I was born at the end of the sixth month of pregnancy, weighing 950 grams! (less than one kilo). I didn't have nails yet, my lungs weren't developed, and I wasn’t even in position to be born (with my head tilted down).
From the very beginning, you could see that I was determined to live despite all obstacles. Even if the situation is not great, I will get through it safely and survive. Throughout my life I have moved numerous times, including, living in two countries (Israel and the U.S.), and in several different cities.
I remember myself at the age of seven, standing in front of the TV with a skip rope, singing, as if with a microphone, in front of my image which was reflected on the screen. Singing connected me to my body and to my inner self. My mother found religion when I was ten years old, so we moved from the Jezreel Valley in the north of Israel to Jerusalem. This enabled me to become familiar with the orthodox way of life. Although I am not religious today, the Judeo-Spanish songs that I sing in my performances, and have released on CD, take me back to my childhood. The melodies of the Jews of Spain connect me back to the synagogue and to the years I lived in Jerusalem as a child and teenager.
At the age of 20, I had to decide what my dreams were. One of the reasons I left the religious lifestyle was because I wanted to sing professionally both on Shabbat and on holidays, and in front of men as well as women. I knew that as a religious woman, this would be impossible. It was important for me to sing. It gave me inner strength. When things were hard for me at home, singing connected me back to myself. It wasn't until about ten years later, while doing my study for a master's degree in music therapy, that I also found answers as to why using the voice is so meaningful.
I practice music therapy and vocal psychotherapy. I also teach voice technique lessons. In voice lessons, the focus is first and foremost on the technical vocal work. There are professional goals, such as to reach a level of singing that will allow, if necessary, singing and performing in front of an audience, singing without getting hoarse, improving vocal technique, discovering different vocal tones and timbres, etc.
Voice lessons can be very therapeutic – but they are not therapy. Increasing self-confidence, connection to emotions, and a sense of inner empowerment are bonuses within the process; In contrast, in music therapy and vocal psychotherapy sessions, music is used only as a means to achieve emotional goals such as improving mental health. We play and improvise on various musical instruments (no prior knowledge of music is required), write songs, listen to music chosen by the patient, and sing and improvise vocally. Sometimes the patient chooses additional ways of expression (conversation, psychodrama, acting, storytelling, painting or sculpture). The two main things we emphasize in therapy are connecting to the inner and creative forces of the patient, and on the other hand – working with the challenges that life presents him.
When I work with people, I accept them and their voices as they are. Our voice is our inner mirror. Proper singing and breathing can instantly connect us to ourselves and to the deep layers of our soul.
There is an African proverb that I strongly believe in:
"If you can walk—you can dance; If you can talk—you can sing."
Singing is part of our nature. All we have to do is reclaim the ability to sing.
When I was 26, my father passed away suddenly. I spoke to him on the phone, and a few days later I was informed that he was to be buried. This experience was difficult and painful— but it also woke me up and taught me that life is short. Too short to waste. We can be here one minute and not the next. Within six months, I was on a plane headed for Manhattan to study music jazz performance at one of the best schools in the world. There I also formed an ensemble with which I performed throughout the United States, and there I continued on to graduate studies in music therapy with the best teachers in the field. I returned to Israel in 2003. I am very much at peace with my decision, although it is certainly challenging at times to live here in the Middle East.
These days I teach voice technique lessons for all non-classical singing styles, work as a music therapist in schools, meet patients in the clinic, perform empowering songs in Hebrew, English and Ladino, and conduct voice workshops for groups and individuals.
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