Differentiated Vocal Tract Control and the Reliability of Interpretations of Nasendoscopic Assessment

Some Vocal Consequences of Sleep Deprivation and the Possibility of “Fatigue Proofing” the Voice With Voicecraft® Voice Training

“…93 A recent study has demonstrated that differentiated control of various parameters of the larynx and vocal tract, including control of the ventricular folds can be developed and retained by individuals provided with such training. 96 The fact that these voice skills can be acquired relatively easily and retained suggests that they may be at least somewhat resilient to fatigue. For these reasons, a 4-day Voicecraft training was selected as a means to discover whether training of the voice might provide a countermeasure to the effect of fatigue on the voice.…”

Impact of Instructed Laryngeal Manipulation on Acoustic Measures of Voice–Preliminary Results

“…The three skills were initially taught in isolation until consistent mastery of the maneuver was demonstrated after which training to combine specific maneuvers was undertaken. 56 In summary, all participants were trained in three parameters of vocal tract control including FVFA (constriction [CONST] and release of constriction [ROC] of the false vocal folds), TVFM (manipulation of TVFM into a thin versus thick vocal fold setting), and LH (lowering the larynx compared to a habitual/normal larynx position) using the Voicecraft 39 system of training. Training was provided by the first author over a 12-week period and consisted of six 30-minute group instruction sessions, conducted once per week.…”

“…46 At the end of the training period, flexible laryngoscopy confirmed that all three laryngeal configurations were successfully manipulated by the speakers. 56 Table 1 shows all experimental conditions.…”

“…Task performance was verified after training using flexible laryngoscopy and the results of the visual verification have been published elsewhere. 56 Nasendoscopy was deemed inappropriate and invasive to conduct at the time of voice recording for acoustic analysis as previous attempts were reported by participants to interfere with the desired differential laryngeal manipulation during data collection, confounding the data. The first author (CM) also verified task performance during data collection to ensure that the participants correctly manipulated the laryngeal parameters as trained.…”

Nonspeech Oral Movements and Oral Motor Disorders: A Narrative Review

“…NSOMs also have been used in the behavioral management of speech production in childhood and adult dysarthria (Ray, 2001(Ray, , 2002 and in treating respiratory/phonatory dysfunction (Spencer et al, 2003). Another clinical application of NSOM is differentiated vocal tract control (DVTC), or the concept that individuals can learn the voluntary manipulation of specific muscular and biomechanical structures within the larynx and vocal tract (e.g., false vocal fold activity, true vocal fold mass, and larynx height; Honda, Hirai, Estill, & Tohkura, 1995;Kmucha, Yanagisawa, & Estill, 1990;Madill, Sheard, & Heard, 2008;Yanagisawa, Estill, Mambrino, & Talkin, 1991). This concept is included in two models of vocal training: Estill Voice Training Systems (Santa Rosa, CA) and Voicecraft (Adelaide, South Australia).…”