Starting in February 2024, Harvard Divinity School's Center for the Study of World Religions (CSWR) will host the groundbreaking workshop "The Muscle of the Self: Using the Voice to Map Psyche." Led by Scholar in Residence Anne Dorothy Harley of Scripps College, this series of four sessions from February 9 to March 8 is set to be a transformative exploration into the power of voice and its connection to the inner self.
Harley, known for her deep intersections between music, performance, and spirituality, has designed the workshop to accommodate a small group of participants, ensuring an intimate and immersive experience. The sessions are structured to guide participants through a journey of vocal exploration, employing methodologies such as Roy Hart and Fitzmaurice Voicework, often taught in actor-training programs.
In a recent interview, Harley shared insights into the workshop's conception. The workshop’s core is rooted in "embracing the full spectrum of our voices, beyond the narrow confines of classical voice training", a theme which lies at the heart of the practice of extended voice. Although Nicole Newell, a third year MDiv candidate at HDS, "felt a bit daunted" going into the fall 2023 workshop, she said the experience taught her how "tension can be unwound to allow speech, movement, play, and even listening to flow more freely."
Through this unique approach, Harley welcomes participants regardless of their vocal training. In fact, she suggests that specialized training can sometimes hinder the process of exploring the uncharted territories of one's voice. Participants are encouraged to dress in loose clothing, prepared for extensive floorwork, emphasizing the physical aspect of vocal exploration.
Leah Gawel, first-year MDiv candidate at HDS and participant in Harley's prior workshop in fall 2023, reflected on her experience, remarking that "Anne masterfully guides participants to unlock their vocal and physical flexibility, tapping into the holistic and embodied nature of sound production." Harley's approach is rooted in the belief that certain knowledge can only be accessed through the body. "To truly understand and feel the impact of reclaiming the physical gesture needed to produce sounds of profound emotion, one must experience it," she says. This philosophy underpins the workshop's focus on experiential learning, where participants are encouraged to engage with their voices in a way that transcends conventional speech.
The workshop's structure involves a series of exercises designed to help participants rediscover and reclaim parts of their vocal expression that have been suppressed or forgotten. Harley emphasizes the importance of exploring the 'excluded sounds' – those that our socialization has taught us to deem unacceptable. By reconnecting with these primal sounds, participants embark on a journey of self-restoration and re-membering, in the truest sense of the word. Harley contextualizes this exploration of the relationships between the voice, the body, and the psyche, noting that "socialization carefully curates which sounds and emotions we allow others to perceive. This workshop is about challenging that curation, about daring to explore the sounds that we've been conditioned to suppress."
Participants will engage in exercises that map the territory of the voice in terms of pitch, dynamics, and harmonic content. These exercises are designed to be accessible and non-intimidating, ensuring that participants may explore their voices without recoiling from the experience. Harley's vision for the workshop is to cultivate an awareness that leads to a transformation of self and a greater appreciation of the humanity of others. She hopes that participants will leave with a larger sense of their self, having reclaimed territories of their psyche and voice that were previously forgotten. Tara Smith, a Postdoctoral Fellow in Spirituality and the Arts at the CSWR who works on the Transcendence & Transformation Initiative, "felt a bit daunted" going into Harley’s fall 2023 workshop "with very little experience in voice". By the time the final session had come to a close she emerged "shocked that this is not mandatory for every university, school and company to undergo", having resonated with the "strength of caring less about what other people think". "The Muscle of the Self" promises to be a profound journey into the heart of vocal expression and self-discovery. It's an opportunity for participants to step into a space of vulnerability and exploration, to reconnect with the primal aspects of their voices, and in doing so, to embrace a fuller sense of their humanity.
Article by Tristan Angieri, MDiv '26