April 16 is World Voice Day. Voices can make us laugh and cry. They convey not just information but also emotion: a baby’s cry, a child’s first words, songs that move us, blood curdling screams… World Voice Day celebrates the importance of Voice in our lives.
“Professional Voice” makes us of think of singing. However, preachers, teachers, psychologists, politicians, actors, auctioneers, radio announcers, customer service staff, and many more, use voice everyday in their professions.
World Voice Day brings attention to this delicate instrument and how we should take care of it. Hearing is inextricably linked to Voice; we can’t produce what we don’t hear and what we hear determines how we modulate our voice.
“Monitoring” (how we hear) our voice is a term familiar to vocalists. Improper ‘monitoring’ onstage can lead to many vocal disorders and hearing loss. While we think Audiology is just about hearing, audiologists work with performers to ensure optimal and safe sound, so singers can hear their voice correctly, sing better, and preserve both voice and hearing.
Four voices we recently enjoyed: John Riesen, Gillian Lynn Cotter, Emily Michiko Jensen, Leroy Davis, here with Dr. Dokianakis. These amazing performers sang without mics to a sold out crowd at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts and are a perfect example of how powerful voices are. Powerful as measured in decibels and also measured by the audience’s emotional response and standing ovations!
If you want to learn more about taking care of the Professional voice, this book is recommended
https://www.amazon.com/The-Owners-Manual-Voice-Professional/dp/0199964688/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368415682&sr=8-1&keywords=the+owners+manual+to+the+voice&fbclid=IwAR38h_RHDUd8FW4FvoS5EjD2Ww3x_k6EOKM5z-woa0_tlYBBIvudvWzwzgk