Editors in Chief: Carolyn Kenny (USA) and Brynjulf Stige (Norway)
The Journal section of Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy offers an international avenue for publication of texts on contemporary music therapy, with a specific focus upon multidisciplinary and multicultural dialogue and understanding. Texts in a variety of genres are included in the journal (see below). We encourage submissions from music therapists and others who work with music and health as scholars and/or practitioners.
Three issues of the Journal are published a year; March 1, July 1, and November 1. Texts for the standard genres (see below) could be submitted at any time of the year, and should be sent to our Managing Editor (rune.rolvsjord@grieg.uib.no), preferably as e-mail attachment in Word or rtf format. If the text includes tables and figures, a paper copy should also be sent.
All articles in the standard genres are reviewed internally by the Editors-in-Chief and externally by two members of our Editorial Board. The review process of articles may be outlined as follows: The manuscript is first reviewed internally by the editors. Author(s) may be asked to produce revised versions before the text is sent to external reviewers. When the reviewers have evaluated the manuscript the action editor produces an evaluation statement, with the reviewers' evaluations enclosed. A minor or a major revision may be requested. Author(s) then produce a revised article at their earliest convenience. When a major revision has been asked for, a second external review is made. When the article is accepted for publication it is sent for professional language checking and copy-editing. The authors may read the proofs of the article before printing.
The review process usually takes 6-8 weeks. The procedures outlined above are established to ensure the quality of articles and to help and guide authors. We aim to make the review process a constructive and professional peer critique, and authors’ comments and feedback on the process will be appreciated.
Authors from all over the world are welcome to write in the journal. Therefore, we offer advice regarding language to those for whom English is the second, third or fourth language, and Non-English authors are also welcome to submit an additional version of their article written in their native language. This version must be edited for language by the author her-/himself.
There are limitations to how well musical processes could be described in words, and Voices therefore encourages authors to use figures, and audio and video recordings for documentation and illustration of practical work.
To the degree possible, we encourage our authors to use one of the genres described below. When submitting a text, please inform the editor about which genre – or mix of genres – you have used. The following describes the main genres of the Journal. (Note that the Voices website also includes other sections and genres in addition to those represented in the Journal, such as Columns and Discussions and a series of papers called Country of the Month).
Genres of text usually included in the Journal are here listed alphabetically:
Clinical Papers have a clinical focus, and the authors reflect upon presented case material or vignettes. While authors are encouraged to relate their reflections to current research and theory, Clinical Papers are not themselves presented as research or theoretical contributions. Voices considers this section to be very important in that it may contribute to integration of practice and theory. Contributions are encouraged, on innovative and new practices as well as on more conventional practices of music therapy.
Some reflections and contributions are difficult to forge into theoretical papers and other traditional styles of academic writing. Yet these contributions can add significant aspects to our discursive practices in music therapy. Voices therefore has an essay section to make advanced reflections in a more free and personal style available. Texts in this genre may elaborate upon an issue or problem, in an analytic and interpretative manner, including constructive speculations or experiment with more fluid genre mixing.
Reports may describe music therapy developments of various sorts, such as the development of a program or a project, or a specific way of working. Reports may illuminate local or regional traditions, and may also illuminate national or international developments. Authors are encouraged, however, to avoid confusion with the report series in the section Country of the Month on the Voices website.
Stories provide structure in a narrative form that can frame a problem, or create a metaphor that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. In some societies, stories are part of an oral tradition, and one that can transmit knowledge in vivo. Storytellers respond to the presence of the listener or audience and make adjustments in their stories based on the age, disposition, mood of the listener, the purpose of the gathering, and the function of the story in the context. Stories are often told to honor the hero, heroine or other characters in the story. They are told to transmit important knowledge about the best ways to exist in a society. They are also told as a meaningful expression of history, affiliation, and reinforcement of social norms. In Voices, stories can take a written form, but can also respond to readers as imagined listeners, therefore addressing, in part, some of the more traditional uses of the story format and the “immediacy” available in this genre.
Authors of theoretical articles draw on existing literature in order to promote or evaluate theories of music therapy or fields closely related to music therapy, or to propose original theoretical concepts that might expand or complement existing theoretical literature in music therapy. As music therapy is multi-faceted, theoretical papers may build upon scientific research literature and/or theoretical contributions from the humanities. Voices encourages authors to give theoretical contributions to the field, and find it especially important to encourage developments that integrate clinical relevance, empirical grounding, indigenous healing concepts, cultural awareness, and philosophical refinement.
In addition to the standard genres described above, the Voices Journal also publishes interview and texts in a series called International Archives.
Do you have ideas and suggestions for persons or groups that should be interviewed? Do you want to interview someone and submit a text? Contact our Interview Editors.
Do you have ideas for the International Archives? Contact our Managing Editor.
Interviews may have an important role to play in a journal such as Voices, as this genre is particularly apt for communication. Interviews are particularly good at helping us to maintain the humanistic aspects of our work in music therapy. The relationship between the interviewer and interviewee can communicate the dynamics of an interpersonal dialogue, shared between two professionals or perhaps a music therapist and a traditional healer. Because so much of the written word is created by Western academics, the interview provides a wonderful environment for reaching out to experts who might be willing to share traditional knowledge not readily available in texts. This would be a good example of one of those bridges we mentioned earlier because often traditional healers share knowledge through stories. And it is an important aspect of the mission of Voices to create this type of bridge. We want to create a level playing field in which established scholars who regularly publish scientific articles can come into discourse with new scholars and new practitioners as well as established traditional practitioners.
Articles from all over the world may be submitted to the Voices series labeled International Archives. The intention with the series is twofold: First, we want to present to a worldwide audience interesting texts that previously have been published in a national or regional context. Second, we want to inform and remind our readers about the many excellent journals of music therapy around the world. Texts from journals that do not use the English language may also be published: If the text is translated we can publish both the original and the translated version. We may also publish non-translated texts, if a summary and/or a comment in English is added.
Below you will find some writing advice, based upon the criteria that are central to the reviewers and editors when evaluating your text:
Voices editors expect your text to be coherent and well-written. You should make clear statements, descriptions, and interpretations or analyses and you should clarify the various voices of your text (author, therapist, client, and other participants). Imagine that you are taking your readers on a journey. Help them to follow your narrative without being distracted by poor grammar, errors, or tangents.
Whether you are writing about experiences in your clinical practice, stories, or other genres, your work will be reviewed and evaluated based on the substance of your content. The standards for this criterion will be defined in relation to the style and genre that you decide to write in.
Style is important in communicating ideas effectively. Choose a style that is in accord with the genre you have selected. For example, if you are writing a story, be sure there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. If you are writing a theoretical paper, be sure that you state your theoretical premises in a clear and logical manner and back them up with existent literature as well as offer creative alternatives.
Since the purpose of Voices, as a forum, is to encourage International dialogue, your text should offer ideas that are conducive to International exchanges. How are our ideas and practices alike and different? You can pose questions that will encourage the reader to reflect.
Describe the context of your paper. Describe why you are writing this paper. Try to offer something that is unique to your region. You might include your geographic location, academic discipline, traditional cultural practice, professional practice, or the social context of your paper. Context is extremely important when working across cultures. Be descriptive enough so that we can imagine your context. Give specifics.
For general advice on scholarly writing we refer authors to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, APA (http://apastyle.apa.org/) or Chicago Manual of Style (http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org). Consistency is required. Some specifics for the Voices Editorial Style are:
Manuscripts should not be previously published in books or other journals, nor submitted for publication elsewhere (The exception is submissions to the genre International Archives, see description above). By submitting a manuscript, the authors agree that the non-exclusive license to reproduce and distribute the article have been given to the publishers.
Permission to quote from or reproduce copyright material must be obtained by the authors before submission.
There is no predefined word-limit. If the story or the argument requires space, that is quite acceptable, but the article should be written as tight as possible.
All articles should have an abstract (200 words) and an author bio (150 words). A photo of the author should also be included.
Authors are responsible for following high ethical standards in their writing. The anonymity and protection of participants is ensured by the author, and s/he – not the journal – is responsible for having collected necessary formal permissions from superiors, ethical committees, clients, and relatives of clients.
Because manuscripts are sent out anonymously for editorial review, the author’s name and affiliation should appear only on a separate page. All identifying personal data should – as much as possible – be removed from the body of text.
Tables and figures should be marked in the text and collected in separate files. Figures must be ready for publishing in one of the following formats: gif, jpg, png.
Authors are encouraged to use audio and video recordings for documentation of case studies and vignettes of clinical practice (but confer 3 above).
Relevant literature references must be given according to APA style or Chicago Manual of Style. Consistency is required. A complete list of references in alphabetical order should follow articles.