Services to get your voice back on track
At an initial consultation, you voice will be recorded and analysed using acoustic and aerodynamic tools that help us gain a clear picture of vocal condition in both singing and speech. These measures will allow us to compare your voice pre and posttreatment, and to monitor changes over time. We will discuss your voice concerns, previous treatments and diagnoses, and develop personalised recommendations to help you improve your singing vocal function.
We are also able to provide visualisation of the vocal folds using flexible videostroboscopy and are proud to be one of few providers in the country with this facility. Using a thin ‘telescope’ that passes through the nose, we are able to view and record fine vocal fold movement during speech and singing that provides a clear picture of how they are behaving. Visualisation of the vocal folds is crucial for diagnosis of injury or disorder, and is an invaluable tool for tracking changes in function over time.
We recommend that professional voice users have their vocal folds visualised when they are healthy to provide a baseline from which the voice can be compared in the event of a vocal injury or functional voice disorder.
Following up on your initial consultation, we will review your progress and re-record the voice using acoustic and aerodynamic tools. Follow-up consultations are generally shorter than an initial consultation and are designed to provide additional support and guidance for applying voice care recommendations and functional techniques. Visualisation of the vocal folds may also be appropriate.
Recording the voice at its best is an invaluable way to establish a healthy baseline to which the voice can be compared in the event of vocal injury and across subsequent treatment. Even though the voice may sound find to others, a singer generally knows when something is wrong and their voice feels different. Without prior recordings and data to compare, it may be difficult to adequately record and diagnose changes in the singing voice.
A baseline singing-voice assessment uses non-invasive voice analysis methods to measure and record vocal function at its best. In addition, the vocal folds can be visualised using a small camera passed through the nose (flexible nasoendoscopy/stroboscopy) and checked for any signs of injury or disorder (for more information on the procedure, click here).
Both the speaking and singing voice are recorded to provide a thorough overview of your voice behaviour in different contexts. These recordings are an invaluable aid and reference for singers who encounter voice problems later in life and may help their healthcare team recognise potentially problematic changes in the voice before they progress.
For singers who have undergone treatment for a voice injury or disorder. Once cleared by a laryngologist and SLT, these sessions help singers rehabilitate their singing voices to ensure a healthy return to performance. Voice condition is monitored closely, and progress is tracked using instrumental (objective) voice assessment techniques. As vocal rehabilitation is a multidisciplinary endeavour, previous laryngologists and SLTs will be consulted, and you may be re-referred on to a laryngologist if necessary. Depending on your goals, these sessions may be conducted in the Grafton clinics or at Calvin's private voice studio. Functional training is also useful for anyone who uses their voice for their work, e.g., teachers, lecturers, salespeople.
At times, singers encounter singing-voice problems that are challenging to move past. These may be related, for example, to breathing, resonance, breathiness, tension, or registration. Remedial singing-voice sessions provide targeted assessment and functional voice work to alleviate specific singing-voice issues.
Tenille Hicks, Health Coach
https://nourishlifehealthcoaching.wordpress.comNew Zealand Speech-Language Therapists’ Association
https://speechtherapy.org.nz