Sing Sing Sing: Vocal sustainability for professional voice users

Abstract

Teachers are professional voice users. They place considerable demands on their vocal instrument as the critical resource of effective communication. This is especially the case for music teachers where they are required to talk and sing extensively throughout their working day, often over background noise, music and musical instruments. Vocal based programs can also place an added demand on the teacher's instrument - their voice. The literature suggests that voice professionals have a high incidence of work-related voice problems and that teachers of music are eight times more likely to seek voice treatment than other voice professionals in the population. This paper details literature and research into vocal health for teachers. All music teachers need to be aware of their voice and what they can do to ensure vocal sustainability during their working career as a music teacher.