Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT) is a physiologic approach that promotes efficient phonation. Patients learn to easily and effortlessly produce their optimal sound while simultaneously minimizing vocal strain.
Ten voice experts were selected, representing both clinical researchers and frontline clinicians, to provide their perspectives. We then asked these professionals about their most frequently utilized techniques and exercises.
Warm-Ups
Resonant Voice Therapy (RVT) helps patients suffering from muscle tension dysphonia produce their best voices without much effort. This physiologic approach emphasizes laryngeal alignments specific to producing resonant voices, which increase health of vocal folds and throat (Kao et al, 2019). RVT is an evidence-based method that incorporates sensory processing along with repetitions of training stimuli at increasingly complex levels to produce results (Kao et al, 2019).
Speech-language pathologists teach their RVT patients to speak with forward focus and easy phonations, gradually progressing towards phrases and conversations. Additionally, they instruct patients in breathing techniques that support resonant voices such as thoracic diaphragm breathing or yawning/sighing to aid a full voice range.
Patients who suffer from tight or breathy voices can use yawning/sighing as an exercise to lower the back of their tongue and raise their velum (soft part of roof of mouth). Chanting simple monotone or reading aloud with whispered tone are other exercises patients can practice; other RVT exercises include the finger under nose technique, nasal consonant sounds and humming while keeping lips closed to increase vibrations of sound vibrations.
RVT is an increasingly popular and effective method for improving vocal quality, including decreasing strain. This technique is often employed as part of treatment plans for voice disorders like muscle tension dysphonia and vocal nodules; there have also been multiple studies which demonstrate its efficacy against various vocal issues (Kao et al, 2017; Verdolini Abbott and Stemple 2019).
Pitch Variation
Pitch variation is an integral component of engaging speech. It allows listeners to distinguish questions from statements and focus their attention on key words, while simultaneously clarifying syllable meaning by marking stress patterns – e.g. a rising intonation can indicate excitement while flat intonations may indicate boredom or uncertainty; and can express emotions without using explicit emotion words, for instance by suggesting enthusiasm while lower intonations convey seriousness.
Pitch variation can be challenging without consistent practice and an understanding of how your voice works, so it is crucial that patients develop pitch awareness through exercises designed to encourage fluctuation while working on consonant and vowel sounds. One method is by cupping hands around mouth to amplify vibrations of voice – helping patients control pitch without straining or losing breath.
Listening and studying native speakers’ voices is another helpful way of developing pitch awareness, and an excellent way to do this is by paying close attention to how they use pitch variation to express emotion and tone, as well as identify areas in your own pitch variation that could use improvement. When practicing pitch variation it is also important to keep context of conversations in mind; adjusting pitch when speaking in formal settings versus informal ones or due to cultural differences (i.e. rising intonations might signal respect while it can signal uncertainty elsewhere).
Start exploring your voice’s potential by making simple nonsense sounds such as “da” at your baseline pitch. Next, gradually increase the pitch one or two steps above it before returning back down again several times; doing this repeatedly will familiarize yourself with its range.
As you become more adept with resonant voice therapy, begin integrating it into everyday conversations by asking simple questions such as, “What did you have for breakfast?” or, “How is your day going?”. This will enable your patients to practice using their newly acquired resonant voices within social contexts and gain real experience speaking in that voice.
Somatic Awareness
Somatic awareness practices like yoga or breathwork provide an excellent way to connect to the physical sensations of your body, which allows you to tune into internal cues which indicate when your voice feels tight or strain. Somatic awareness also can help with learning to release tension in neck and shoulders – an integral component of maintaining a healthy voice.
Resonant voice therapy is an evidence-based practice with proven effectiveness, as evidenced by its scientific review in 2017. A 2017 systematic review demonstrated how it significantly improves vocal quality, voice fatigue and endurance for those living with dysphonia (voice disorder).
Your speech-language pathologist will begin an evaluation by assessing how responsive your voice is to various exercises. They’ll pay particular attention to its pitch and loudness responses and also assess your overall tone and quality of speaking voice.
Once your therapist has an in-depth knowledge of your voice, they’ll work with you to develop an experiential self-management treatment plan tailored specifically to meet your individual needs. They’ll walk you through the RTSS voice treatment protocol while showing how it fits into your everyday life both at home and work.
As your first step, you’ll begin practicing resonant humming – an effective and effortless technique for engaging your entire vocal system healthily. At first, simply quietly humming to feel vibrations in your throat and head will do. However, over time as you become more comfortable you can increase volume gradually as well as explore different pitches – this helps warm up vocal muscles quickly while improving coordination and increasing resonance.
As your voice practice evolves, you will progress from single words, phrases and sentences to complete conversations using your modified resonant voice in daily dialogue.
As you practice, patience and consistency are both key. Voice changes take time and it may take some time before any significant differences in your voice can be noticed. Try setting realistic expectations and celebrating small improvements like how your voice feels after a day’s use or how well it sounds in class.
Tongue Trills
Tongue trills are an effective vocal exercise which involves rapidly vibrating one’s tongue to produce sounds such as “dr” or “br.” Tongue trills should form part of any singer’s voice therapy routine because they help warm up vocal cords and loosen articulatory muscles while improving pitch accuracy, articulation, vocal flexibility, overall quality and tone.
To perform a tongue trill, place the tip of your tongue behind your upper teeth near the gum and rapidly move it back and forth without tension, repeating several times until you become comfortable with this exercise. As soon as it feels natural to you, slowly increase speed and intensity as desired – tongue trills can be used alone or alongside other forms of vocal training such as scales or arpeggios.
Practising tongue trills can be of great assistance to singers of any age or range. This exercise helps develop balanced coordination between vocal folds and breath support, making it easier to sing different styles without straining their voice. Furthermore, this practice reduces jaw and tongue tension and thus protects against straining their voice.
One of the primary challenges singers face is tongue tension, which can result in issues such as shaky notes, flat vocals, strain in their voice, cloudy diction and clouded notes. Tongue trills can help singers prevent and treat tongue tension by strengthening the articulatory muscles in both lips and tongues.
Tongue trills are simple yet effective vocal exercises that can easily be integrated into daily speech and singing, helping integrate resonant voice techniques into communication while improving clarity, efficiency, reducing strain and fatigue and saving vocal cords from strain-induced fatigue.
