VOLUME 21, ISSUE 3

The Voice

VOICE OF THE

The Voice

EDITOR

Kim Steinhauer, PhD

Vocalises for Vocal-Ease!

IN THIS ISSUE:
THE VOICE OF
THE EDITOR

1BY EDITORKIM
STEINHAUER,PHD
TONGUE
COORDINATION
EXERCISES2, 3, 4BY MATTHEWEDWARDS, DMA
S. CALIFORNIA
CHAPTER NEWS4

MY TOP THREE
TEACHING
EXERCISES5, 6

BY SARIGRUBER,SOPRANONEW ENGLAND
CHAPTER INTRO

7

HOUSTON AREA
CHAPTER NEWS8

EXPLORING~ BREATHMANAGEMENT~ RIB
EXPANSION’SCONNECTION

9, 10

BY KIM STEINHAUER, PHD

All of us collect many vocal
exercises for our teaching
toolbox, but we also returnto our favorites regularly.
Matthew Edwards, Sari
Gruber, and Brian Winnie
graciously agreed to share
their “go-to” vocalises that
expand range, extend power,
lengthen endurance, and increase flexibility. Writing

voice exercises is quite a challenge without an audio model; however, our contributors
did a fantastic job conveying
melody in their text. Enjoy
experimenting, and watch for
my future issue that will explore Favorite Exercises for
the Voice Patient as submitted by our clinical specialists!

VOICE OF THE EDITORKIM STEINHAUER, PHD

Voice of

Head of Voice
Point Park University
Conservatory of Performing Arts
President, Estill Voice International

the Editor
And the Director’s 2¢

BY BRIAN J.
WINNIE, DMA

CHINA CHAPTERDOINGS11

TEXAS CHAPTERVOICESYMPOSIUM

1246TH ANNUALSYMPOSIUM
INFO

13

CONTACT

14

BY MARIA RUSSO, MM

There are occasional days when I am just tired of the wellworn vocalizes in my teaching tool-box. Certainly there
must be another way to accomplish [fill in the blank], evenperhaps, a better way? This newsletter is a gold mine forvoice teachers who are always searching to augment theirchoices, and, for others, a glimpse into the whys and whatfors of all that “la, la, la.”AS ELEKTRA, VOCALIZING HER GRIEF & FRUSTRATION (JUST PLAIN NUTTY)V OLU ME

21,

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BY MATTHEW EDWARDS , DMA

When a student is

3

Page 2EXERCISES
tion of English, but also Ital-urge to retract the tongue.

struggling to produce vow-ian, German, French, andWhen the student is comfort-els or consonants, or if theirsometimes Czech, Spanish,able with sustained pitches,

tongue is retracting, teach-and Russian. With all of

progress to 1-3-1 glides anders will often say the stu-these demands being placed

then 1-2-3-2-1 scales. The

dent has “tongue tension.”on the motor system, it is no

singer does not need to ex-

However, in many cases thewonder that students

issue is actually a lack ofwill often struggle

coordination. Articulation

with tongue tension.

requires fine motor control

The objective of theof the tongue. If the tongue

exercises detailed be-

and the rest of the articula-

low is to release poste-

tors are not coordinated,rior tongue tension

singers will often compen-

and improve coordina-sate by creating tension intion when producing

other parts of the mecha-

vowels and consonants.

"If the tongue and the rest of the articulators
are not coordinated, singers will often
compensate by creating tension in otherparts of the mechanism.”

nism.

plore the extremes of their
I begin with extended

range or dynamics, but ra-

tongue phonation. This exer-

ther should focus on the mid-

Commercial Music singers

cise can be used to simulta-

dle part of their range in ausually sing in their natural

neously warm-up the instru-

register that is appropriate

dialect, vowel modifications

ment and train the body thatfor the genre they sing.

are often required when

the tongue does not need tobelting and/or singing in

retract when phonating. The

rate the movement of thethe upper part of the range.

student protrudes their

tongue from the jaw. I ask

Musical theatre singers

tongue and closes their lips

the student to place theirmust learn to eliminate any

in a hum position. Have

hands on their cheeks andregional dialects in favor ofthem begin with sustained

drop their jaw to a comforta-a more neutral pronuncia-

pitches to help coordinate

ble position, what I call thetion. Classical singers mustthe respiratory and phonato-

not only master pronuncia-

ry system while resisting the

While Contemporary

The next step is to sepa-(Continued on page 3)

The Voice of the Baritone

VOLUME 21, ISSUE 3

Page 3TONGUE COORDINATION CONTINUED

mint in a vertical position first; if that is(Continued from page 2)

uncomfortable I have them switch to a

“Home Alone face.” If the student
needs further guidance to find acomfortable dropped position, havethem place the tip of their tongue
on the roof of their mouth and lower their jaw. If they feel a stretch orpull of the muscles of the jaw or
tongue, they have opened too far. I
then have the student sing “la, la,la, la, la” on a 1-2-3-2-1 patternusing only the tip of the tongue toform the consonant and instructthem to form the /a/ vowel without
retracting the tongue. I follow “la”
with “na” and “da.” I then work on
the back consonants /g/ and /k/ using the same formula. For these
consonants, I instruct the student
to produce the consonant using the
mid-part of the tongue

student sing combina-“kada, kada, kada,kada, ka” or “gala,gala, gala, gala, ga” on
a 1-2-3-2-1 pattern.

pitch and help them adjust their
tongue position as needed to fine-tune
the vowel for the pitch they are singing. We then move to /I/ then /e/then /ɛ/ then / æ/ then /a/. After the
student can successfully navigate
vowels on single pitches, I move toglides, then scales, then arpeggios
modifying the vowel as necessary.
When the student is able to successfully navigate arpeggios, I have themremove the Altoids and repeat the

MATTHEW EDWARDS, DMA

exercise while trying to replicate the

Associate Professor, Voice
Shenandoah University

tongue positions they found when
their jaw was stabilized.

I have found that in most cases,
Finally I have the student sing

this series of exercises will increase

simple word patterns to combine thethe student’s awareness of the funcsinging. Of course there"Finally, I have the student sing simple

ate. Finally I have thenants, for instancestudent to sing /i/ on a sustainedtion of their tongue whenagainst the hard pal-tions of these conso-

horizontal position. Next I ask theare other factors that canlead to tongue tension

word patterns to combine the consonant

and those should be addressed as they arise.

and vowel work.. For example...Keep yourWith diligent practice of
these exercises, the student’s fine motor skills

cookies cool...on a 5-4-3-2-1 pattern. ”

vocal production.

Next I use a variationof a Lessac exercise to improve theconsonant and vowel work. For ex-

formation of vowels.2 I have theample “Think a thought throughout”

student place an Altoid mint be-or “Keep your cookies cool” on a 5-4-

tween the molars on both sides

3-2-1 pattern (for more word phrases(Lessac uses a sliced wine cork). I

see McClosky pages 19-20).3

instruct the student to place thewill improve as will their

References(Continued on page 4)

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Page 4Southern California
Chapter Doings
October 23, 2016

A Bit onBelting:
History,
TechniqueandPedagogy
Lisa Popeil
President:
Lindsay Reder, MD
Vice President:
Lisa Popeil, MFA
Secretary:
Karen Kochis-Jennings PhD,
CCC-SLP
Treasurer:
Robert Dowhy, MS, CCC-SLP
Contact:
Email Lisa
TONGUE COORDINATION CONTINUED(Continued from page 3)

1.

Behrman, A., Haskell, J. Exer-

2. Lessac, A. The Use and Training of

3. McClosky, D. B. Your Voice at its

cises for Voice Therapy. San Die-

the Human Voice: A Practi-

Best, 5th ed. Long Grove, IL:

go, CA: Plural Publishing; 2008.

cal Approach to Speech andWaveland Press, Inc.; 2011.

Voice Dynamics. New York,
NY: DBS Publications, Inc.;
1967.

VOLUME 21, ISSUE 3

Page 5

MY TOP THREE TEACHIN G EXERCISESBY SARI GRUBER, SOPRANO

1. I always begin a lesson or personal practice session with an easyround of "ng" or "mm" on 1-3-5-3-1,
beginning in the lower middle register and moving up by half step until
just below the pure "head voice"register. It helps to establish andassess the functionality of the fineedge of the cords as well as anawareness of laryngeal tilt. Being
sure to have the jaw hinge in a gen-tle "sip" rotation (back, up, andaround) with the tongue high andwide bridging the upper molars,smear the notes pianissimo fromnote to note, making sure not toland firmly. Rather, follow where
the body wants to lead you in yourapparatus when no pressure (and no
excess air or tension!) is exerted.
You might feel the larynx tilting
forward mid-voice, or even a difference in the pharyngeal direction -or both! The main point, even for
the virtuoso, is to allow the body to
do what it is built to do easily, tostop getting in the body's way by
micromanaging our vocalization!
We need only set up the structureorganically, and then trust that thisfoundation is enough to live freely
and happily within it. Feel the voicerather than hear the voice.
2. As a lighter lyric soprano, I havelong sought to balance myweaker middle to lower middle range. My favorite
maintenance exercise is on"ee," with a rounded aperture in front and with thejaw hinge in a sip position, high/broad tongue, as above. In theseoctave leaps, thread from the middle register down into speech register ("chest voice") and back up into
middle register again. Move down
by half steps until the bottom of the
vocal range is reached. I usually
start at C5, which also works wellfor mezzo sopranos. I generally do
not use this exercise with my malestudents.
8-1-8-7-⬇7-7-8-5-3-1

The Voice of the Soprano

SARI GRUBER, SOPRANO
Vocal Instructor, Duquesne University
Mary Pappert School of Music and Point
Park University

Let the notes feel like they areneighbors, even though they may atfirst feel far apart. It helps, particularly at first, to allow a buoyant,easy yodel between registers, as the
thickness and length of the cords
change, and the larynx tilts backand forth. Exert no pressure on the
speech register! Rather than landing
hard, approach the speech registerwith the same shape and poise as
the rest of the instrument. As you
move towards the lowest notes ofyour range, gently move the jaw
straight back just a little to get a(Continued on page 6)

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Page 6

MY TOP THREE.., CONTINUED(Continued from page 5)

wider pharyngeal stretch and acleaner sound. You may also gain abonus half step or two down therethat you didn't know you had!
3. This exercise connects the speechand head registers very efficiently
by executing a two octave leap up
then down again beginning at G3 on"eh." (This can also be modified toan octave plus a fifth for men begin-ning at or near B-flat2 or C3.) Aswith my other exercises, make surethe jaw is in an easy "sip" rotation,
tongue is high and broad, etc. At
first, this leap may seem impossible,
and the immediate tendency formost students is to drag up vocal
heft by locking at the tongue root,
over-opening the mouth, and contracting the back of the neck. In
subsequent attempts, try to get thetwo pitches to feel as if they are
next door to each other, rather thanso far apart. Allow the Sternocleido-

mastoid muscles next to the larynx
to feel wide throughout the exercise,
while allowing the larynx to movefreely without any interference fromthe tongue (which should remain by
the molars!) or any of the supportive neck muscles. Move up by half
steps for several times through theexercise. Remember, sing structurally. Either you hear the concert or
the audience does, and they pay!

Happy singing!

N AT S / T V F C H AT S E A S O N I S H E R E !
The NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing) Chats, sponsored by Inside View Press, are live online, realtime discussions for voice teachers and singers; SLPs; and Laryngologists. Topics vary widely and have included classical and CCM (Contemporary Commercial Music) vocal technique, vocal repertoire, teaching strategies, businessstrategies for private studio teachers, resources for university teachers, and arts advocacy. Guests have included
prominent teachers, authors, composers, and artists.

NATS / TVF Chats - interesting for everyone. Support us!
For the two TVF-sponsored Chats, Margaret (Peggy) Baroody, Singing-Voice Specialist, will co-host with Dr.
Kari Ragan.
Register in advance: you'll get a reminder email as the day approaches.
December NATS Chat - Guests: Dr. Michael Johns, laryngologist"The Aging Voice"
Date: Dec. 11, 2016
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT
Guests: Dr. Michael Johns, laryngologist, and Peggy Baroody
Register HERE for the December NATS Chat.

May NATS Chat - Guest: Paulo Szot, renowned Met and Broadway Star,"Classical Crossover: From the Met to Broadway and Back"
Date: May 21, 2017 (Third Sunday)
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT
Guest: Paulo Szot
Register HERE for the May NATS Chat.

FULL CHAT SCHEDULE
NATS CHAT FAQ
NATS CHAT TRANSCRIPTS ARCHIVE

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Page 7

Our New New England Chapter
On October 28, 2016, the inaugural meeting of the New England Chapter of The
Voice Foundation was held. Our organization kicked off with a wonderful crowd
and and a fantastic lecture by our Chairman, Dr. Robert T. Sataloff. 33 people attended, at least 9 of which were current VF members. Dr. Sataloff gave a lecture
entitled Laryngology 2016: State of the Art which was extremely well received. We
look forward to our next Chapter meeting in February! JOIN US—Contact:
voice@partners.org
Officers:
President: Thomas Carroll, MD
Vice President:
Chandler Thompson, DMA, MS, CCC-SLP
Secretary:
Douglas Roth, MM, MA, CCC-SLP
Treasurer: Noel Smith, BFA
Officer: Jayme Dowdall, MD
Contact: voice@partners.org

Founding Members:
Leah Mckinnon-Howe,DNP,ANP-BC,
Tiffiny Hron, MD
Pavan Mallur, MD
Victoria Flormann, MS,CCC-SLP
Jennifer Winston, MS,CCC-SLP
Barbara Worth,MS, CCC-SLPThe New England Chapter isfor anyone interested in thehuman voice, including physicians, speech-language
pathologists, teachers of
singing, voice scientists, singers, allied health providers,and students.

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Contact: Nicole Trieu

Page 8

THE

Page 9VO IC EBY BRIAN J. WINNIE, DMA

One of the most integral
aspects to achieving healthy
singing in all styles is proper
breath management as it relates to the onset of sound.
When first exploring breath
management it is importantto learn breath’s connection
to phonation, which can beachieved through utilizing
the concept of appoggio; fromthe Italian appoggiare meaning “to lean”. Although connected to the bel canto tradition, appoggio can also be
helpful within all styles andqualities of singing.
There are many breathing
techniques that are espoused
by vocal and choral teachers
including thoracic/intercostal,
abdominal/diaphragmatic,
and pelvic breathing. The
concept of appoggio relates toutilizing not one, but all ofthese techniques in connection to the onset of phonation. The “leaning” sensationis understood as controlling
the pressure built beneathclosed vocal folds; known as
subglottic pressure. In order
to explore this sensation, students must first identify andfeel the expansion of the ribcage during inhalation andthen during a controlled exhalation.
Combining the sensations ofrib, back, and epigastric(upper abdominal) expansion
allows students to anchor

their breath dependent on the
vocal demands of the music.
When exploring breath management, students should alsoutilize a “silent breath” representative of open rather thanclosed vocal folds during inhalation. Prior to the vocalisein figure 1, students should
first find the proper alignment and then explore thefollowing strategies.
Have students place theirhands on their ribs, back, andupper abdominal area in various combinations while inhaling.
Have students feel a stretch,with hands at their sides,from the center mid-line of
their body: sternum and spine
outward through their shoulders. This helps students feel
rib expansion rather thanjust rib elevation while
breathing.

The VoiceoftheChoralConductor

Have students lay palms of
their hands on the top of
their head with elbows
pointed outward to the side.
As students inhale in thisposition they should noticethe expansion of their rib
cage. Have students maintain this feeling while lowering their arms to a resting
position hanging by the sideof their body.
Have students press thepalms of their hands together in front of their face, finBRIAN J. WINNIE,
gers pointed upwards, withelbows pointed outward while D M A
inhaling. Use various fitness
bands that can be gripped by Director of Choral Activities& Voicethe hands and stretched inSouthwestern College
front of the body to feel the
expansion.
The expansion of the ribcage
should be maintained
throughout the exhalation.
Visual learners can think of
an “inverted pyramid” withthe four points being two at
the ribs, one at the upper
abdominal region, and one at
the back. Students should
focus on expanding all four
points/sides at the base of theinverted pyramid throughout
singing. The top point of theinverted pyramid then moves
slowly upward throughout
the exhalation.
Once achieved, students canbegin exploring various elongated spoken sounds on [v],[z], [m], [u], [a], [i] while
maintaining the sensation of(Continued on page 10)

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3

Page 10EXPLORING... CONTINUEDFIGURE 1(Continued from page 9)

expansion. When connecting
these sensations to singing it
is important to maintain the
expanded posture and continue to feel that these areas arebeing engaged and connected,
not rigid, until this becomes
habit. Singers should takenote of the amount of air
needed to produce thesesounds, and the balance between subglottic pressure andthe onset as it relates to appoggio or the “leaning” sensation.
The following vocal exercise
in figure 1, can then be used
to connect these sensations tosinging while focusing on expanding the ribcage prior toeach onset and on each eighth

rest. Have students place one
hand on either the ribs orepigastrium, and one hand on
the upper abdomen or pelvic
area during these exercises.
During inhalation students
should focus on expanding
the rib cage and upper abdominal areas while feeling
subtle natural movement
inward and slightly upwardin the lower abdominal area.
On each eighth rest the students should take a newbreath and repeat the expansion of the rib cage. As theexercise ascends to the 3rd
scale degree, the rib expansion should increase andshould not reset until thenext inhalation. The vocalise
then continues up chromatically by half step.

This exercise should be done acappella in order to focus on the
expanding sensation, sound, andto develop audiation skills. Additionally, while conducting theexercise the teacher should focus
on connecting sensations of expansion into their conducting
gesture and body. An advanced
step to the exercise is to have thestudents conduct the sensationsof rib expansion with the teacher
during the vocalise. In this sense
there is an imaginary ribcage inbetween their palms as they conduct. After careful practice of
this exercise, the singers will beable to expand the entire ribcage
prior to and during inhalation,
maintain the expansion during
singing, and quickly reset thesensation with a new breath during each rest.

Choose Voice Foundation as your Amazon Smile Charity
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Set Your Amazon Smile Charity to VoiceFoundation

V OLU ME

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Page 11China Chapter Doings
President:
Jack Jiang, MD, PhD
Vice President:
Wen Xu, MD
Secretary:
Jun Shao, MD
Treasurer:
Peiyun Zhuang, MD

The members of The Voice Foundation China Chapter met in Tianjin, China on October 29th. We got
together to talk about the role and the next meeting for The Voice Foundation and how to promote
the field of voice in China. A few senior members of
The Voice Foundation attended the gathering. I
am including a photo from the meeting for you. 31
people participated in this gathering.

We also had the 3rd China Voice Symposium which was well participated. The format is verymuch like the Voice Foundation. It was attended by physicians, singing teachers, as well as
speech therapists. We also had a gala dinner where there was a performance by people
from our field. I have attached a few photos for your information.
The influence of the Voice Foundation is spreading internationally. The founders, including
Dr. Sataloff’s contributions, have helped to make a new field.
Long-time TVF active members Voice Trainer William Riley, MM and Linda Carroll, PhD, CCCSLP, ASHA Fellow presented.

January 21, 2017 CLICK HEREV OLU ME

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Page 13

VOICE FOUNDATION NEWS4 6 TH A N N U A L S Y M P O S I U M :CARE OF THE PROFESSIONAL VOICECHAIRMAN, ROBERT T. SATALOFF

MAY 31—JUNE 4, 2017 PHILADELPHIA PENNSYLVANIA

Wednesday, May 31

Friday, June 2

Basic Science Tutorials
Accent Reduction Coaching

Young Laryngologists Study Group
Vocal Workshops
Voices of Summer Gala

Thursday, June 1
Science Sessions
Quintana Awardee: RJ Baken PhD
Keynote Speech: Joseph Zabner, MD
PanelsSaturday, June 3
Mixed Sessions and Panels
G. Paul Moore Lecture - Sten Ternström, PhD

Poster Session

Vocal Master Class

Friday, June 2

Sunday, June 4

Special Session:
Nancy P. Solomon, PhD, Lance Wahlert,

Mixed Sessions and Panels

PhD, Wylie Hembree, MD, Adrienne Hancock, PhD, CCC-SLP, Jenni Oates, PhD, M
App Sc. & Georgia Dacakis, B App Sc (SpPath), Grad Dip Comm Dis., M. Ed., and aSpecial Guest

FRIDAY MORNING SPECIAL SESSION

What in the WORLD does
Nancy Pearl Solomon, PhD havein store for us on
Friday, June 2nd, 2017?

THE VOICE FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORSCHAIRMAN
Robert Thayer Sataloff, MD,
DMA, FACSPRESIDENT
Stuart Orsher, MD
VICE-PRESIDENT
Michael S. Benninger, MD
SECRETARY
Mary Hawkshaw
TREASURER AND
GENERAL COUNSELBrian P. Flaherty, Esq.
ADVISORY BOARD CHAIRMAN
Michael M. Johns III, MD

DIRECTORS
Martina Arroyo
Harolyn Blackwell
Claudia Catania
Jennifer Creed
Abdul-Latif Hamdan, MD
Gwen S. Korovin, MD
Justice Sandra Newman
Renata ScottoMichael Sheehan
George Shirley
Caren J. Sokolow
Diana Soviero

THE VOICE FOUNDATION
STAFF

THE VOICE FOUNDATION
219 N. Broad St. 10FL
Philadelphia, PA 19107

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,
THE VOICE FOUNDATIONMaria Russo, MM(215) 735-7999

EXECUTIVE COORDINATORMANAGING EDITOR,
JOURNAL OF VOICE
Katie Erikson, MM

voicefoundation.org(215) 762-5572

office@voicefoundation.org
journal@voicefoundation.org
abstracts@voicefoundation.org
symposium@voicefoundation.org