Resonant Voice Therapy, also known as forward focus, assists individuals in producing stronger, clearer voices that are easier to hear. Resonance shaping techniques such as humming can improve voice quality while optimizing resonance levels and relieving strain on vocal folds.
Resonant voice therapy teaches individuals to produce speech with both oral and nasal sounds, including the adduction of vocal folds to produce plosives.
1. /m/
/m/ is the voiced bilabial nasal consonant found in words such as spasm and its suffix -ism, as well as being the 14th letter of the alphabet. In Washo it is represented by lowercase m, while English uses uppercase M to represent this sound.
Gierut’s deep test of articulation used to assess cluster complexity does not include this singleton target as an individual word; however, due to children’s tendency to group nasal clusters with nasalized vowels in an N/A format in order to make clinicians aware of this possibility when selecting target clusters for treatment.
2. /n/
Resonant voice therapy (RVT) consists of patterns that use oral vibratory sensations during easy voicing to improve overall vocal quality and function. The goal is to balance oral-nasal resonance easily so as to reduce patient symptoms related to strain in their voice quality, such as symptoms described by symptoms or complaints. To do this, SOVT postures such as those producing forward resonance like /m and n/ are typically utilized, along with various nasal sounds and plosives – hence its name as Loose Mouth Resonant Vocal Therapy or LMRVT).
SLPs use these techniques to educate clients about their vocal cord vibrations and how they can control them for optimum results. SLPs can assist individuals experiencing various forms of vocal difficulties – from singers seeking improved power and endurance through to those wanting to communicate confidently in everyday interactions without straining their voices and risking damage.
Resonant voice involves humming before gradually transitioning into both voiced and voiceless sounds that create word, phrase and sentence level productions that mimic conversational speech. Resonant voice therapy can reduce impact and strain between vocal cords, which in turn helps minimize vocal nodules, polyps, or any other forms of dysphonia. Humming can also help those living with vocal cord granulomas gain better insight into their vocal production and learn to produce more efficient sounds – which in turn can improve quality of life and overall health. A therapist must utilize negative practice sessions in order to prevent dropping back into throat area and reinforce more resonant production techniques.
3. /p/
Resonant voice therapy (RVT) is a set of techniques designed to optimize vocal resonance and reduce strain on the vocal cords, with the ultimate goal of avoiding granulomas (overgrowths of delicate muscle bands within the larynx). Singers: Increase vocal range, power, endurance; improve sound clarity and projection. Everyday individuals: Overcome hoarseness fatigue or pitch issues for more confident communication in daily interactions.
Resonant Voice Therapy utilizes the body’s natural vocal tract, consisting of chambers such as mouth and throat, to shape and direct sound waves. By emphasizing breath support and control techniques, Resonant Voice Therapists help patients utilize their voices effectively for singing or speaking purposes – creating powerful, vibrant and clear voices in the process.
Therapists start out by employing resonant voice techniques to assist their patients in sensing oral vibratory sensations in the front of the mouth and face, such as humming, vv and zz sounds, straw phonation, buzzy /u/ and glottal onsets. This helps identify and produce vibrations in their voice while increasing self awareness about how they use their voice while developing volitional control over voicing patterns.
Next, therapists introduce humming and then voiced and voiceless productions that are formed into phrases and conversational speech using free articulation, intonation, rhythmic patterns and free rhythmic productions. Finally, therapists introduce changes to how vocal folds are held during easy voicing with an aim of shifting them toward barely abducted/adducted positions to maximize health of larynx while decreasing tension in vocal cords for healthy, resonant conversations that reduces stress of vocalization; especially useful when treating nodules/polyps or vocal overuse patterns which reduce stress associated with vocalization.
4. /t/
Resonant voice therapy (RVT) is a physiologic program that involves training the laryngeal mechanism for minimum effort and impact between vocal cords to maximize health. Resonant V Therapy utilizes behavioral and verbal techniques such as hums, vv, zz productions to teach patients that producing buzzy noises front of face does not strain or damage vocal cords.
This technique teaches vocal muscles to release a vibratory sensation in the anterior alveolar ridge, lips, nose, cheekbones and other facial structures. It emphasizes effortless phonation and articulation that are minimally effortful or tense – in contrast to straw phonation which emphasizes increasing vibrations at the back of mouth and throat.
Studies have shown that resonant voice can narrow the laryngeal vestibule and produce a wider harmonic spectrum than non-resonant voices, while simultaneously decreasing vocal fold tension and laryngeal edema to produce a voice which feels stronger and healthier than non-resonant voices.
This set of 70 cards features sentence examples that require forward resonance. There are 30 cards in Phase 1, featuring nasal sounds (m and n), followed by 20 in Phase 2 which introduce nasal plosives as well as non-nasal words; in addition, there are 20 Phase 3 cards which enable clinicians to further work on resonant voice training and advance adult patients into conversational speech.
5. /w/
Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT) is a physiological approach designed to facilitate a healthy, resonant production of voice by increasing vibratory sensations at the front of the mouth (alveolar ridge, lips, nose, teeth and cheekbones). Starting from simple speech gestures such as humming to sentence level and conversational phonation; RVT seeks to produce the strongest, smoothest and clearest possible vocal output while simultaneously protecting laryngeal health and preventing granulomas.
Resonance Training exercises involve semi-occluded sounds like /vv/, /w/ and humming to produce buzzy feelings in front of the face. Therapists teach patients to hum before producing consonants to reduce pressure applied to vocal folds; this not only improves tone and resonance but also maintains airflow through their vocal tract.
Resonant voice training must be combined with other strategies in order to be effective and ensure carryover into functional situations, like conversation. That is why our new Resonant Voice Therapy product features conversational style examples for adult patients to use post treatment – this will make teaching this complex strategy much simpler! Providing these examples in both English and Spanish makes the teaching of this complex technique that much simpler!
