the VOICES method
Your Path To Embodiment
Voices is the collective component of The Voices Method and is rooted in the study and practice of improvisation and the human voice. It takes participants on a journey of self-discovery and empowerment through various pathways related to sound and embodiment. These online and/or in person gatherings can span various themes and areas of focus. Participants explore the fundamentals of musicianship, from harmonic concepts to Eastern modes and polyrhythms, while also diving into their own voice and vital rhythms to identify and overcome personal roadblocks and past traumas that might be holding them back. The outcome is one of integration, wholeness, joy and ultimately freedom. This workshop is offered in various formats, online and in person, and can be experienced as a Masterclass, a Residency or a Retreat. It is open to all levels and styles, and to heart-centered creatives from all walks of life. Below are the areas of focus and they can be tailored to your needs.
Module 1
This session focuses on the meditative aspects of collective singing and draws from various Eastern traditions to demonstrate and create musical soundscapes. There is also a focus on modes and microtonal singing, as well as the different musical and healing properties that become accessible when one delves deeply into this practice.
Module 2
This session focuses on odd meters and rhythmic cycles from various traditions, namely India, the Middle East, and the Balkans. Breaking down, subdividing, and feeling those rhythms in the body is explored at length, as well as creating circle songs inspired by these rhythms and the joyous traditional folk dances from those regions.
Module 3
This session focuses on different aspects involved in soloing, like modes, harmony, motivic development, phrasing, contour, and dynamics. Different styles and grooves are utilized as the parameters for soloing, including blues, singing over changes, and circle singing, Various degrees of depth are developed and explored.
Module 4
This module focuses on the various components of vocal, mental, physical, and spiritual health and the balance needed to achieve our full creative potential. Through a myriad of mind/body practices and processes, we learn to access more of the intelligence available to us that in turn allows us to achieve optimal health and artistic expression.
Module 5
This module focuses on the different energetic centers (chakras), and their coming into alignment with the help of different frequencies of sound and the human voice. Through breathwork, embodiment, toning, and vocalization exercises, mindfulness is directed to different parts of the body so alignment and repair can begin to occur.
Module 6
This module focuses on the different components of trauma, and the ramifications of wounding and grief it entails. Through intention setting and mindful breathing and toning, participants are encouraged to start identifying the ways traumatic events in their past might have translated into tension, physical pain, illness or states of hyperarousal, apathy and/or numbing. Through the brave work of trusting their body and being guided into the heart of the pain in the body, the trauma and trauma-related story can come into more clarity and the grieving and healing processes can begin.
Several modules are often times combined into one workshop. These workshops can also be offered remotely.
For more sign-up information and links, as well as the different format possibilities and availability,
please contact christiane.voices@gmail.com
“This workshop today made me realize I can do whatever I want to do.”
-Voices Participant, Crete, Greece
“This retreat is the soul’s journey, a journey of transparency, sincerity, and humility. Christiane is someone who anticipates our steps and helps us work internally through her heart and her soul, and can give testimony of her inner work. I think it is a privilege and a gift to stumble upon Christiane in a space and time, and any part of the world. Go to her gathering.”
-Voices Participant, Buenos Aires, Argentina
"Voices" is a musical experience that combines inspiration, emotion, and musical technique. It is impossible to conceive performance in the same way as before this workshop. Christiane Karam is a great master who owns techniques of harmony, creation, and execution, in addition to having a beautiful timbre and a beautiful way of understanding life and music. I change myself with each new encounter!"
-Leandro Cavalcante, Musician, Brazil
"Christiane is highly spiritual and inspirational when teaching music."
-Ian Lesnevski, Vocalist, Bulgaria
“Today was incredible. I had a sensation in my chest like a pressure in my soul. I sang and jumped. My mind told me Do not jump, do not get in the circle. Christiane took my hand and I got in the circle of voices with all the shame I felt, with all my timidity. It was incredible, beautiful. What impacted me the most was that afterwards, I experienced a profound sense of peace in my body.
It was like crossing a threshold in my life, from sitting with my shame to feeling my soul reincarnate in my body, because the expansion I feel in my face and throughout my body is a sensation that my body feels more inhabited. The experience was extremely transformative. The vitality I feel now is immense.’”
-Voices Participant, Buenos Aires, Argentina