What is Straw Phonation? Besides super cool. Click here to find out more!
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what is vocology Vocology is the science and practice of voice habilitation, with a strong emphasis on habilitation. This includes vocal training for singing and speaking, and detecting and treating speech pathologies through speech therapy.
Vocology draws on the fields of Vocal Performing Arts, Logopedics, Speech and Hearing Science, Audiology, Neurology, Laryngology, and Otology, and relies on knowledge of vocal anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, perceptual-motor learning principles, acoustics, the physics of sound, and vocal pedagogy and practice. What does all that mean? It's the nitty-gritty of how we make sound and how we teach people to make the sounds they want to make. At VoiceScienceWorks we take contemporary research on the voice and translate it into directly applicable information so that you, the voice user, can immediately apply it in your practice. Brilliant minds have been working through complex bio mechanics, physics, acoustics and neurology for decades, helping us to better understand what actually happens when we sing. We can now access that complex information through straight-forward explanations and methods. From Dr. Ingo Titze's Principles of Voice Production: "One common element is habilitation, the process of 'enabling,' 'equipping for,' or 'capacitating.' Vocal habilitation is more than repairing a voice, or bringing it back to normal; it is the process of strengthening the voice to meet specific demands. For a significant sector of our population, a 'normal' voice is not enough to meet occupational or recreational needs. It would be timely for teaching institutions and professional societies to support the development of a specialty called vocology, the science of vocal habilitation and treatment of voice disorders. This would parallel audiology, the science of aural habitation and hearing disorders." Continue reading about the 7 Postulates of Vocology. |
Why it's important |
It's an instrument we can’t see
As one of the more complex systems in the body, the vocal mechanism is easily misunderstood from top to bottom. Since the entire instrument lies inside the body, instructors have had to rely on sensation and metaphor for hundreds of years in communicating to students how to habilitate their bodies and minds to create reliable sounds. These sensations are essential to voice habilitation, but they aren’t the whole picture. By connecting ever-expanding scientific knowledge of the body and mind with tried techniques from the past, we can determine why certain approaches help, and seek out new directions that would otherwise be unavailable to us. It's a leveling agent Vocology, as a science, offers us a chance to understand how and why the voice does what it does, and, importantly, what specific steps to take to strengthen the voice for desired goals. Through the creation of specific language based in scientific understanding, vocal practitioners are able to communicate complex ideas as they relate to all people, and avoid some of the conflicts that naturally develop from discussions based primarily in each individuals’ personal experience. It's a mythology buster The indirect nature of sensation and metaphor lead to mythology creation, and entrenchment around pedagogical approaches that pit studios/methods against one another, and lead to confusion and challenges. Conversely, we have found that when students have a conception of their voice as a reliable biomechanical construct influenced by the body and brain, they are better able to relate to the sensations utilized to explore vocal technique. This also leads to students becoming self-observational learners, able to engage positively with all points of view. It’s emotional In addition to being the principal form of human communication, the voice is also deeply tied into our emotions. Nerves that carry important information to the body based on emotional responses pass directly by the voice. When we respond to external stimuli, the voice is one of the first places that measures a response. How we sound reflects one of our more personal observations of ourselves. These and other reasons make voice habilitation one of the more challenging and potentially contentious efforts. Having language that demystifies and clarifies measurable functions of the voice helps students learn with greater ease, and vocal professionals communicate with uplifting and engaging language. |
how we use it |
As Vocalists
We are both regular performers as soloists and ensemble members. We use vocology to guide our personal study, exploring vocal challenges through research and application of science-based approaches. We know from our own explorations that scientific knowledge can never replace experiential learning, and that singing requires artful intention and engagement. Still, a keen understanding of what makes the voice work guides this exploration immeasurably. As Voice instructors Our goal, as trained vocologists and teachers, is to help students understand the central aspects of scientific concepts in an experiential way. In a broader context, we use vocological terminology where prudent, and strive to use sensational and tactile language that is based in scientific understanding. We also depend upon a body/mind approach to learning, acknowledging gains in contemporary neuroscience that speak to a learner-centered approach to the body and brain. We gear our instruction to be age-appropriate, and have seen the beneficial results of sharing scientific knowledge to children, youth, and adults of all ages. We aim to spend as little time talking about the concepts as possible, and we develop learning tools and terminology that reinforce learning, so that the vocalist's focus is always on the exploration of their goals. As Ensemble Leaders The challenges of group vocal instruction require creative solutions, particularly when the vocalists have to perform together as a unit. We use vocology in every rehearsal, introducing it in voice training sessions and mini-lectures to establish concepts and targets. Once the student has a basic understanding of a scientific concept and personal targets associated with it, we reinforce their understanding throughout the rehearsal, drawing on their knowledge and curiosity to help them find solutions to challenging aspects of the voicing. We also utilize vocal analyzer software, interactive online tools, and other body and mind mapping props/games to help the vocalists explore their instrument. Importantly, we acknowledge that vocalists cannot spend their conscious energy processing science while performing, so regular integration of knowledge into practice is essential. In our particular ensemble practice, the two of us work as a team, allowing for one-on-one interaction with vocalists, and the benefit of having two vocal professionals monitoring the complex interactions of group voicing. As Researchers We continually ask questions, even of the ideas that we hold most dear to us. We celebrate curiosity as our light on the hill, and take the approach that nothing is sacred, and that there is way more to know than we already understand. We enjoy reading the work of others, as well as regularly testing our own hypothesis. |
goals for this website |
Not only is this website a hub of collected information, resources and tools, it is also a map of where to find even more information, resources and tools. We have taken our understanding of research on the voice and shared it where you can access it, and we've worked to translate it into understandable language so that you can immediately apply it to your singing.
We created this site to be an online center for people interested in knowing more about voice science. This includes some practical ways that we have had success integrating it into our teaching. We regularly research this information, and put it into practice in our own voices, and with the students who we work with. Our aim is to provide as comprehensive a tool as possible, so, if you notice something missing, please let us know. If you have information to add, we'd love to hear from you. We hope that our focused definitions can help your own practice, and that we can help to connect others to current resources. |
What is science?
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Science is, first and foremost, a way to ask questions.
Science is repeatable, measurable, and independent of who is in the room. Science appreciates life from "where it is now" rather than employing judgment and wishful thinking. Your voice IS, and therefore needs no judgement to make it more or less. Now, what if you want to. . . ? . . .Use the scientific method! The Scientific Method outlines six steps to explore when taking your curiosity out for a walk. You can use the scientific method for quick curiosities (I wonder if this paper airplane will fly?) or more involved curiosities (how is the voice able to sing more than 4 octaves?). 1) Ask a question: how are the harmonics in a low note different than the harmonics in a high note? 2) Research the question: read up on harmonics. 3) Create a hypothesis: low notes will have more harmonics in the audible human range than higher notes. 4) Test the hypothesis: record yourself voicing low and high in your range. 5) Analyze the results: low notes do have more harmonics in the audible range! What else do we notice that sparks more questions? 6) Share: share on social media, show the results to a friend, or keep a journal as a way of sharing with yourself. The fastest way to start having fun with science is to spend more time during the day saying "I wonder", and pausing to let yourself experience the joys of discovery. |
how to get involved |
Read more
Check out our Book Reviews page to find out what literature explores the bulk of voice science information and research Find out who is doing what Check out the researchers, teachers, methods, courses, websites, organizations and conferences devoted the the discoveries of voice science Explore the topics Using Vocology: A Singer's Toolbox is a page devoted to taking the many complex topics of how we make sound and making them clear, accessible and relatable Apply voice research to warm-ups and exercises Warm up with a purpose and check out a wide compilation of researched warm ups on the Warm Ups and Exercises page Take a course Courses on voice science and voice training are offered every year across the country and internationally. Check out the Courses page for a compilation of options. Take a workshop We teach regular online workshops, and travel around the world to teach workshops and festivals for specific groups. Go to the Group Workshops page for registration information, and to find out how to bring us to your part of the world. Experience your voice through our ListenUP package We craft a 14 day intensive series of sessions with your voice filtered to accentuate the goals that you articulate as important to you. You spend dedicated time each day letting your ear guide your voice into new discoveries. Join the conversation Our Vocology Blogs page is a place to share and gain information from colleagues across fields. Comment, share, post and question! |
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"I LOVE the incorporation of vocology in choir. It brings a whole new element to singing that I never acknowledged before and I feel that we've benefited as a group from it. The greatest benefit that I think we receive from it is that we can find new ways to create a better sound and fix the road blocks we encounter."
-Phil L., New York |
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"The presentations in rehearsal have made me feel as though my instrument is so much more than the sound it produces; for other instrumentalists you can see the physical aspects of what they play, but for singers that image is not so clear. I now am a firm believer that knowing how my voice works has allowed me to become more aware of not only how I am producing my sound, but also how I can imagine the change occurring internally in order to produce that sound."
-Ally R., Vermont |
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"I really like learning about vocology because it puts a lot of abstract terms into concrete meaning. I've had a good amount of voice instruction over the years, but none of it really dealt with learning about our instruments. I think that knowing what makes the voice work is allowing me to better improve and monitor my own sound."
-Hannah G., Pennsylvania |
Laurel Irene
(Laurel Mehaffey) Vocal Artist/Voice Educator Laurel Irene, Los Angeles-based vocal artist and voice researcher, specializes in bringing new compositional works to life with vocal repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Mozart to the wacky, wild, and extreme sounds of the 21st century. With incredible vocal range, agile flexibility, and intense emotional connection that stretches from playful to unhinged in the span of a page, she draws on her expertise in vocal research to heighten unique timbres, textures, and vocal expressions . Recent features in the Los Angeles area include The Industry/LA Phil New Music Group (John Cage's Europeras 1 & 2), LACMA Sunday Evening Concerts (Dominick Argento's Letters from Composers), The Box Gallery (Nice Day for the Races opera premiere), Monday Evening Concerts (Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians), The MARS Festival, Poulenc’s La voix humaine (CSULA), Ragnar Kjartansson’s Biss, a twelve hour loop of Mozart’s final scenes from The Marriage of Figaro (REDCAT Fluxus Festival), and The First Congregational Church, L.A. (G.B. Faure's Requiem in D Minor and Pergolesi's Stabat Mater). A recent winner of the Beverly Hills National Auditions, she also regularly performs with chamber and vocal music ensembles across Los Angeles. As an avid voice educator and founder of the educational organization, VoiceScienceWorks, she gives voice workshops at conferences and collegiate settings across the United States and Europe including the Pan-American Vocology Association, American Choral Directors Association, Acoustical Society of America, Harvard University, College of the Holy Cross, California Institute for the Arts, University of California Los Angeles, and Cornish College of the Arts. Ms. Irene is an alumna of performance programs at the CalState LA, USC Thornton School of Music, New Music on the Point, Cortona New Music Sessions, and the Summer Vocology Institute. Visit www.laurelirenesings.com for more information |
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David Harris (DMA, b. 1974) specializes in new music, American music, and the intricacies of communication in singing and conducting. Through innovation, performance, and research, David enlivens community through the power of music. Having been called the “Thomas Edison of vocal music” by those close to him, and “one of the most compelling conductors in America”, his favorite accolade comes from a New Year’s Eve Bostonian who casually offered that he “looks like the kind of guy who could wear suede in the rain and not get wet.” An advocate of new music, David has premiered hundreds of pieces for vocal and instrumental ensembles, and for the theater. He shares his creative passion with the composers, performers and audiences who bring life to new work, guiding them in the unique discovery of self found in new composition. A composer/performer himself, David writes in varied styles, and enjoys exploring those elements that communicate most directly to people. Recent compositions have included new approaches to illuminating harmonics (e.g. overtones) in vocal music, rhythmic and textural layering, structured improvisation, contrasting resonant strategies, and crisp simplicity. Songwriting is a daily, and often jocular, practice, akin to his love of gardening (the unmatched joy of a fresh blackberry or tomato). His love of new music invigorates his passion for music of other generations. By integrating historical practice, ornamentation, meaning, and emotional context into contemporary understanding he opens doors into historic music, inviting it off of the museum shelf and into fresh existence. David has created or revitalized over a dozen ensembles in his career, often through important collaboration with others. Career highlights of these ensembles include the Mostly Baroque Players, Jubilate, Triad, C3LA, the Young Men’s Ensemble of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, the choirs at College of the Holy Cross, The Columbia University Glee Club, The Brearley Singers and Chamber Orchestra, The LidaBros barbershop quartet, Laude, the Commonwealth Community Chorus, and the Cathedral Choir at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, which is one of the coolest collections of people to work with in one awe-inspiring place. Living in Los Angeles, David is the co-founder and director of VoiceScienceWorks and one of the principal authors of the website and of various publications. Together with his partner, Laurel Irene, he helps vocalists learn to translate difficult voice science into immediately applicable tools. Voice science, though, is much more of a personal pursuit, and includes daily tinkering and expanding vocal opportunities in measured steps. David performs in many styles, has command of varied extended vocal techniques, and loves making crazy sounds and fluidly crossing voice parts in ensembles depending on where the need lies. This has led to regular opportunities to sing and teach others around the world how miraculous their voices are, and how their mental and physical capacity are only limited by their habits and beliefs. Through games, experiences, and presentations based in neuroscience and voice research, he helps people realize the life-changing possibilities of voice. David is thankful to Joan Catoni-Conlon and Larry Kaptein (University of Colorado), Dennis Shrock (University of Oklahoma), Sandra Willets, Granville Oldham, and Shaun Amos (University of Alabama), and Ingo Titze (National Center for Voice and Speech) for their mentorship, and to all of the musicians and collaborators that make up his essential community for their love and guidance. Perhaps the most interesting part of his life, however, is his engagement to the unstoppable force of Laurel Irene.
Visit www.drdavidharrismusic.org for more information |
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