The Effects of a Voice Education Program on VHI Scores of Elementary School Teachers

Unlocking US Teachers´ Vocal Potential by Raising Awareness About the Body-Mind Interconnectedness in Voicepilates Training

“…Voice training as perceptual motor learning, having its roots in psychology and kinesiology, is a process, which is inferred (rather than directly observed), that leads to permanent changes in behavior as the result of exposure or practice (Helding, 2015). Voice training involves muscle adjustments for better alignment, breathing, resonance and vocal identity by learning and utilizing both explicit ("know-that") and implicit ("know-how") knowledge (Verdolini, 1997;Helding, 2015;Cuthberson-Lane, 2009). As muscles and joints throughout the body adjust themselves through sensory, motor and regulatory information to maintain physical balance, tension held anywhere will ultimately affect the voice in terms of quality, health and power (Cuthbertson-Lane, 2009).…”

“…This vagus nerve inhibits the extremes of the fight/flight response, becoming an engine for homeostasis; the balanced equilibrium of the body (Scaer, 2012). Cuthberson-Lane (2009) argues that chronic tension is both a result and a reflection of one´s overall emotional health, preventing one from experiencing a free and healthy voice. A physical habit begins with an in-the-moment reaction to stimulus that one learns to numb or avoid by assuming a certain shape or affecting a certain behavior.…”

“…When the subsequent charge of the trauma remains unleashed, it results in rigid, contracted tissue throughout the body, affecting the pattern of body use. According to Cuthberson-Lane (2009), over a prolonged period of time these patterns become ingrained in the system, as the brain forges new neural pathways as well as the cells and fibres of the connective tissue of the body align themselves along the lines of tensions in the body, responding by changing its shape in order to maintain overall balance and harmony in the body, becoming manifested as one´s physical structure.…”

Effects of a Voice Training Program on Acoustics, Vocal Use, and Perceptual Voice Parameters in Catalan Teachers

“…Regarding the effects of vocal training on functional lesions, Bovo et al [20] and Ruotsalainen et al [28] pointed out that these kinds of program are associated with an improvement in both self-reported and instrumentally assessed vocal functioning in teachers with functional dysphonia. Overall, the studies carried out to date suggest that voice education programs help teachers keep their voice healthy during the academic year [13, 14, 18, 19, 24, 29], reduce their perception of vocal strain [10, 27], increase voice intensity [26], improve voice quality [11], and reduce dysphonia [28, 20].…”

“…The aim of our program is for teachers to learn how to produce their voice in a healthy and efficient way, and to avoid or contrast symptoms such as hoarseness, vocal effort, timbre alteration, vocal fatigue, and/or difficulties in voice projection. These symptoms have proven to be common amongst teachers from all over the world, as we can see in studies from India [31], Taiwan [32], New Zealand [33], Spain [34], and Iran [29], among others. The basic content of the program consists of providing teachers with strategies to help them achieve healthier and more efficient phonation.…”