TY - JOUR
AU - Michael, Viega,
AB - Abstract This article explores the use of technology in therapeutic songwriting from a humanistic perspective focusing on the tenets of cultivating agency, expressing and voicing selfhood, and nurturing stakeholder engagement. Adolescents in the 21st century are using a variety of digital music platforms to (re)create their identities and invent new ways of transforming social discourse. By attuning to the humanistic qualities of digital technology used in therapeutic songwriting, music therapists can provide a space for adolescents who have experienced trauma to discover their potentiality. Songs will be shared for readers to experience how various recording and production techniques can reveal the lived experiences of songwriters within music therapy, as well as to highlight the humanistic tenets of agency, expressing and voicing selfhood, and stakeholder engagement. The need for cultural and ethical responsiveness when creating digital soundscapes with adolescents who have experienced childhood trauma and identify with Hip Hop Culture is discussed. Humanism, Digital Technology, Music Therapy, Therapeutic Songwriting, Hip Hop Culture Introduction This article delves into the digital layers of songs created by adolescents (herein called songwriters) to understand the humanistic tenets of using technology within a therapeutic relationship. As a music therapy clinician and researcher, I have primarily worked with songwriters who have experienced adversity and trauma as children and identify with Hip Hop Culture. Digital music technology has provided these songwriters with a platform to explore their potential by creating ever-changing sonic environments, envisioning new identities, and sharing their lived experiences with others. The following core components of humanism will be highlighted throughout this article when describing the role of digital technology in therapeutic songwriting: 1) Agency: The endless sonic textures afforded by digital music technology provide a digital environment for songwriters to experience and exert agency. This agency is negotiated within the relational interactions between the songwriter, digital technology, and the music therapist within the therapeutic relationship. 2) Expressing selfhood: As the various sonic textures are discovered, and agency is applied, songwriters have the autonomy to mix, layer, edit, and shape the sounds into a musical identity that is uniquely their own. Selfhood can be heard within the artifact of the song in two ways: First, a picture of a person’s identity emerges by experiencing the song’s aesthetics as a whole; second, various parts of a person can be revealed by attuning to the individual sonic textures that comprise the aesthetic whole. 3) Voicing selfhood: The lived narratives that are housed within the music are not just understood by experiencing the lyrical components alone. Digital vocal manipulation, layering, and enhancement allows songwriters to give voice to new parts of their selves, exploring new possibilities of expressing themselves in the world. 4) Stakeholder engagement: Digital technology affords adolescent songwriters a way of being involved in a global community through various digital media platforms, including music production and streaming. By cultivating agency and expressing selfhood, songwriters reveal themselves to the world, and their art can be engaged with in a way that transforms social narratives related to health, trauma, youth culture, and injustice. As a music therapist, I relate to music-centered music therapy as my core identity and not just as a theoretical construct (Aigen, 2005). I believe that engaging in music and aesthetic relationships is ultimately a humanistic endeavor. In addition, I view music experience and relationship in therapy from an ecological perspective. This requires an understanding of not just one’s individual aesthetic, but also a reflexive exploration of the many systems that impact a person. Throughout this article, I will reflect on the processes and experience of digital technology used in songs created by adolescent songwriters; when doing so, I am envisioning the songwriters’ lived experiences, cultivating empathy, reflecting on my role within the therapeutic relationship, and discovering the intersections of our lives within the depths of digital sound. There are three ways digital technology is referred to in this article: First, when using technology as the music therapist, I listen for and utilize the sonic metaphors that can help a songwriter realize themselves1 fully in the songwriting experience. For example, a songwriter might present as timid when approaching the microphone, and reverberation (sonic space) might be used as a container so that one’s voice can emerge safely. Second, a songwriter can discover their own aesthetic by exploring the vast array of sounds afforded by digital technology. Third, listening to the music created by digital technology allows for the songwriter and the music therapist to explore cultural and individual narratives embedded within individualized sounds of the song’s production. Central to this is my belief that hidden deep within the gauzy textures of digital waveforms lies an existential search for shared humanity, which can be revealed, shared, and experienced within the therapeutic relationship. The work I am presenting here deals with many different paths that are intersecting and not always particularly linear. In addition to digital technology and therapeutic songwriting, these songs reveal the lives of adolescents who are discovering their potentials beyond their traumatic pasts. Therefore, a discussion of aesthetics and meaning-making helps ground the ways in which music therapists can listen for agency, selfhood, and stakeholder engagement within digital music technology. The term soundscape is also discussed and is used to help understand the musical environments that house the song’s textual components. Finally, the songs explored here were created within the ethos of Hip Hop Culture. Therefore, a critical and reflexive lens is considered, as creating digital music is a subversive act that challenges traditional notions of humanity within the natural world. Digital Technology and Aesthetics in Music Therapy For adolescents in the 21st century, creating music using digital and mobile technology is a common way to invent and share new musical identities. The technologies used have increasingly become more egalitarian, allowing adolescents to have more autonomy in the creation of their musical and lyrical narratives. The clinical benefits of music technology in a music therapy setting have been thoroughly explored in Wendy Magee’s edited text Music Technology in Therapeutic and Health Settings (2014). In that text, Burland & Magee (2014) state that technology is valued in therapy for its role in aiding identity formation. Street (2014) and Weissberger (2014) note that music software like GarageBand can be used as a motivational tool to help capture songwriters’ creative ideas. In my experience as a music therapy clinician working with adolescents who have experienced trauma, digital technology is not just a practical means toward a therapeutic end; it is the vehicle for nurturing music relationships, creating and exploring cultural and personal narratives, and subverting neoconservative ideas about musical expression and consumerism. For me, attuning to, and engaging with, the aesthetic components of songs created with digital technology has been primary in revealing agency, selfhood, and stakeholder engagement within therapeutic songwriting experiences. Philosophies of aesthetics have shifted from the study of beauty in art and nature to encompass a wide range of sensations and experiences “as it is filtered and discriminated in participatory activities” (Berleant, 2015, p. 4). Berleant (2015) notes that engagement with aesthetics requires sensibility based on relational perceptions that are nurtured and attended to so that meaning can emerge. This intersubjective approach to aesthetics is essential to recognize how agency and selfhood are obtained within dynamic music relationships and experience. Creating meaning within aesthetic experiences can be multifaceted and incorporate various epistemological and ontological stances. Elliot and Silverman (2015) note that musical knowing can be garnered through experiential and intuitive engagement, but that it is situated within the environment and relationships in which the aesthetic experience takes place. Abrams (2010), using Wilber’s integral model, suggests that music has particular temporal aesthetic dynamics within objective, inter-objective, subjective, and inter-subjective epistemologies. In another article, Abrams (2011) goes on to reveal that musical knowing is not dependent on sound experience alone, but instead can be revealed in human interaction and relationships. Aigen (2009) suggests that creating meaning in aesthetic experience is a fundamental part of being human, helping us find a greater purpose in life. Therefore, creating meaning through inter-relational aesthetic engagement of songs composed and used in music therapy can help illuminate the humanistic components of agency, selfhood, and stakeholder engagement relevant within the therapeutic relationship. The meaningfulness of aesthetic engagement within songs created by digital technology becomes salient when focusing on the humanistic tenets of agency, selfhood, and stakeholder engagement. Digital technology provides accessible platforms that can shift a teenager’s narrative from being seen as “troubled” or “at risk” to becoming an “artist” or “producer,” thus reclaiming their personhood. This can be heard and experienced by listeners through careful attunement to the imagery potentials of the song’s digital environment. It has been my experience that intensive listening to adolescent songs, especially those situated within Hip Hop Culture, has helped me cultivate empathy and social consciousness for the political and cultural traumas that impact the songwriters. Engagement in aesthetics has forced me to confront my own participation within systemic racism, and challenge my own privilege and embedded colonialism as a cisgendered, white, male, privileged therapist. Current considerations of aesthetics in music therapy practice have been primarily discussed from music-centered (Abrams, 2011; Aigen, 2005, Lee, 2003; Turry, 2007), resource-oriented, and critical discourse perspectives (Sajnani, Marxen, & Zarate, 2017; Zarate, 2016). Viega (2016a) discusses the primary role of ethics and aesthetics within methodological considerations of arts-based research practice. Missing from the music therapy literature are the implications for cultural and identity-bound aesthetics such as those stemming from the Black Arts Movement (Collins, Crawford, & Nelson, 2006) or gender and queer theories (Macarthur, 2002; Williford, 2009). Critical discourse of the aesthetics of popular music styles used in music therapy is needed due to its culturally bound contexts, especially those related to Hip Hop Culture. Since Hip Hop is currently the most popular artistic medium in mainstream culture (Lynch, 2018), it is incumbent upon music therapists to understand how to listen to digital soundscapes and toward constructing meaning relevant to clinical practice. Hip Hop Culture and Digital Soundscapes Historically, Hip Hop Culture developed as an artistic response to oppression and social marginalization of Black and Afro-Latinx boroughs of New York City, specifically the Bronx, in the early 1970s (Chang, 2005; KRS-One, 2009). The cornerstones of Hip Hop Culture include the art forms of MCin’ (rapping), DJin’ (DJ), graffiti art, breakdancing (B-boy and B-girlin’), and beatboxing. In addition, KRS-One (2009) notes that street fashion, street language, street knowledge, and street entrepreneurialism are essential components. He calls these essential elements of Hip Hop Culture refinitions. Indigenous Hip Hop artists, healers, scholars, and activists like Toni Blackman (personal communication, 2017), Stephen Leafloor (2012; personal communication 2017), Dre Pharaoh (personal communication, 2017), and KRS-One (2009) stress that Hip Hop Culture is not bound to one ethnicity, race, class, or identity. Instead, it is an ethos based on the premise of self-transformation as expressed and experienced within Hip Hop’s healing arts. Dre Pharaoh (personal communication, 2017) states that for him Hip Hop means: I’m free. There are no chains. I’m free in my head. I’m liberated in thought, and I have the means to self-transform at any time into anything. It’s like being given a superpower and recognizing it and reclaiming it…. Hip Hop is the blueprint for a new civilization. I invite the reader to recognize how the core historical and cultural components of Hip Hop are fundamentally humanistic in nature; it is through cultural artistic engagement that agency, selfhood, and stakeholder engagement are realized despite oppressive conditions sustained by systemic white racism and structural violence. The artistic expressions of Hip Hop, primarily MCin’ and DJin’, have been noted in music therapy for their therapeutic potentials in forensic psychiatry and mental health (Hakvoort, 2015; Short, 2014, 2018; Solli, 2014), adolescent school settings (Uhlig, Jansen, & Scherder, 2017), pediatrics (Steele, 2012, Viega, 2015), and community and youth support (Donnenwerth, 2012; MacDonald & Viega, 2012; McFerran, 2012). However, Viega (2016b), citing the historical and cultural underpinnings of Hip Hop, suggests that Hip Hop is not something music therapists do in therapy, but instead it is a Spirit that is produced through artistic and relational engagement with its refinitions. This perspective requires therapists to shift their viewpoint away from using rap as a musical means to therapeutic end; instead, sustained adherence to the humanistic values of aesthetic engagement, agency, selfhood, participation within social justice discourse, and the ethos of Hip Hop Culture is primary. MCin’ and DJin’ are integrally linked within the foundations of Hip Hop Culture. Travis (2015) cites Hip Hop’s history of empowerment narratives—esteem, resilience, growth, community, and change—as the foundation of its healing potentials. These narratives are revealed within the situated engagement of Hip Hop’s refinitions, and cannot be reduced to just lyric analysis alone. Analysis and engagement with the aesthetic elements of Hip Hop’s digital soundscapes, as well as reflexivity of its cultural and political elements, are needed to create a more all-inclusive and humanistic picture of the lived experiences constructed within songs. In music therapy, Aigen (2009), Baker (2015), Turry (2007), and Viega & Baker (2016, 2017) note the need for holistic song analysis when generating meaning. Specific to Hip Hop, Lightstone (2012) focused on an integrated analysis of Hip Hop aesthetics in clinical improvisation, while Viega (2013) conducted an in-depth analysis of songs written by youth who had experienced trauma. To understand the imagery potentials of digital soundscapes created in Hip Hop, one must shift their listening from traditional music analysis of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Viega (2014), citing the work of Jaaniste (2007), suggests that music therapists must attend to the raw sonic textures produced in digitally recorded music. Music composer, educator, and ethnomusicologist R. Murray Shafer (1994) used the term soundscape to denote any sonic environment. The term soundscape is more traditionally used to understand human impact on ecosystems (Pijanowski et al., 2011). However, the term soundscape is often used as a musical term when describing how inner-city environments were transformed into musical imagery within Hip Hop and other forms of electronic dance music production (Forman, 2002; Katz, 2012). In Hip Hop, the soundscapes created by DJs and producers provide the musical aesthetic that houses the narrator’s lyrical imagery, helping activate archetypal characters that represent lived and culturally situated human experience (Viega, 2017). Responsiveness to Hip Hop and Digital Cultures The potential therapeutic benefits of Hip Hop’s refinitions (as defined above using KRS-One, 2009) lie within their historical and cultural foundations. The subversive use of technology to recontextualize cultural and personal narratives in Hip Hop began with the turntable. Traditionally used as a means for listening to music, DJs, starting with Kool Herc in 1972, turned the turntable into an instrument and invented techniques such as beat juggling, scratching, and mixing. The artistic activities of Hip Hop Culture gave way to self-empowerment, knowledge, and expanded group consciousness (Travis, 2015). In Hip Hop, all stories are shared and welcomed without judgment, and authenticity of one’s voice and lived experience is valued for its ability to create and sustain change. Engagement with digital soundscapes in Hip Hop is a humanistic endeavor when attuning to various sonic worlds embedded within them. The musical textures and sonic environments provide groove-oriented imagery potentials that propel lived narratives that are simultaneously culturally bound and archetypal. From my experience, this exploration has led me inward, challenging me to search, discover, and open up to the many ever-changing worlds within myself: carefree, familial, cinematic, abrasive, despotic, sensual, and mythic, just to name a few. From there, I have had to confront and challenge my sense of self as a good and moral person, exploring societal privileges related to my white privilege and patriarchy, which has afforded me the ability to even be writing about this topic here within an academic journal. This journey has forced me to lean into uncomfortable, but necessary, areas of discourse, leading me to become a stakeholder by teaching and promoting the healing arts of Hip Hop and digital beatmaking in music therapy. A Humanistic Understanding of Recording and Production Techniques Therapeutic Songwriting Background and Context I have worked extensively with songwriters who have experienced extreme trauma and who identify with Hip Hop Culture. These songwriters have all experienced elements of emotional, psychological, sexual, and physical abuse, parents in abusive relationships, parents with mental health needs, parental separation or divorce, and/or incarcerated household members. In addition, the songwriters I have worked with have been raised within inner-city environments with exposure to high crime and poverty rates. Many songwriters I have worked with have had informal experience rapping, programming drum loops, and/or a large knowledge of music due to cultural exposure, but they have not been exposed to traditional musical training. For me, the use of digital music technology and recording provides adolescent songwriters agency to explore their potentiality, avoiding adult expectations of having to process their trauma to be seen as healthy. The aesthetic experience and therapeutic relationships within digital recording experiences have been salient within this work. Very early on, the songwriters I was working with began saying, “Music Mike, you are like our producer!” The musical relationship I formed with the adolescent songwriters, MCs, and producers that I was working with was central in understanding the therapeutic relationship and my role as the music therapist. This is echoed by Aigen (2009), who states, “When the creation of music becomes a legitimate, self-justifying clinical activity, any roles that the therapist must assume to achieve this goal are not only legitimate but also required” (p. 33). These musical relationships provided the adolescent songwriters I worked with a sense of autonomy and agency to express and explore their own mythic qualities in song. Within Hip Hop Culture, the role of the producer necessitates dedication to learning its artistic techniques and the equipment involved in music production (KRS-ONE, 2009; Schloss, 2004). Beyond this, I found it important to identify with and adhere to the musical values and cultural ethos of Hip Hop, which includes a framework grounded within the humanities and social justice. As such, a Hip Hop producer listens to the lived experience of the songwriter/rapper and helps create digital soundscapes for them to realize their narrative and myth (Viega, 2017). As a therapist, my role was to be an active listener who uses digital resources to help create musical space, which allows the MC’s narrative to emerge and be heard. In addition, I recognize that the foundation of Hip Hop DJin’ and production lies within Black and Afro-Latinx artists interacting with sounds and prerecorded songs to recontextualize cultural and personal narratives. In Hip Hop production, this is done through sampling and remix technology, digitally cutting and pasting elements of prerecorded sounds and songs to create new compositions. My therapeutic studio develops and changes depending upon my own competency with the equipment and the needs of the people I am working with. The equipment used in the creation of the songs presented here consisted of the following equipment: 1) GarageBand Apple Loops: Apple Loops are prerecorded music files that are created for Apple computers and used within their recording software, GarageBand. Sound files can be manipulated, layered, and edited using presets within GarageBand. The software is designed to be user-friendly and for everyday music creation. 2) Korg EMX1 Electribe Music Production Station: This is both a drum machine and synthesizer, which can sequence looped music patterns. It contains analog filters and oscillators, which allow for individualized production of soundscapes. 3) Korg ESX1 Electribe Production Sampler: Similar to the EMX1, this sampler can capture live or prerecorded sounds and songs and manipulate them into patterned rhythmic and melodic sequences. 4) MicroKORG: This synthesizer keyboard emulates and produces multiple analog and digital soundscapes common in popular music. In addition, it contains a vocoder, which can manipulate and transform vocals. 5) Korg Kaossilator Dynamic Phrase Synthesize: This is a handheld synthesizer/drum pad with a touch-screen interface. It can loop and pattern layered sounds. Recording Techniques: Autonomy and Agency Four primary recording techniques will be discussed as having a role in both creating a sonic image to accompany the narratives of the songwriters, as well as providing practical support for their clinical needs. These techniques included the use of prerecorded instrumentals, precomposed loops (via Apple’s GarageBand), electronic equipment (Korg EMX1, KORG ESX1, MicroKorg, Korg Kaossilator), and live instrumentation (Table 1). Table 1 Clinical Function of Recording Techniques Recording techniques Clinical function Prerecorded instrumentals Exploring the past in the here-and-now using the songwriters’ preferred musical choices Affective-receptive experience helped cultivate agency in regulating emotions Agency in coping with anxiety with the songwriting process Precomposed loops Provide autonomy and agency for the songwriters to deepen the level of investment in the production of the song Electronic equipment Autonomous production Individualize the creation of the songwriters’ soundscape Recording techniques Clinical function Prerecorded instrumentals Exploring the past in the here-and-now using the songwriters’ preferred musical choices Affective-receptive experience helped cultivate agency in regulating emotions Agency in coping with anxiety with the songwriting process Precomposed loops Provide autonomy and agency for the songwriters to deepen the level of investment in the production of the song Electronic equipment Autonomous production Individualize the creation of the songwriters’ soundscape View Large Table 1 Clinical Function of Recording Techniques Recording techniques Clinical function Prerecorded instrumentals Exploring the past in the here-and-now using the songwriters’ preferred musical choices Affective-receptive experience helped cultivate agency in regulating emotions Agency in coping with anxiety with the songwriting process Precomposed loops Provide autonomy and agency for the songwriters to deepen the level of investment in the production of the song Electronic equipment Autonomous production Individualize the creation of the songwriters’ soundscape Recording techniques Clinical function Prerecorded instrumentals Exploring the past in the here-and-now using the songwriters’ preferred musical choices Affective-receptive experience helped cultivate agency in regulating emotions Agency in coping with anxiety with the songwriting process Precomposed loops Provide autonomy and agency for the songwriters to deepen the level of investment in the production of the song Electronic equipment Autonomous production Individualize the creation of the songwriters’ soundscape View Large The choice of recording techniques provides songwriters the necessary platform to experience agency in the songwriting process. It provides them the autonomy to engage in a way that is best for them, and allows them to experience agency in soundscaping their narratives. The choice of recording techniques played an important role in containing anxiety and fear of victimization that comes with the therapeutic songwriting experience, helping agency manifest. Not all technology is equal and, in my opinion, music therapists should provide recording platforms that best support a person’s autonomy, which is accomplished following the natural lead of the songwriter. In addition, the different recording techniques chosen by songwriters could have implications for the role of the music therapist in the therapeutic relationship. Since agency is an intersubjective experience, I found myself negotiating my role in the recording process to provide support for agency to emerge. For instance, using prerecorded instrumentals required more receptive techniques on my part to help guide the songwriters through the imagery potentials of the music. Conversely, using electronic equipment afforded songwriters more autonomy to compose their soundscape and be their own producer. However, in this instance I would take on the role of engineer, helping the songwriter technically achieve the sounds they desire. Below are examples of how I experienced the role of recording techniques to demonstrate how agency was cultivated. Prerecorded instrumentals. Prerecorded instrumentals were used in stages where songwriters were emotionally very active. Some songwriters coped with anxieties by acting out through humor or avoidance. For others, their emotions were heightened due to transitions that were occurring in their lives, whether it was a new love interest or receiving positive news regarding a major life change. In both cases, prerecorded instrumentals provided agency for songwriters to share their preferences and engage in the songwriting process with autonomy. The songwriters chose these precomposed instrumentals based on their affective and intuitive responses to the music after our initial check-in. The instrumentals were listened to and chosen by the songwriters in a semi-relaxed and contemplative state. They were each asked to respond naturally to the instrumental depending upon their mood upon entering the session. Responses were swift, with the songwriters asking to turn on the microphone and recorded in a spontaneous manner. Sampling their favorite songs allowed for the songwriters to take something from their past, explore their current feelings, and discover new resources for future development. For an example, listen to the song “My Life.” My LIfe My LIfe Close Precomposed loops. Precomposed loops provided songwriters the opportunity to create their own soundscapes and deepen their level of investment in the creation of a song. Loops can be arranged, manipulated, edited, and layered in an infinite number of ways. They are short musical phrases that can be enhanced with sound effects to create dramatic effects for the song. Songwriters that utilize precomposed loops appeared to be seeking more agency and control in their lives. Loops with titles like “Delicate Piano 01” reflect their function in providing a safe soundscape for the songwriters to explore vulnerable textural content. Other songwriters created complex and intricate loop arrangements, which provided sonic support for messages of empowerment and resilience in the song. For an example, listen to “A Girl Like Me.” A Girl Like Me A Girl Like Me Close Electronic equipment. Like precomposed instrumentals, the use of electronic equipment allowed songwriters agency in shaping their musical ideas by personalizing specific sounds. For instance, the bass drum and snare sounds can be individualized through the use of various filters, effects, and modulators (see Production Techniques below). Here, the important questions for the songwriters were “What sounds best represent who I am right now?” and “How can these sounds be layered to provide a soundscape that houses my narrative?” These choices are examples of how agency is performed through the digital platforms within therapeutic songwriting experiences. For an example, listen to “Darkness.” Darkness Darkness Close Production Techniques: Expressing Selfhood Production techniques are elements of songs that enhanced their soundscapes, allowing for imagery potentials that are reflective of the songwriters’ lived experience. Two major techniques will be discussed: First was sound manipulation through the use of filters, echo, reverberation (reverb), compression with bass reduction, and distortion. Second was the layering and mixing of the songs, which finalized the aural space that housed its textual components (Table 2). Table 2 Production Techniques Production techniques Clinical function Filters Expressive of falling, thinning, and disappearing Echo Expressive of fragmentation Reverb Expressive of space and room to breath Compression and bass reduction Expressive of being trapped and confined in tight spaces Distortion Expressive of emotional pain Layering and mixing Create dynamics among the aesthetic elements Explore, create, and arrange a musical self-portrait Production techniques Clinical function Filters Expressive of falling, thinning, and disappearing Echo Expressive of fragmentation Reverb Expressive of space and room to breath Compression and bass reduction Expressive of being trapped and confined in tight spaces Distortion Expressive of emotional pain Layering and mixing Create dynamics among the aesthetic elements Explore, create, and arrange a musical self-portrait View Large Table 2 Production Techniques Production techniques Clinical function Filters Expressive of falling, thinning, and disappearing Echo Expressive of fragmentation Reverb Expressive of space and room to breath Compression and bass reduction Expressive of being trapped and confined in tight spaces Distortion Expressive of emotional pain Layering and mixing Create dynamics among the aesthetic elements Explore, create, and arrange a musical self-portrait Production techniques Clinical function Filters Expressive of falling, thinning, and disappearing Echo Expressive of fragmentation Reverb Expressive of space and room to breath Compression and bass reduction Expressive of being trapped and confined in tight spaces Distortion Expressive of emotional pain Layering and mixing Create dynamics among the aesthetic elements Explore, create, and arrange a musical self-portrait View Large The use of filters, reverberation, delay, compression and bass reduction, and distortion in this study provided songwriters with choices for expressing selfhood. The combination of expressive elements through layering and editing techniques provided opportunities for a sonic picture to emerge of the songwriters. It should be noted that digital technology affords an endless array of possibilities and identity expressions to be shared, since a recording is not static. Therefore, songwriters can always go back and make adjustments depending upon their own development. The idea of remixing songs as a clinical technique with songwriters has been discussed by (Viega, 2017) and would allow for songwriters to explore their developing musical identities. It is important for music therapists to also explore the possible clinical decisions that can be made when utilizing various production techniques. For instance, if a potential songwriter is initially intimidated by the intimacy of recording their vocals, reverberation might be provided by the therapist to allow for space within the soundscape. In addition, suggesting filters to vocals or instruments might enhance unconscious existential fears of neglect and abandonment of songwriters who have experienced trauma. Therapists can create meaning out of the expressive qualities and imagery potentials of the raw sound materials afforded by digital technology (Aigen, 2005; Viega, 2014). By engaging with the raw elements of digital sound, not only can songwriters express their selfhood through soundscape, but also therapists can move toward mutuality and empathy by exploring imagery potentials of the production techniques. Below, more details and examples are provided to demonstrate how production techniques are utilized in my work. I would like the reader to note that I am not prescribing how these techniques should be used, but only highlighting the imagery potentials that allow for selfhood to be revealed within the song’s aesthetics. Filters, echo, reverberation, compression, and distortion. The choices of sound manipulation, whether using pre-sets or individualized by the songwriter, propelled the musical narratives while also enhancing the textual components of the songs. These choices are akin to the use of primary colors for a painter, and their placement, adjustment, and mixture determine the textures of the sonic portrait. Many of the words associated with the manipulation of a pure oscillating tone were valued for their metaphorical qualities in shaping the aesthetic narratives of the songs, such as cutoff, attack, sustain, and modulation, to name a few. Filters create the illusion of sound thinning and disappearing by canceling certain frequencies, while simultaneously increasing others. For example, on the Korg EMX1, this is accomplished by turning down the cutoff knob, while concurrently turning up the resonance setting. I have found that this sound can be heard in songs where songwriters either overtly or covertly expressed existential fears of falling into a void and not returning. For instance, listen to a song called “Reek Mugga.” This song features a songwriter who has lost psychological boundaries mirroring a manic phase of his bipolar disorder, and thus the filter provides a sonic image of him being lost in the air. Conversely, another song called “Emotional Disaster” uses filters to convey the songwriter’s hopelessness and despair, and thus the filter provides an image of falling into a deep existential hole. Reek Mugga Reek Mugga Close Emotional Disaster Emotional Disaster Close Echo, often used interchangeably with the term delay, is created when the initial sound input is repeatedly bounced back to its source. Thus, the output is cyclically fragmented, and can be adjusted depending upon the desired tempo. Echo was often used at the end as a shout-out by a songwriter (identifying by name someone the songwriter wants to recognize). It was also used to punctuate lyrics creating the illusion of one’s identity being torn due to a traumatic event in the songwriter’s life. Reverberation, or reverb, is created when sound waves decay and bounce off the air molecules. This in turn creates the illusion of sound being in a three-dimensional space, such as a cave or a small concert hall. Reverb is used in every song analyzed in this study, especially within the vocals. Clinically, reverb allows for the voice to have space, and in the context of this study, helps reduce the songwriter’s unconscious fear of being exposed and exploited. Conversely, compression condenses the dynamic range of the audio signal, giving the aural illusion of being in a confined space. For these songs, compression was often used in conjunction with bass reduction. This increased the aural tension of being trapped in hopelessness. Distortion is created by altering and amplifying the sound signal. I have found that distortion is used to be expressive of emotional pain. For instance, in “Darkness,” the songwriter overlapped a distorted voice on top of his other vocal tracks to convey his underlying anger and aggression of being abandoned as a child. Layering and mixing. The way that filters, echo, reverb, compression and bass reduction, and distortion are layered and mixed in the recording plays a vital role in creating a soundscape in which the songwriter’s narrative can emerge. The way sounds are layered and edited can include volume adjustments, panning between the left and right stereo channels, and arranging bass, middle, and treble frequencies to find the right balance of the overall mix. The goal is to create an aural environment that can be nomadically traveled, revealing various imagery potentials while listening. I have found that most complex arrangements occur when people are processing the most complex aspects of their traumatic experience. For example, “Darkness” contains a number of intentional production choices by the songwriter that convey his feelings of helplessness and abandonment. These included panning and playing with the volume settings of three different vocals to represent various aspects of his inner self conversing, arguing, and eventually merging. In another example, “Emotional Disaster,” instrumental melodic voices are placed into the far corners of the stereo mix, offering hopeful qualities that contradict the textual narrative of painful abandonment. The craft of layering and mixing can help adolescent songwriters problem-solve and explore new possibilities of responding to their lived narratives and inner struggles. Techniques like this allow for a soundscape that can capture the complexities of adolescent development and trauma, which can be experienced within an aesthetic whole of the final music production. Recording Vocals: Voicing Selfhood and Stakeholder Engagement Recording vocals received its own category due to the majority of time spent in crafting the qualities of the voice through sound manipulation. The production techniques of pitch correction (the use of Auto-Tune), pitch manipulation, and doubling and layering vocals reveal an understanding of how the songwriters expressively cared for their voices (Table 3). Table 3 Techniques for Recording Vocals Recording vocals Clinical function Pitch correction Expressive of emotional distance and detachment A functional tool to practice being in pitch; rehearsing identity Pitch manipulation Give voice to challenging and unconscious emotional content Layering and doubling Integrate and balance conflicting internal struggles Recording vocals Clinical function Pitch correction Expressive of emotional distance and detachment A functional tool to practice being in pitch; rehearsing identity Pitch manipulation Give voice to challenging and unconscious emotional content Layering and doubling Integrate and balance conflicting internal struggles View Large Table 3 Techniques for Recording Vocals Recording vocals Clinical function Pitch correction Expressive of emotional distance and detachment A functional tool to practice being in pitch; rehearsing identity Pitch manipulation Give voice to challenging and unconscious emotional content Layering and doubling Integrate and balance conflicting internal struggles Recording vocals Clinical function Pitch correction Expressive of emotional distance and detachment A functional tool to practice being in pitch; rehearsing identity Pitch manipulation Give voice to challenging and unconscious emotional content Layering and doubling Integrate and balance conflicting internal struggles View Large Recording vocals plays a vital role in the therapeutic songwriting process due to its therapeutic implications for rehearsing identity, creating safety and trust, and voicing challenging and neglected emotions. In essence, selfhood is expressed but due to the subversive nature of voice manipulation deeper cultural discourse can be found. Expressing the voice in ways that contradict traditional norms allows for songwriters to be stakeholders in their culturally and socially constructed narratives. Auto-Tune is software that was first debuted in 1997 and used initially for its novel ability to correct vocals that were off pitch. However, Auto-Tune software responds in different ways depending upon the vocal input, creating a variety of effects and imagery potentials that have been embraced by Hip Hop. The songwriters in this study used pitch correction, in combination with other production techniques, for its expressive and aesthetic qualities. As a practical corrective tool, it allowed the songwriters to practice hearing their voice in an idealized manner. They were able to jump intervals and octaves, musically exploring new identities within their voice and embodying feelings of an integrated self. As an expressive device, Auto-Tune dehumanizes the voice, giving expression of the existential fear of self-destruction and annihilation; in essence, it dehumanizes the voice so that new potentials of humanity can be revealed! Used in this way, the potential for Auto-Tune to aid in identity formation post-trauma is important for music therapist to consider. Since the early 20th century, electronic voice manipulation has been used to enhance telecommunications, as well as for political weaponry. Technology stemming from these purposes has had a huge impact on modern popular music, especially dance and electronic art forms, like Hip Hop (Tompkins, 2010). In these musical contexts, voice manipulation was seen as a subversive political statement where oppressed cultural identities could be transformed and reimaged within the dominant societal narrative (Dellenbaugh, 2017; Tompkins, 2010). For these songs, voice manipulation gave the songwriters an opportunity to channel and self-create narratives related to abuse, abandonment, and hopelessness related to trauma. The historical and musical use of voice manipulation, like the synthesizer vocoder, demonstrates the subversive nature of transforming the voice toward the aim of creating a new sense of self. Below, I will elaborate on the various ways of recording vocals used in this group of songs. Pitch correction. Pitch correction, also referred to as Auto-Tune, digitally transforms wrong notes and pulls them back into the chosen key of the song, giving the vocal a robotic and distant quality. Within my work, pitch correction is utilized for its specific affective qualities, imagery possibilities, and a practical tool to rehearse identity. Pitch correction can be used to create the illusion of isolation and distance. This can be interpreted as protecting or hiding one’s natural voice in fear of exploitation and victimization. Used in this way, pitch correction can also be combined with echo, reverb, and tremolo to create a cave-like image, where the voice is trapped in a bottomless pit reflecting despair and hopelessness. For an example, listen to the song “Numb.” Pitch correction can also be used as a functional tool to practice new identities exploring self-empowerment and love. Here, auto-tune does not cover up mistakes, but instead provides an exciting vehicle to leap into new intervals without the anxiety of hitting a wrong note. This provides a powerful metaphor for rehearsing a new sense of self that is emerging from a history of trauma and abuse. For a great example, listen to “Gotta Move On.” In this song, the songwriter is signing to her mom, practicing voicing her agency to a family member who has betrayed her safety and trust after years of abuse. Numb Numb Close Gotta Move On Gotta Move On Close Pitch manipulation. Pitch manipulation occurs by altering the pitch of the voice, either making it higher or lower. Typically, this effect is used to reveal a new character, an alter ego of the songwriter. This is evident in the song “Lost,” where a higher-pitched vocal introduces “Flavor Gang,” the collective of rappers that appear on the song. Again referring to the song “Darkness,” an ominous and monstrous lower-pitched voice is the primary narrator that allows the listener into the songwriter’s deepest layer of hopelessness and despair. Voice manipulation allows songwriters to explore and create new characters that represent the most challenging feelings within themselves as well create a playful effect (use of chipmunk voice, for instance). Lost Lost Close Layering and doubling vocals. The technique of layering and doubling vocals gives the voice more prominence in a recording. Repeating the first vocal recording, trying to mimic it precisely, creates this effect. Careful listening to these songs often reveals small variances in vocal tracks, creating an interesting aesthetic that can reveal internal processes. Referring back to “Emotional Disaster” and “Darkness,” listen for how the doubled vocal tracks often split, creating a sense of tension in the voice, as if the songwriter is fragmenting and experience psychological splitting. In the song “Butterfly Wings,” the use of layering gives support and strength to emergent feelings of self-love and empowerment. In this song, the effect is used to strengthen the voice, giving power to her personal transformation of self. Butterfly Wings Butterfly Wings Close Conclusion Digital culture has been the cornerstone of music sharing and creation for adolescents in the 21st century. It has empowered its users to generate and innovate new content in a way that is individualized and bypasses traditional means of delivering media. My hope is that the use of digital media, like recording and production software, is seen not just as a means to record a song but as an aural canvas in which songwriters choose how to express their lived experience in raw sound manipulation. This requires more than just technical competency and proficiency on various digital hardware and software equipment; music therapists must listen to the imagery potentials within their sonic textures, hearing the restoration of adolescent identity within the soundscapes. Digital music can reveal complex musical and lyrical narratives that speak to personal and cultural transformations of songwriters who have experienced deep traumas. At the same time, digital platforms provide songwriters new avenues to invent sonic environments, create new possibilities and identities within those soundscapes, and share them with the world. Discovering humanity within digital environments might appear to be an incongruent idea. However, the subversive challenge to neoconservative ideals of aesthetics is exactly the point; relational engagement with technology allows people who have been oppressed and marginalized the agency to invent new identities, express and voice selfhood, and become stakeholders in a global digital culture. Michael Viega is an Assistant Professor of Music Therapy at Montclair State University and a Fellow in the Association of Music and Imagery. 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TI - A Humanistic Understanding of the Use of Digital Technology in Therapeutic Songwriting
JF - Music Therapy Perspectives
DO - 10.1093/mtp/miy014
DA - 2018-10-31
UR - https://www.deepdyve.com/lp/oxford-university-press/a-humanistic-understanding-of-the-use-of-digital-technology-in-P0wkqH6OGR
SP - 152
VL - 36
IS - 2
DP - DeepDyve
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