Sound and Voice Arts for Health and Wellbeing

An All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Arts, Health and Wellbeing was formed in 2014 to help raise awareness of the improvements that the arts can bring to health and wellbeing. In 2017, following years of research and investigation, a report was created that presented the benefits. Lyz Cooper is a member of many of the partner organisations involved in the APPG and she is dedicated to developing courses that train people to meet the growing need for ‘the arts on prescription’

What is sound-arts and voice-arts therapy?

Sound-arts and voice-arts sessions are participative activities that use sound or voice as a therapeutic art-form. Clients may work on a beautiful piece of sonic art for a project, workshop or performance or they may create a lovely tone-poem or voicescape together. A sound/voice-arts therapist facilitates the session with a particular set of therapeutic and/or educational outcomes in mind. The group could be developing communication skills or improving mood state or memory, reducing anxiety or promoting relaxation for example. As the arts-based activities are participative it is the participation in the activity and the type of activity that helps people to alleviate their symptoms.

Where can I work with this approach?

You can work in education, special education, arts and drama, art therapy, occupational therapy, psychotherapy and creative counselling, and with creative community projects and performances. This work doesn’t have to be for therapeutic or educational reasons. In an increasingly busy society we can all benefit from the joy of creative expression just for the heaven of it!

Which courses use an arts approach?

Professional Diploma in Group Sound & Voice Arts Therapy Dip. SAVAT (BAST)

Learn More

Read more about the therapeutic benefits of the arts for health and wellbeing here (access is required)
Cooper. L (2022) Therapeutic soundscapes – improving health and wellbeing with sonic art. Perspectives in Public Health V 142, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.1177/17579139221103945