MMT Workshops


Singing Down the Barriers:

Thoughts on Approaching and Centering African American Song in Music Therapy Practice

Presented by:

Dr. Caroline Helton, DMA

Saturday, October 28, 2023 1:00-4:00PM

MMT business meeting following

 Dear Michigan Music Therapists,

Please join us for our fall music therapy workshop presented by Dr. Caroline Helton on October 28th from 1-4pm.  It will be offered as a hybrid opportunity and there will be options for individuals to join from Arbor Hospice/Hospice of Michigan offices in Ann Arbor, Southfield, and Grand Rapids. Please note that attendance at these sites is not required for participation and the zoom link can be sent to attendees as requested. Dr. Helton will be in person in Ann Arbor!

The workshop will run from 1:00PM to 4:00PM and will provide professionals the opportunity to earn a total of 3 CMTE credits. A MMT meeting will take place following the presentation. 

 

Course Description:

This 3-hour workshop will address assumptions and expectations around Black Song as well as provide a historical and cultural context for the development of all genres of song related to African American creative expression, beginning with African American spirituals. We will also dissect the legacy of blackface minstrelsy and how it continues to influence the discourse around race in society today. Topics of discussion will include issues of allyship, emotional response and the power of Black song, positionality, appropriation vs. appreciation, permission, and cultural humility.

Enclosed you will find registration and membership forms and a tentative workshop schedule. Please check the MMT website frequently over the upcoming weeks for workshop and registration updates.  More Workshop Info

 

Presenter Biographies:

Caroline Helton is a pedagogue, performer and researcher who teaches Voice in the Department of Musical Theatre at the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance. Over the past decade, she has performed and recorded classic song repertoire by composers whose art was suppressed, and through her teaching, recordings, and publications, she is a tireless advocate for integrating the canon of American vocal music to reflect and respect its true diversity. 

At the University of Michigan, Dr. Helton’s pedagogical interests include research into the healing power of song. She has been collaborating with Dr. Emery Stephens since 2004 on a project called “Singing Down the Barriers,” in which they use art songs and spiritual settings of African American composers as a means of facilitating difficult racial conversations with groups of voice students from diverse backgrounds at universities all around the country. Their recently published book on the topic is designed to empower 21st-century voice teachers in their efforts to complete the canon of vocal concert music in such a way that represents African American composers’ true contributions to American song (Singing Down the Barriers: A Guide to Centering African American Song for Concert Singers, Rowman & Littlefield, 2023).

In collaboration with her University of Michigan colleagues Dr. Louise Toppin (Director) and Christie Finn of the Hampsong Foundation, Drs. Helton and Stephens are core faculty members of the Singing Down the Barriers Institute, a University of Michigan summer adult learning program that was launched in 2021. They also serve as master teachers with the Song of America Foundation, an organization founded by baritone Thomas Hampson for the purpose of exploring the use of art song as an educational tool for literature, history and social studies in K-12 schools. In addition to Singing Down the Barriers, Dr. Helton is part of a multi-faceted research team whose goal is to center the contributions of African American creators and performers across all styles and genres for academic institutions. The project, entitled “Singing Justice,” includes a diverse team of world-renowned scholars and performers (Naomi André, Stephen Berrey, Mark Clague, Christie Finn, Thomas Hampson, Louise Toppin) as well as graduate students doing groundbreaking work in performance and musicology.

Dr. Helton is an Associate Professor of Music (Musical Theatre) in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance as well as an Affiliate of the Frankel Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan. She received BM and MM degrees in Vocal Performance from UNC-Chapel Hill and a DMA degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

This course is available for a total of 3 CMTE credits.  There are no prerequisites to attend this workshop.   Singing Down the Barriers: Thoughts on Approaching and Centering African American Song in Music Therapy Practice is approved by the Certification Board for Music Therapists (CBMT) for 3 Continuing Music Therapy Education credits. Michigan Music Therapists (P-014) maintains responsibility for program quality and adherence to CBMT policies and criteria. Grievance policies and procedures will be available in paper format at the registration table.

REGISTRATION FEES

  $25.00 MMT Professional Member (Or any GRL state member)

  $50.00 Non‐MMT Professional (includes workshop and 2024 Membership)

  $10.00 Music Therapy Student MMT Member (Or any GRL state member)

  $20.00 Music Therapy Student Non MMT Member (includes workshop and 2024  Membership)

  $50 Non music therapist

* Professional members from other GLR State organizations will receive the MMT professional conference rate*

 

 

2. Pay Below

Fall MMT Workshop Registration

 

3. If you paid for a 2023 Membership, click below to fill out your membership form

 

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