Cluster „Vocal Maintenance and Health“

Cluster „Vocal Maintenance and Health“ – Josipa Bainac

BAINAC HAUSKNECHT Josipa

Josipa Bainac Hausknecht is a singer and vocal pedagogue currently pursuing a PhD in Voice Science at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna - mdw. She completed her studies in voice and vocal pedagogy at the mdw and at the Academy of Music in Zagreb. In addition to teaching voice at the mdw and working as a pre-doctoral voice researcher at the University Mozarteum Salzburg, she continues to perform in recitals worldwide and is active as a recording artist. She has received a number of prestigious awards for her interpretations of the classical vocal repertoire as well as premieres of contemporary music, including the Gottlob Frick Medal (Germany, 2019), the International Hilde Zadek Singing Competition (Vienna, 2019), the Ada Sari Prize (Poland, 2017), the Isolde Langowski Prize for Art Song (Germany, 2015), and others. More at: josipabainac.art

BOS Nancy (CO: Bozeman Joanne and Frazier-Neely Cate)

BOS NANCY singer, voice teacher, vocologist, author, podcaster, and co-author of Singing Through Change. Nancy has sung professionally in many genres, and worked in the recording industry, film, and theater. She has taught in Seattle Washington, USA, on the faculty of Cornish College, Seattle Pacific University, Bellevue College, and independently. Her courses include acoustics as it relates to the human voice, based on the work of Dr. Scott McCoy and Kenneth Bozeman. She is a member of the Recording Academy, the Pan American Vocology Association, is a former vice president of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and is a Distinguished Voice Professional through NYSTA. Her current focus is anthropological singing.

JOANNE BOZEMAN, co-author of Singing Through Change, is Emerita Instructor of Music at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin USA, where she taught studio voice and voice-related coursework. She was an active soloist in recital, concert and oratorio for many years. Her students have gone on to excellent graduate programs and pursued careers as performers, teachers, conductors and voice care professionals. Joanne has a long-standing interest in vocal pedagogy, voice and women’s health, the interactions of reproductive hormones with female voice throughout life, and is a frequent presenter on the topic. She is a member of the Pan American Vocology Association, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, and maintains an independant studio.

CATE FRAZIER-NEELY has over 42 years experience as a voice teacher ahead of her time in vocal pedagogy, somatic education, women’s health and singing, mind/body integration, collegial learning and team voice teaching. She works as a singing voice specialist on referral from Johns Hopkins Neck & Head Surgery and teaches independently with a focus on Americana, Classical and World Music. She is co-author of Singing Through Change, and led women's choruses and education programs in Maryland and Wash., DC, USA. Cate served on college voice faculties and as senior voice and choral faculty member at Levine Music. She was a professional singer in contemporary chamber music and opera. She holds the MM in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy, BM in Voice with a Piano Minor.

Singing Through Change: Women’s Voices in Midlife, Menopause and Beyond

For cis-females, voice maturation doesn’t end in the teen-age years. Some singers will go on to experience somewhat predictable voice fluctuations during the menstrual cycle, which is relatively well-known in the voice community. However, the 8-10 year-long menopausal transition’s potential effects on singing voice remain subject to a “strange secretiveness” in the pedagogic and performance communities. In order to swing the door wide on the issue, Cate Frazier-Neely, Nancy Bos, and Joanne Bozeman interviewed 56 female singers of various genres and backgrounds, and reviewed associated research and professional opinions. The result was Singing Through Change: Women’s Voices in Midlife, Menopause, and Beyond (2020, StudioBos), a book written for singers and those who support them.

In this presentation, Joanne, Cate, and Nancy will provide insights on how singing can be impacted by the natural, biological metamorphosis of shifting hormonal balance on the body. The presentation will feature:

a sampling of the interviews the presenters have done with nearly 60 women; real women’s stories of singing during the menopausal transition

a summary of the medical research and new research taking place now

discussion of typical voice changes and adjustments to these changes

insight into how cultural attitudes and environmental concerns may affect women's health and hormonal balance

consideration of less common physical issues that voice teachers should be aware of

empowerment of women who sing and are in perimenopause or past menopause

new information about what we have learned since the book came out.

Key values of the presentation will be:

honoring the women who struggle vocally through this time

respecting that a number of changes to the body can manifest themselves in a variety of ways

helping those who have never gone through menopause understand how associated voice difficulties impact singing and the singers’ psyches.

DENIZOGLU Ilter

Dr. Ilter Denizoglu, founder and director of the Vocology Centre, Izmir, decided to pursue a career in phoniatrics and vocology after studying medicine at Ege University Faculty of Medicine, and otolaryngology head and neck surgery in Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Medicine Otolaryngology department. Starting with basic physics, he studied vocal pedagogy between 2001 and 2003 in the conservatory of music. His ongoing studies for Biophysics (PhD cand.) and Audiology Voice and Speech Disorders (MSc) are part of his enthusiasm about completing the whole picture of human voice in the name of basic, clinical and pedagogical vocology fields.

He is an amateur singer and interested in music in almost every field (Singing pedagogy, musical acoustics). He has prepared the curriculum for Pedagogical Vocology lesson and has been delivering the lectures in three universities’ singing schools since 2008. He has worked on new projects for voice therapy and training of professional voice users such as Laryngoaltimeter, Vocal posturometer and NIPA (Negative Inertance Phonation Apparatus).

His medical work is exclusively on phonosurgery and (singing) voice therapy. He has devised phonomicrosurgical instruments (bimanual minimicroportegue), and developed surgical techniques (minimicrosuture, posterior glottoplasty). He has been studying on developing new devices (doctorVOX, pocketVOX, maskVOX) for voice therapy and vocal training. He has structured the DoctorVox Voice Therapy and Vocal Training Program based on Sihvo’s LaxVox Exercise. His book ‘Textbook of Clinical Vocology’ has been published in January 2020.

Vocal Periodization: Back to the Stage

Singers are vocal athletes, but they don't always behave like athletes. Periodization is being used in sports medicine and implies the systematic planning of training and exercise for different conditions and phases. With the same thought, a periodization program is designed for the singer performing on stage. Vocal periodization is a physiologically-based training/exercise strategy for the vocal professionals for the best possible performance and career. Periodization has its phases (macrocycle, mesocycle, microcycle) due to performance schedule. Various rules and exercise programs for each period have been determined. The preperformance period includes the rehearsal study that may last weeks to months. Vocal skill and endurance (muscle development) exercises take place in this period. Peri-performance period is the day of performance starts from the morning and includes vocal warm-up and cool-down. The transition (active rest) period starts from next morning until the next performance day. The maintenance (non-performing) period is a good example for pandemics. The active performances are cancelled but the activities of the vocal athletes must be maintained. The detraining period is the consequence of a long-term professional inactivity. Vocal periodization strategies provide a physiologically-based training program to the professional vocal performer in order to help to increase the conscious awareness of the singer, and achieve and maintain a certain level of performance.

FIUZA Mauro B.

Teacher of Singing and Research assistant at the UNED VoiceLab - Laboratory of Voice, Music and Language (UNED/Spain) investigating the effects of the menopause in the voice of singers and other professional voice users. Is a doctoral student at the Faculty of Education of the UNED/Spain. He graduated in Music Education (UniSant’Anna/Brazil) and has a Master in Speech Language Pathology (PUC-SP/Brazil). He has been invited as a guest teacher in several grad and postgrad courses of vocal pedagogy and speech language pathology in Brazil and Spain, and presented courses, workshops and lectured in different conferences in Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Spain, and USA. Currently, he is a coordinator of the website www.world-voice-day.org

Development and Validation of The Singing Voice Self-Efficacy Scale (Singing VoSES)

Introduction and aims: Self-efficacy corresponds to one’s beliefs in the ability to successfully achieve specific tasks. Those with low self-efficacy are more likely to reduce effort and accept lower-level solutions. For a musician, this would compromise performance achievement. Age and gender have been reported to influence self-efficacy. However, the literature is too scarce with respect to impacts of modifications in voice physiology related to developmental stages, especially with respect to female professional singers. To understand how biological and hormonal conditions, especially those occurring at menopause, may affect vocal self-efficacy in singing, a scale was developed and validated with female professional singers, the Singing Voice Self-Efficacy Scale (Singing-VoSES).

Method: 18 items were drawn based on the physiology of the singing voice; health; stages of development; and singer’s achievement in music examinations. Pitch and loudness were considered key parameters when creating the items, as both were reported as important for assessment, production, and mastery of voice function in singing. The content validity was evaluated by a panel of voice experts; internal validity was analysed by means of a two-step factor validation analysis. Singing-VoSES was responded online by singers aged between 40 and 65 years, who reported to be vocally, physically, and mentally healthy.

Results and conclusion: responses from 439 females (M = 44 years; SD = 12) were considered for validation. The results revealed 18 items organized in 3 dimensions: high range & transitions (a = 0.938); middle range (a = 0.938); and low range (a = 0.919). Applying the Stages of Reproductive Ageing Workshop (STRAW) classification system, 155 participants were distributed into premenopausal (n = 86; M = 46 years; SD = 4) and postmenopausal (n = 69; M = 57 years; SD = 5) groups. Significant differences in self-efficacy for both high range & transitions and middle range dimensions were found, with premenopausal singers presenting higher scores. These results evidence changes in self-efficacy in singing, suggesting a relationship between sex steroid hormonal variations and perceptions of singing ability.

GOFFI-FYNN Jeanne (Co: ROLL Christianne)

Soprano Jeanne GOFFI-FYNN is a Senior Lecturer and Director of the Doctoral Cohort Program at Columbia University, Teachers College. Her interests include Performance across the Lifespan, Applied Studio Teaching and Learning, Voice Development, Collaborative Mentoring, and Pedagogy across Styles. She is also a Singing Voice Specialist, specifically in the retraining of singers with Muscular Tension Dysphonia (MTD). Jeanne has presented often at workshops, master classes and pedagogical presentations and is a member of the Academy of Teachers of Singing (AATS) and Opera America. She is President of NATS_NYC and Chair of National NATS Mentoring Initiates. She is the Director of Singers’ Workshops, aiding in the development of young singers. Jeanne’s singing career includes opera, legit music theatre, oratorio, choral, and recitals. www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/jcg21/ and https://singersworkshops.org.

Mezzo-soprano, Christianne ROLL, received her BFA in Musical Theatre from New York University, where she was a Tisch Scholar and was selected as one of the top performers of her graduating class. Her doctorate is from Columbia University, where she focused her studies and research on musical theatre vocal pedagogy. As a member of the Actors’ Equity Association, Christianne has performed at the Goodspeed Opera House, the Lucille Lortel Theatre, the York Theatre, and internationally as the principal singer for Norwegian Cruise Lines. As an educator, Dr. Roll is an associate professor and head of the Musical Theatre BFA Program at Florida Southern College. In 2017, she won the college's Miller Distinguished Faculty Award for excellence in teaching. Previously, she served as the head of the musical theatre program at Emory & Henry College. A recognized expert on the female musical theatre voice, Dr. Roll is a frequent presenter at conferences such as The Voice Foundation Symposium, the Musical Theatre Educators' Alliance, the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Southeastern Theatre Conference, the Virginia Theatre Association, and the Florida Theatre Conference.

Vocal Health on the Road

Following up on our recent publication in the Journal of Singing, “Voice Maintenance of Singers on a Broadway National Tour,” we wanted to share practical suggestions to encourage our Professional Singers on Tour to remain vocally healthy in new environments. In this presentation, we will discuss the findings from our original 2020 survey and our continued research on this topic, and offer suggestions for improvement for voice teachers and singers. Topics will include navigating changing performance spaces, maximizing practice time, and the importance of creating a vocal support community.

What have we learned about our singers on tour? There are many stresses and difficulties while on the road. Many are understandable – changing performance spaces, limited practice time, lack of sleep and routine. Loneliness and a lack of connection was another notable challenge for our singers from our 2020 survey. But, most surprisingly, we found an absence of consistent vocal guidance while performing demanding shows in demanding conditions.

Based on these original findings, in a follow up study, we’ve asked singers on tour to take part in a series of “interventions” including online conversations facilitated among other touring singers, sharing best practice in vocal health, and targeted Vocal Maintenance Exercises. Singers will participate in these activities to offset isolation on tour, to create a sense of routine with vocalizing, and to generate a community to support their peers and professionals in the field.

In our presentation we will share the results from our 2020 survey, and the details of these recent strategies for current performers on the road. These practices, their successes or lack thereof, will be shared with the audience as well as comments and feedback from the singers. This presentation aims to facilitate a conversation among voice teachers and their students prior to performing on a tour, and most importantly, during a touring contract, to establish vocal routines and strategies to prepare for and offset the demands of a tour schedule. In addition to singers on tour, suggested strategies from this presentation may also be helpful for singers performing in regional theatre.

GRESCHNER Debra (Co: Abigail DUEPPEN, Maurice GOODWIN, Teresa PROCTER)

Abigail DUEPPEN received her BM with academic distinction in vocal performance from the Eastman School of Music and her MM in vocal performance from the University of Houston. She is currently the Director of the Graduate Vocology Certificate Program and an Instructor at Lamar University. She is also a speech-language pathologist/clinical singing voice specialist at Houston Methodist Hospital. Ms. Dueppen is pursuing her PhD in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Houston while continuing to perform on the concert and opera stage.

Maurice GOODWIN is a practicing Speech Pathologist, voice teacher, and active performer living in Houston, TX. Professionally he specializes in the treatment of the singing voice and voice disorders at The Texas Voice Center. Following his undergraduate studies in music performance at Shenandoah University, he completed his degree in Speech Language Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and his Clinical Fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Voice and Swallow Clinics. He is passionate about vocal health education and the intersections of voice and identity.

Debra GRESCHNER is voice faculty at Lamar University, where she teaches voice, voice pedagogy, vocal literature, and literature of vocology. A lyric soprano, she received Bachelor degrees in Music and Education from the University of Saskatchewan, and the Master of Music from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Greschner is the Book Reviewer for Journal of Singing, and a member of its Editorial Board. She is a full voting member of the Pan-American Vocology Association and founding member and faculty of the Vocology Certificate program at Lamar.

Teresa PROCTER (she/hers) is an ASHA certified speech-language pathologist at the Texas Voice Center, Houston Methodist Hospital. She completed graduate studies in vocal performance at Rice University and in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Houston. Her clinical and musical interest in the performing voice led her to clinical fellowship training at the Lakeshore Professional Voice Center in Metro Detroit. Teresa is the Texas Program Coordinator & Emcee for Music for Autism, Inc and a community mentor with Momentum Education and ASHA.

Vocology: Past, Present and Future

What is vocology? This session will provide an overview of the discipline through a discussion of the past, present and future of vocology. As an interdisciplinary subject, vocology encompasses a wide array of voice-related research, including speech science, anatomy, physiology, and voice pedagogy. The goals of the presentation are 1) to trace the origins of vocology that led to the first written recommendation for the specialty in 1990 by Ingo Titze, 2) summarize the present state of the discipline, including resources, training programs, and professional organizations and 3) outline its applications and look toward the future of vocology. The presentation will demonstrate how vocology, with its goal of habilitation, can be integrated into voice education for both professional and avocational voice users. The session will also highlight how the discipline works in tandem with professional voice organizations, such as the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), Voice and Speech Trainers Association (VASTA) and the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) to encourage healthy and efficient voice use in all voice users. Examples of its applications will be offered by voice professionals with backgrounds in performance, speech pathology, and voice pedagogy.

Clinicians Abigail Dueppen, Maurice Goodwin, Debra Greschner and Teresa Procter are faculty members in the Vocology Certificate program at Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. All are trained, professional singers. Dueppen, Goodwin and Procter are certified speech-language pathologists and clinical singing voice specialists at the Texas Voice Center at Methodist Hospital in Houston, and Greschner is part of the voice faculty at Lamar who is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Singing and served as president of the Greater Houston and Las Vegas Chapters of NATS. The clinicians have made presentations to The Voice Foundation, the Texoma NATS Conference, the Texas Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Performing Arts Medicine Association, the NATS Internship program, the Greater Houston Chapter of NATS, and the Texas Music Educators Association.

Patrick Hoyer, Monika Riedler, Simone Graf – Panel Discussion

Dr. rer. nat. Patrick HOYER studied Chemistry and History at the Free University of Berlin. After his Ph.D. in 1993 he concluded further studies in Tokyo, Mainz and Munich in the fields of non-invasive measurement techniques and characterization. Since 2000 he is active in the Fraunhofer Headquarters and since 2018 head of the department of Production, Light&Surfaces, Innovation. In his research work he focusses on a better understanding of vocal tract resonances and their use in vocal education.

The otorhinolaryngologist specialist Dr. med. Simone GRAF treats patients with voice, speech, language and swallowing disorders. She is the head of in the phoniatrics department at the Rechts der Isar Clinic of the Technical University of Munich and member of the board of directors of the German interdisciplinary society of dysphagia. She dedicates her knowledge in support of professional and non-professional singers.

Prof. Monika RIEDLER studied voice at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She broadened her vocal skills in continuing private studies with Sena Jurinac and Ruthilde Boesch in Vienna, with Maya Mayska in Barcelona and with Brigitte Eisenfeld in Berlin. She performed at the Berlin Staatsoper unter den Linden, at the Hamburg Staatsoper, at the Tyrol Festival Erl and with many international and local festivals. Monika Riedler has dedicated a considerable part of her career to the many facets of teaching music and voice. Her wide repertoire as a singer and specifically her knowledge in the Asian bodywork discipline of Zhan Zhuang Chi Kung have made her into a sought-after voice teacher. She is now a professor of voice pedagogy at the Munich University of Music and also part of Antonio Salieri Institute at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna.

Healthy Vocal Folds between Subglottal System and Vocal Tract

The aim of the presentation is to elucidate the role of the vocal folds as acoustic elements in professional singing including resonance focussed methods in teaching. High performance singing demands a physiologically compatible use of the voice. The vocal output is determined on the sound source (glottis) and the surrounding tubular system. Professional singers are a highly aware of their vocal apparatus and can reproduce acoustically adjusted vocal tract positions.

Acoustical impedance measurements during phonation have greatly enhanced our knowledge of the singing voice. Resonance occurs if so called standing waves are supported by geometric structures in the vocal tract. If the vocal folds would act as a reflective element for resonant acoustic waves, the resonance frequencies were expected to be highly dependent on the degree of glottal opening. However, in contrast to non-trained singers, professional singers adjust their vocal resonances, so they become only marginally dependent on the glottal opening. This includes vowel dependent resonances as well as resonances of the singers formant cluster. Thus, in professional singers, the vocal folds are less active in the formation of vocal tract resonances.

The findings support the idea that in high-performance singing the vocal folds act as an area of transition between the subglottal region and the vocal tract rather than as a barrier. This adjustment of the vocal tract resonances reduces the load at the vocal folds and is believed to be an important aspect in maintaining a healthy voice.

Furthermore, the non-invasive impedance measurement of resonances during breathing and during phonation may lead to the creation of additional exercises to adjust of the vocal tract shape including the subglottal region in support of the acoustic output. For this scope, frequencies offered by a speaker at the open mouth and without phonation are enhanced by an acoustically driven adaptation of the vocal resonances. The exercises help students to realize the concept of resonance in a practical approach and vocal teachers may adjust resonances of the students to develop the voices depending on their individual needs.

MEERDINK Christopher

Dr. Christopher Meerdink is a licensed massage therapist (#121366) and a licensed massage therapy instructor (#3204) in the state of Texas, U.S.A. In addition to his massage training and licensure, he has recently earned a M.A. degree from West Texas A&M University in Counseling. Dr. Meerdink works to integrate and apply his three areas of training for his students and clients.

Dr. Meerdink has performed extensively in recital, concert, and on the opera stage. He is recorded on the NAXOS label on two CD collections. Currently, Dr. Meerdink is Assistant Professor of Music, Voice at West Texas A&M University. Dr. Meerdink earned his B.Mus. from Houghton College in Houghton, New York, his M.M. degree from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, and his D.M.A. degree from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Massage for Singers: maintenance of the singing athlete

While it is widely accepted that there are healthful benefits to massage in general, few may be aware of the benefits of massage specifically to singers. Muscular nodules and adhesions can lead to discomfort, pain, or limited muscular function. The singing instrument, including the abdomen, anterior and posterior, torso, including the shoulders, the neck and the head may also experience limited range of motion, impeding optimal function. Much like sports massage that includes pre-event, intra-event, and post event massage to optimize the performance of the athlete, so massage may be applied to the singer as an athlete to maintain high functioning of the physically demanding job of singing. This presentation demonstrates massage geared toward singing athletes.

NAGL ELKE

Univ.-Prof. MMag. Dr. Elke Nagl is a singer, professor of voice and the dean for the pedagogical studies at the Antonio Salieri Department of Vocal Studies and Vocal Research in Music Education at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw). She completed her music education in voice, vocal pedagogy and flute with a distinction award from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Transport, and received her doctorate in philosophy on the topic "Investigation of the vocal resilience of music and singing pedagogues" at the mdw. Elke performed as a soloist in church music, oratorio, artsong and jazz. As part of her teaching activities she led several musical projects: Grease, Cats, Dance of the Vampires, Fame. She is a conductor of the church choir Franzensdorf and the a-capella ensemble "stimmstark". Regular speaker at numerous congresses and lecture rounds, Elke Nagl is a founder of the project "Stimmservice - Stimme ein Leben lang " vocal health and maintenance initiative of the mdw.

Stimmservice - Stimme ein Leben lang"; Vocal Health and Maintenance Initiative of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna

"Stimmservice - Stimme ein Leben lang" is a vocal health and maintenance initiative of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, focusing primarily on the professional singing and speaking voice. Dedicated ENT-s, speech-language pathologists, speech educators as well as singing pedagogues work in a team to guide and plan the individual paths of monitoring, building and maintaining a resilient vocal function. During extensive consultations, lectures and voice training clients are provided with comprehensive information on voice physiology, voice hygiene (facts, tips and tricks), as well as vocal & body techniques. Univ.-Prof. MMag. Dr. Elke Nagl will present the concept of the "Stimmservice" and its working principles based on the idea of a lifelong voice care.

RAGAN Kari

Author, singer, and voice pedagogue, Kari Ragan holds degrees from the University of Washington (DMA), and Indiana University (MM, BM). Dr. Ragan was the recipient of the prestigious Van. L. Lawrence Award, the NATS Foundation Pedagogy Award, and was selected to be a Master Teacher for the NATS Intern Program in June 2021. Dr. Ragan works in affiliation with the University of Washington Laryngology program to help rehabilitate singers with injured voices. She has maintained a thriving Independent Voice Studio for nearly forty years and served on the voice faculty at the University of Washington teaching Applied Voice, Voice Pedagogy, and more. Dr. Ragan serves as the NATS Advancement Committee Chair and the moderator of NATS Chats. She is the co-founder of the Northwest Voice: Art and Science of the Performing Voice Conference, a multi-disciplinary meeting held annually in Seattle, Washington. Plural Publishing released her book A Systematic Approach to Voice: The Art of Studio Application in 2020. Other publications and information can be found at KariRagan.com.

The Singing Voice Rehabilitation / Specialist’s Initial Evaluation: Voice History Interview and Singing Voice Assessment

When a singer is diagnosed with an injured voice, the singing voice rehabilitation specialist’s (SVS) initial evaluation is a critical component to the rehabilitative process. Ideally, the evaluation includes an extensive voice history interview followed by a singing voice evaluation. The information acquired from the initial evaluation will contain crucial information for the rehabilitative process. Knowing how to structure the voice history interview and singing voice evaluation is an important aspect of the singing voice rehabilitation specialist’s responsibilities. The initial evaluation also establishes a repour with the singer which goes a long way to gaining their trust. Of course, none of this happens without the collaboration of the medical voice team. Knowledge of the SVS’s scope of practice within that team and how to communicate with the laryngologist and SLP/SLT is imperative. This presentation outlines the SVS’s scope of practice, how to design an intake form, and guide a comprehensive voice history interview. It will further present a systematic approach to voice assessment during the singing voice portion of the initial evaluation. When evaluating through the lens of the five-voice systems: respiration, phonation, registration, articulation, and resonance, a template is provided to assess the work necessary for rehabilitation. During the singing voice evaluation, a systematic approach provides a framework within which technical inefficiencies may be identified. This assessment enables the SVS to select, design, and sequence vocal exercises through a systematic lens based on principles of voice mechanics to guide the rehabilitative process. This presentation provides specific strategies that the singing voice rehabilitation specialist can use to structure a comprehensive initial evaluation.

RÖSSNER Katharina (Co: Isabella RUNGGALDIER, Marianne MIEL)

Prof. Katharina Rössner-Stütz is a professor of voice at the University Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. She teaches studio voice and vocal pedagogy classes in the voice department/Music Education. She holds a DMA in voice and voice science of Lousiana State University and a Magister Artium of the Music University Vienna, Austria.

The Effects of Hormonal Changes During/After Pregancy and Climacteric – An Insight in the Practical Experience and Perception of Voice Professionals

The effects of hormones on the female singing voice got more and more into the focus of different studies in the recent past. However there is not yet much literature available about the challenges that female singers face because of hormonal changes in the time of pregnancy and during the climacteric period.

As voice professionals we are often confronted with the challenges that female singers face because of these hormonal changes. Therefore it is of great importance for voice professionals to be educated about the effects of these changes on our bodies and specifically on the voice itself.

The aim of this lecture is to give insight into this subject from the perspective of voice teachers and/or active professional singers. The results of a recently conducted online survey of voice professionals in 2021/22 will be presented, which will include subjective experiences and perceptions. These results will be combined with a literature comparison of results of existing studies relevant to our specific questions as well as our experience with this subject as voice teachers.

The conclusion will point out main issues that we need to know about and consider in our daily work as voice teachers and present some guidelines on how to maintain a healthy voice through times of change.

WILLIAMS Jenevora

Dr Jenevora Williams is a leading exponent in the field of vocal health and singing teaching. After a successful career in Opera, Jenevora turned her attention to investigating healthy and efficient vocal function. The combination of academic study and practical experience has resulted in a unique perception for understanding the human voice. She was the first singing teacher to be awarded a PhD in voice science in the UK, and won the 2010 BVA Van Lawrence Prize for her outstanding contribution to voice research. Her book, Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults, has been enormously popular with singing teachers throughout the world. She is well-known for her imaginative and rigorous training courses for singing teachers in the UK, the US and Europe. As a teacher of singing, she works with professional singers of all ages, as well as training teachers in rehabilitation for Vocal Health Education and BAPAM.

From empathic singing teacher to skilled rehabilitation specialist, what is the journey?

Our traditional 20th century culture where quantitative evidence directs medical intervention is shifting. We are now more cautious about instantly reaching for pharmaceutical or surgical solutions. More often we are accepting practice-based evidence, and looking at holistic inter-relationships for an individual, client-centred approach; this may no longer fit with the traditional model of a voice clinic team led by a surgeon. When looking at vocal health issues, clinical interventions are only a part of the whole. If we consider a biopsychosocial model as the overarching philosophy, we may find ourselves moving towards a vocal health team led by a singing teacher Vocal Rehabilitation Specialist (VRS). How can this be accountable, ethical, practical and effective?

In this keynote presentation we will consider how we might select and train the right singing teachers to become the VRS; and how the team will assess, treat and rehabilitate with the client at the centre of a non-hierarchical, democratic, transdisciplinary framework.