Here, My Voice
Past Project
SUMMARY
Voice and the ability to create sound that emanates from the body is, for the majority of people, a fundamental and powerful aspect of human experience. Yet many in the hard-of-hearing community lack a relationship to the creative power of their voice. Here, My Voice is a continuing program that supports hard-of-hearing people in (re)discovering embodied ways to experience their voices. Building upon a partnership between a group of USC Vocal Arts students from the Thornton School of Music and the Hearing Loss Association of America LA (HLAA), specially trained USC vocal coaches work with participants to provide individual lessons designed to increase their confidence in exploring creative and expressive possibilities of the voice. Incorporating traditional vocal training techniques supported by embodied movement exercises, coaches will work with participants to devise lesson plans based on their personal goals and, at the conclusion of this process, produce performance videos showcasing their work.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
- Assist members of the hard-of-hearing community to (re)discover their voice and its potential for creative self-expression.
- Create opportunities for USC Vocal Arts students to gain deeper and more nuanced understandings of the phenomenon of voice and how it can be experienced and exercised by individuals possessing a range of auditory and oral abilities.
- Build a repository of best practices and methods that can be leveraged in future vocal workshops for and with members of the hard-of-hearing community.
