65th Annual Conference

Saturday, February 23

Morning Workshops

8:45 A.M.-12:00 noon 

Workshop 79

Let There Be Song: The Impact of Communal Singing on Group Cohesion and Group Development

Chairs:    

Geraldine Alpert, Ph.D., CGP, FAGPA, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, San Francisco, California
Deborah Cross, M.D., CGP, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, Valhalla, New York
 

Whether to arouse spiritual and sentimental feeling or to stir to action, communal singing has long been used to modify affect. This workshop/self study group will explore how communal singing effects mood, group development, and particularly group cohesion and feelings of connectedness. Since participants will express feelings entirely via communal singing of old familiar songs, some knowledge of “oldies but goodies” (camp fire songs, peace songs, folk songs etc.) is recommended.
experiential-demonstration-sharing of work experiences-didactic
 

Learning Objectives:

The attendee will be able to:

1. List religious ceremonies and social movements in which communal singing has been used to arouse affect.
2. Explain the role of communal singing in modifying feelings and mood both in individual group members and in the group as a whole.
3. List ways in which feelings of cohesion and group development in a group that expresses feelings via Communal Singing is both similar to and different from more traditional verbal groups.
4. Identify types of groups and clinical populations most likely to benefit from communal singing.
 

Course References:

1. Davis, P. Kenny, D and Unwin, M. (2002) "The effect of Group Singing on mood. Psychology of Music 30:2 p.175-185."
2. Kncheloe, J.L, (1985) The use of music to engender emotion and control behavior in Church, politics and school The Creative Child and Adult Quarterly, 10 (3), 187-196.

3. Yalom, I. Group Cohesiveness, in The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy, 1985. Basic Books, 50-69.