Dr Jenevora Williams, the first singing teacher to be awarded a PhD in voice science in the UK, is our guest this week. She discusses vocal rehabilitation for singers and role of singing teachers in the process.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Vocal rehabilitation is the process of restoring health to a voice user who has, for whatever reason, injured or tired their voice. It can also be because of other health conditions. The rehabilitation specialist can work with them to identify the causes, work on the impact of lifestyle on the voice, and pace the voice. Their job is to restore the singer’s voice back to functionality.
- Singing teachers should not diagnose. You can identify problems and say what you hear. You can’t diagnose but you can have a fairly good idea of if it’s a functional problem or a pathological one.
- The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is a statutory regulator of over 280,000 professionals from 15 health and care professions in the United Kingdom.
- A maladaptation is a trait that is more harmful than helpful, in contrast with an adaptation, which is more helpful than harmful.
BEST MOMENTS
‘Legally you need to be covered by insurance, and if you’re not then you’re a bit of an idiot’
‘Our life is governed by learned patterns of behaviour’
‘Parting company is an absolute last resort’
EPISODE RESOURCES
Guest Website
Social Media
- @jenevorawilliams
- @jwevolvingvoice
- Youtube Channel: youtube.com/channel/UCvB9gXV_cAj0e29wrWzMwew
Relevant Links & Mentions
- Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults by Dr Jenevora Williams: jenevorawilliams.com/shop
- Vocal Health Education: vocalhealth.co.uk
- National Association of Teachers of Singing: nats.org
- Dana Lentini: born2singkids.com
- Nikki Loney: fullvoicemusic.com
- Dr Steven Sims (ENT Laryngologist Consultant)
- Voice Care Centre: voicecarecentre.co.uk
- Duncan Rock: duncanrocknutrition.com
- Joanne Bozeman (on hormones)
- Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep. 32 – The Bio-Psycho-Social Model with Stephen King: open.spotify.com/episode/4R13bvilWjwQnd9WOfTiVc?si=a40590fb79384bd4
- Everyday Voice Care – The Lifestyle Guide for Singers and Talkers by Joanna Cazden
- The Voice Clinic Handbook
- Manual of Singing Voice Rehabilitation by Leda Scearce
- Laryngeal Endoscopy and Voice Therapy – A Clinical Guide by Sue Jones
- The National Centre for Voice Studies: ncvs.org/prescriptions
ABOUT THE GUEST
Dr Jenevora Williams is a leading exponent in the field of vocal health and singing teaching. After a successful career in Opera, Jenevora turned her attention to investigating healthy and efficient vocal function. The combination of academic study and practical experience has resulted in a unique perception of understanding the human voice. She was the first singing teacher to be awarded a PhD in voice science in the UK and won the 2010 BVA Van Lawrence Prize for her outstanding contribution to voice research. Her book, Teaching Singing to Children and Young Adults, has been enormously popular with singing teachers throughout the world. She is well-known for her imaginative and rigorous international training courses for singing teachers and voice professionals. She now runs Vocal Health Education and Evolving Voice, training the first generation of Voice Rehabilitation Specialists worldwide. As a teacher of singing, she works with professional singers of all ages in both voice rehabilitation and career mentoring.
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