SOUND HEALTH

A short conference bringing together world-renown voice scientists and Nashville-based voice practitioners for an evening of talks and discussion based in health related voice issues.

6-6:15 pm

Forward Head Posture and Somatic Strategies for Singers

Noah Rice, MM

Forward head posture (FHP) is a widespread postural pattern in contemporary life linked to disruptions in musculoskeletal alignment, respiratory function and vocal production. This short talk explores the current research on FHP within the context of vocal pedagogy, and how voice teachers might address these postural deviations in the singing studio through somatic and awareness-based strategies, alongside complementary bodywork modalities.

6:15-6:30 pm

Bri Worek, MS, CCC-SLP

For busy singer-songwriters, maintaining vocal health while navigating demanding performance schedules can be challenging. This presentation focuses on realistic, evidence-informed strategies for building effective vocal routines that fit into the lives of working musicians. From efficient warm-ups and cool-downs to practical recovery strategies and everyday vocal habits, attendees will explore simple, sustainable ways to support vocal health, flexibility, and endurance without adding unnecessary demands to an already busy schedule.

6:30-6:45 pm

Massage Therapy for The Vocal System

Ralph Magliano, MS, CCC-SLP, LMT

In this 15 min presentation, Speech-Language Pathologist and Licensed Massage Therapist Ralph Magliano will share how he uses massage therapy to help his clients with tension related restrictions of the vocal system. He will also share his published research, “Massage Therapy for a Voice Student with Behavioral Dysphonia When Singing: A Case Report”. His guiding clinical principle is that voice is a product of the whole body, not only the larynx.

6:45-7:00 pm

The Vagus Nerve and Voice

Liz Johnson, MM, PAVA-RV

The vagus nerve is a hot topic these days, but what does it do, and why as singers should we care about it? Learn about the anatomy of the vagus nerve and how we can use our superpower of singing to positively influence central nervous system function.

Keynote Presentations

7:05-7:50 pm

When the Speaking Voice Is Fine: Functional Voice Disorders in Singers

Miriam Van Mersbergen

Functional voice disorders may not always affect the speaking voice. This presentation explores a group of singers whose difficulties emerged primarily in singing, examining their clinical characteristics, possible underlying mechanisms, and implications for recognizing and working with functional voice symptoms in the voice studio.

7:50 - 8:30 pm

The inner Joy of Serving the Vocal Arts with Science

Ingo Titze

In the performing arts, we embellish, we overstate, we make something small into something big. In science we do not seek bravado; we do not embellish our findings. We understate our results. There are always caveats and qualifications with every discovery. The more we discover, the more we realize how little we know. There is an inner joy in giving deference to a higher intelligence. So, if any of you want to simultaneously live on a stage and in a laboratory, you will likely adopt two different personalities.