Voice scientist Aaron Johnson joins Alexa to discuss laboratories, rats, the ageing larynx, and wearable devices to detect vocal fatigue. Aaron has had a career as a professional classical singer and teacher and is now a researcher and speech-language pathologist specializing in vocal habilitation and rehabilitation. He is currently an associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, is the co-director of NYU Langone Voice Center, and leads the Johnson Research Lab.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Singers don’t need to know any science, however there is plenty of evidence that shows the more a singer understands about how the instrument of their body works, the better chance they have of being able to improve the quality of their voice and be able to change it to suit their needs. 
• In his role as a speech pathologist, Aaron found that individuals with multiple jobs, especially part-time performers in the service industry, often faced voice issues such as phonotrauma due to excessive talking without resting the voice.
• Aaron’s study examines aging’s impact on voice production, associating it with reduced communicative ability. Using rat ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs), researchers tested if age-related changes in USVs and laryngeal neuromuscular junctions could be reversed through vocal exercise. After an 8-week training period, both young and old rats exhibited improved USV acoustics and neuromuscular junction morphology. 
• The findings of this study suggest that vocal exercise may mitigate age-related changes in voice characteristics and associated neuromuscular adaptations.

BEST MOMENTS 

‘Ask yourself what you are curious about, ultimately that’s what research is about’ 

‘We need to be mindful of just how much we use our voice’ 

‘In science, all models are wrong but some are useful’

‘The voice is like the rest of the body so in your 30s you’ll start muscle atrophy’ 

EPISODE RESOURCES 

Guest Website:

• Aaron M Johnson
• Aaron M. Johnson, PhD | NYU Langone Health
• Johnson Lab | NYU Langone Health
• Voice Center | NYU Langone Health

Social Media:

• Instagram: @voicescientist
• Contact Aaron: aaron@voicescientist.com or aaron.johnson@nyulangone.org

Relevant Links & Mentions: 

• National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATs)
• The work of Karen Brunssen 
• Vocal Training Mitigates Age-Related Changes Within the Vocal Mechanism in Old Rats by Aaron M. Johnson, Michelle R. Ciucci & Nadine P. Connor 
• Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep.102 Understanding Singing and Menopause with Joanne Bozeman
• Vocal Function Exercises by Joseph Stemple 
• Lee Silverman Voice Training
• PhoRTE Exercises by Dr. Aaron Ziegler and Dr. Edie Hapner
• The Man That’s Ageing Backwards from The Diary of a CEO
• Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep.61 Measuring Vocal Load in Contemporary Musical Theatre with Ana Flavia Zuim 
• First Wearable Device for Vocal Fatigue Senses When Your Voice Needs a Break 
• The work of John A Rogers
• Lynn Helding

BAST Book A Call: basttraining.com/bookacall

ABOUT THE GUEST 

Aaron M. Johnson, MM, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, is a researcher and speech–language pathologist specializing in voice habilitation and rehabilitation. He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology at New York University Grossman School of Medicine and Co-Director of the NYU Langone Voice Center. His research laboratory, funded by the National Institutes of Health, uses novel translational research methods to examine laryngeal neuromuscular mechanisms underlying aging, vocal exercise, and phonotraumatic injury response.