The role of singing and acting in voice therapy for both hearing and deaf persons
Abstract
The following report on the role of singing and acting in voice therapy for hearing as well as for deaf persons is based on comparative studies in my Studio for the Cultivation of the Singing and Speaking Voice (Schlaffhorst-Andersen method) and at the Speech and Hearing Center of Gallaudet University, both in Washington, DC. The experience with hearing and even more so with deaf persons confirmed the importance of a holistic approach in voice therapy. The following preconditions were found to be essential to understand the voice as a phenomenon. Creative hearing 13, organic rhythmical movements 10 11 and the language of common sense in therapeutic sessions supported the person to person approach. The movements of the voice in harmony with the breathing rhythm resulted in improvisation, from humming to vocalization for both hearing and deaf persons. Even modest singing or acting in voice therapy contributed to the goal of reaching the whole person and making the patients aware of the possible beneficial vibrations of the human voice.