University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Theses and Dissertations Summer 2020 The Singing Voice Specialist: An Essential Bridge Between Two Worlds Rebecca Holbrook Loar Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.edu/etd Part of the Music Performance Commons Recommended Citation Loar, R. The Singing Voice Specialist: An Essential Bridge Between Two Worlds. Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.edu/etd/6056 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you by Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons.
For more information, please contact digres@mailbox. THE SINGING VOICE SPECIALIST: AN ESSENTIAL BRIDGE BETWEEN TWO WORLDS by Rebecca Holbrook Loar Bachelor of Music Samford University, 1994 Master of Music Manhattan School of Music, 1998 Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctorate of Musical Arts in Music Performance School of Music University of South Carolina 2020 Accepted by: Tina Stallard, Major Professor Serena Hill-LaRoche, Committee Member Jacob Will, Committee Member Lucinda Halstead, Committee Member Cheryl L. Addy, Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School © Copyright by Rebecca Holbrook Loar, 2020 All Rights Reserved. ii DEDICATION To my amazing family - my loving husband Victor, inquisitive son Nathaniel, and beautiful daughter Charlotte.
Thank you for your sacrifice of late nights, dirty dishes, and lots of laundry during this process, especially during a global pandemic. To my parents for their endless support and encouragement. To my mother, the journalist, for acting as editor-in-chief on this project. To my sister for too many ‘pick me up’ phone calls to document.
To all my friends for encouraging coffee dates, late night phone calls, and attending recitals and performances. My heart is full. I am forever grateful for each of you. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thank you to my committee - Dr.
Tina Stallard, Dr. Serena Hill- LaRoche, Prof. Jacob Will, and Dr. Lucinda Halstead - for your assistance with this project.
Particular thanks extended to Dr. Tina Stallard, mentor, teacher, and committee advisor for guidance through this degree program, and Traci Hair for ceaseless assistance navigating this process. iv ABSTRACT For more than 35 years, voice teachers have been seeking an educational platform to adequately prepare a Singing Voice Specialist. Several degree ideas have been proposed, none of which have been fully implemented, leaving the field of Singing Voice Specialty without a certifying body or way to achieve licensure or certification.
This document seeks to uncover the current progress in the field of Singing Voice Specialty, the progression of educational programs geared toward Singing Voice Specialization, possible accrediting associations, and future education needed to propel this profession forward. In seeking these answers, experts within various aspects of voice care are interviewed to discuss the aforementioned questions. An anonymous survey was administered to singers which included questions regarding performance genre, vocal health, and knowledge of Singing Voice Specialization. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication .v List of Figures.
ix List of Abbreviations .1 Chapter 1 Voice Care Professionals .7 Chapter 2 Common Voice Disorders .12 Chapter 3 Histological Literature Review .17 Chapter 4 Educational Programs for Singing Voice Specialists .33 Chapter 5 Past, Present, Future .44 Chapter 6 Survey Results .72 Appendix A: Singing Voice Handicap Index Form .76 Appendix B: IRB Application and Approval Letter .78 Appendix C: DMA Voice Recitals .89 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 Common Voice Disorders .62 vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AIVP. American Institute of Vocal Pedagogy ASHA. American Speech-Hearing-Language Association CCC. Certificate of Clinical Competency CEU.
Continuing Education Units DMA. Doctorate of Musical Arts ENT. Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor MTNA. Music Teachers National Association NASM .National Association of Schools of Music NATS.
National Association of Teachers of Singing NCTM. Nationally Certified Teacher of Music NCVS .National Center for Voice and Speech NYSTA. New York Singing Teachers Association PAMA. Performing Arts Medicine Association PAVA.
Pan American Vocology Association RV. Recognized Vocologist SLP. Speech-Language Pathologist SVHI. Singing Voice Handicap Index SVS.
Singing Voice Specialist VASTA. Voice and Speech Trainers Association, Inc. viii INTRODUCTION Dr. Robert Sataloff describes Singing Voice Specialists as “singing teachers who have acquired extra training to prepare them for work with injured voices, in collaboration with a medical voice team.
They are indispensable for singers.”1 The Voice Foundation’s website simply states; “The Singing Voice Specialist is a singing teacher with special training equipping him or her to practice in a medical environment with patients who have sustained vocal injury. Most Singing Voice Specialists have a degree in voice performance or pedagogy. Some have extensive performing and teaching experience, but without a formal academic degree. Nearly all have professional performance experience, as well as extra training in laryngeal anatomy and physiology of phonation, training in the rehabilitation of injured voices, and other special education.”2 Many singers suffer with voice disorders at some point in their career.
The first line of defense is most often an Otolaryngologist or Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctor for a diagnosis. After the diagnosis, the patient is often referred to a Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP) for rehabilitation. Once they have completed the designated sessions with the SLP, they are released from care. For the average person, this level of care is adequate and he/she performs the tasks established in the patient plan of care.
However, 1 Robert Sataloff, Voice Health and Pedagogy (San Diego: Singular Publishing Group, Inc. 2 The Voice Foundation, Accessed April 12, 2020, https://voicefoundation.org/health-science/voice-disorders/voice-care-team/singing-and- acting-voice-specialists/. 1 when the patient is a singer, the care must continue long after speech therapy in the medical setting. Once a singer returns to voice instruction after an injury, the instructor needs to have additional pedagogical information to manage instruction for a recovering singer.
If the singer is not currently studying with an instructor who has adequate pedagogical knowledge, the patient should be referred to a Singing Voice Specialist as part of their voice care team. Much has been written about vocal pedagogy and teaching the injured singer, yet there is still not a determined path that can lead someone to enter this field. Since 1984 there have been discussions of the designation of a Singing Voice Specialist. Sataloff is the first to have suggested the title, even developing an Arts Medicine degree for such a profession, however this program was never implemented.
Since then, many have discussed different certifications and degree programs in order to facilitate education in this area, yet none had been adopted until now. In 2018, the University of North Texas finally opened the world’s first PhD program in Arts Medicine with emphasis on the science of the health of the performing artist. “We need to get the knowledge out there that musicians need to protect their bodies. In the case of vocalists, they need to know how to prevent overuse, misuse and abuse of their voices.”3 Along with Ohio State University’s Singing Health Specialization, this allows for new, more specified education.
This area of study is gaining traction, but is it enough to propel the field forward? Will these programs offer a targeted education which will funnel voice 3 “UNT to offer world’s first music doctoral degree in performing arts health” University of North Texas, UNT News Service, January 9, 2018.edu/news-releases/unt-offer-world%E2%80%99s-first-music-doctoral- degree-performing-arts-health 2 instructors into this career path? Will those who are looking for this career still piece together a program on their own or seek this more specialized curriculum? In preparation for this project, questions have been informally asked of doctors, Speech-Language Pathologists and voice teachers alike. Most questions have been met with interest yet no answers, with the exception of Speech-Language Pathologists – perhaps because the boundaries are quite close. Singing Voice Specialty is a thin veil between the uncertified musical world of vocal pedagogy and the certified medical world of Speech-Language Pathology. In this document, a brief history of vocology (the science and practice of vocal habilitation and treatment of voice disorders4) along with an outline of the literature specifically discussing the legacy of this designation will be included.
In addition, interviews with Otolaryngologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, Singing Voice Specialists, and voice professors – all of whom are leaders in their field – will discuss the current state of this designation and what they perceive are the needed next steps in order to further growth in this field. Statement of Purpose It is the intention of this document to highlight the need for Singing Voice Specialists and curricula specifically designed for education in this career path. The organizations established for voice science education will be discussed, as well as possible certification programs to facilitate such a title, the future of this designation, and the needed steps to propel this profession forward. 4 Ingo Titze, introduction to Principles of Voice Production (New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
3 Methodology Chapter 2 will describe the various voice professionals who manage the care of a singer. Chapter 3 will explain common vocal fold injuries and their traditional methods of care. Chapter 4 of this study will chronologically outline the developments of the designation since 1984. Chapter 5 will show the current educational and professional developments as well as potential future educational possibilities.
Chapter 6 will be comprised of interviews with Otolaryngologists, Speech-Language Pathologists, current Singing Voice Specialists, and voice teachers to discuss the current state of the field, adequacy of current educational programs, future curriculum needs, and the necessary steps to advance the profession. Chapter 7 will summarize survey data. In addition, an anonymous survey will be administered to singers posing the following questions: 1. Are you a singer? 2.
If so, are you an undergraduate, graduate or professional singer? 3. Have you had formal singing training? 4. If so, how long did/ have you studied? 5. What style of music do you sing most often? (Classical, Jazz, CCM, Musical Theater) 6.
Have you ever experienced a vocal injury? 7. If so, did your injury require surgery? 8. Did you participate in voice therapy with a Speech-Language Pathologist? 4 9. Upon completion of therapy, did you seek private instruction or continue private instruction with your current teacher? 10.
Have you ever heard of a Singing Voice Specialist? Need for Study The Harvard Medical School recently published an article which explained the most common vocal disorders, their symptoms, and possible treatment options. Common vocal fold disorders include vocal cord nodules, vocal cord polyps, contact ulcers, and laryngitis.5 A study was recently published in the Journal of Voice titled “The Impact of Vocal and Laryngeal Pathologies on Professional Singers,” which concluded that “professional singers are at an increased risk of laryngeal pathologies and symptoms associated with vocal misuse and overuse, particularly hoarseness, gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD), edema, and polyps.”6 With increased risk in this profession, there is an increase for the need of specified treatment for singers. However, retrieving accurate data on the number of singers that have experienced pathologies is not possible. Many singers will not report a problem of hoarseness or laryngitis to a doctor if it can be handled at home quietly.
The stigma of a vocal problem among musicians carries a psychological weight that cannot be understood by the average person. This topic and its results are out of the scope of this paper but are worth mentioning here to support the need for Singing Voice Specialists. Singing Voice Specialists need to have not only an 5 “Vocal Cord Disorders: What is it?,” Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, November 2018.edu/a_to_z/vocal-cord- disorders-a-to-z 6 Michelle Kwok and Guy Eslick.“The Impact of Vocal and Laryngeal Pathologies on Professional Singers: A Meta-Analysis,” Journal of Voice 33, no. 1 (2019) 5 extended medical knowledge of these conditions and their treatment options, but also an understanding of the psychological impact on a singer while they are going through treatment and rehabilitation.
The psychological aspects of the diagnosis of a voice disorder for a singer veer out of the scope of this document.