Attending Imani Mason’s guest lecture was a thought-provoking experience, especially when they discussed conceptualizing the voice both as an instrument that accompanies music and as its own kind of music—an entity that can be accompanied in turn. The way Mason recited the poem echoed the “Sonic Doing and Thinking” sessions I once participated in with Ingrid, where we explored scripts and collective vocal performances. In those sessions, our voices formed choirs that challenged the boundaries between speaking, singing, and soundmaking.
What struck me most was how Mason’s approach to voice abandons conventional notions of pitch and traditional musical scoring. It’s almost like rapping, but stripped of the rhythmic backdrop of beats. Instead, the voice itself becomes a central element, shaping the texture and meaning of the composition. This idea places more emphasis on the subjectivity of one’s presence within a composition. Listening to Mason’s perspective allowed me to reconsider how voice can serve not just as a medium of communication, but also as a fully realized sound practice that stands on its own, asserting and embodying the performer’s agency within the musical artwork.