Sing, Pray, Heal: Neo-Kirtan and the Perceived Health Benefits of Westernized Group Chanting

• Author / Creator

  Brulotte, Tiffany Sparrow

• "Neo-kirtan," a Westernized version of a devotional call and response singing practice, is growing in popularity outside of kirtan's original South Asian contexts. This research project aims to describe the cultural and musical components of neo-kirtan through ethnographic analysis with individuals ranging from an Australian spiritual community called Shanti Mission, American kirtan artists and Indian teachers from Peedam and Rishikesh. Further, it explores how participants relate to neo-kirtan and reasons they are drawn to it. Perceived health benefits of the practice are discussed using a five-point model of wellness (physical, emotional, cognitive, social and spiritual) with the aim to understand if and how neo-kirtan could be utilized by trained therapists in therapeutic contexts. Emotional wellness is highlighted for being most readily impacted by neo-kirtan and for acting as a tangible linking factor to the other health domains, influencing their benefit. Finally, this research illustrates the significance of contextual factors beyond the music and how components such as intention, group dynamics, training of facilitators and the use of particular mantras and other devices are all perceived to contribute to neo-kirtan's efficacy as an instrument for wellness.

  This project is an extension of the conversation around the broad idea that “music is healing.” While research supports ideas that certain music participates in the healing process, not all music is always healing for all people. By examining individual experiences of neo-kirtan I identify some of the specific components that can align it with health and wellness.
  Supporting audio-visual files can be found at:
  https://era-av.library.ualberta.ca/media_objects/k930bx92j

• Subjects / Keywords

  • wellbeing
  • devotion
  • chanting
  • intention
  • bhakti
  • group chanting
  • mantra
  • Sanskrit
  • neo-kirtan
  • japa
  • spirituality
  • wellness
  • kirtan
  • music therapy
  • ethnomusicology

• Graduation date

  Fall 2019

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-ttrq-ph43

• License

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