Voice
What is voice therapy?
The goal of voice work is to build a strong, clear, healthy voice that meets your vocal demands and fits your personal communication style. Working on the voice typically includes a blend of learning about voice production, physical exercises and technique work, and developing strategies for challenging speaking and/or singing situations.
Voice work addresses:
A voice that feels weak or “tires out” by the end of the day
Hoarse, strained, breathy, squeaky, or gurgly voice quality
Diagnosed problems including vocal nodules, vocal cord dysfunction, spasmodic dysphonia, vocal polyps, or damage following surgery
Inability to project your voice, especially in noisy environments like restaurants or events
Problems related to breathing, speaking, and/or singing
Stylistic voice aspects such as authority or confidence
Reducing uptalk or vocal fry
What happens in voice therapy?
Voice therapy typically begins by learning about the muscles that control your voice, so that you understand how to use them in a healthy and effective way. Your clinician may assign you a “vocal hygiene program”, a fancy term for tips and tricks to keep your voice safe and functional.
Early voice therapy is often very technical. Your clinician will teach you exercises and assign home practice. Home practice is an essential component of voice therapy. Your voice is a muscle, it requires conditioning and repetition to heal and learn new patterns. Attending therapy sessions while ignoring home practice results in little to no progress.
Once you master the fundamental exercises, therapy shifts to sustaining your new, stronger, healthier voice in connected speech and conversation. This process is not dissimilar to training for long-distance running: you will start using your new skills in short conversation samples, then gradually extend to longer and longer periods of talking.