” and “how can my voice heal me?”. The process of vocal recovery has a uniquely powerful role in the singer’s restoration of their identity and mental well-being. Having embodied my own painstaking recovery from a vocal nodule, I have compounded research that examines physical, mental, and technical factors involved in vocal wellness. The resulting findings have been structured into textual, musical, and sensory materials that embody, accompany, and reflect upon the personal experience of vocal recovery.