64th Annual Conference

Friday, March 9

Afternoon Workshops

2:45-6:00 P.M.

Workshop 66

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, University of California School of Medicine, San Francisco, California

C. Deborah Cross, M.D., CGP, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, New York Medical College, 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 affects group cohesion and the extent to which a group that expresses feelings primarily through singing moves through other phases of group development.

experiential, didactic, sharing of work experiences, demonstration

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. Yalom, I. (1985). Group Cohesiveness, in The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy. Basic Books. 50-69.
2. Davis P., Kenny, D., and Unwin, M.  (2002). The Effect of Group Singing on Mood. Psychology of Music. 30(2), 175-185.

3. Kncheloe, J. (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.