Plenary Session
Caring for Your Vocal Instrument, with Dr. Robert Bastian - Session I: What Really Matters?
Monday, July 11 • 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 noon
Presenter: Dr. Robert Bastian
Introduced by: Karen Brunssen
Location: Chicago Ballroom D-H - 5th Floor
Laryngeal anatomy and vibratory physiology set the stage for establishing fundamental elements of self-care. Management of hydration, acid reflux, and allergy are important, and can often be evaluated to a significant degree by the singer for him- or herself within a week. Arguably more significant is the understanding of personality contributions to vocal injury and dysfunction, and a tool and strategy of self-monitoring that can answer day-by-day the question: "Is this limitation physical or technical?" And, “Is it from “over-doing” or “under-doing?”
About Robert Bastian
Robert W. Bastian, M.D. founded Bastian Voice Institute in the western suburbs of Chicago, in 2003. Previously, he reached the rank of Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, Loyola University—Chicago, and maintains a current affiliation there as Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology. For more than 25 years, Dr. Bastian’s work has focused exclusively on voice, swallowing, and airway disorders. Particular areas of interest include vocal fold microsurgery, with a lifetime caseload estimated at more than 4000 of which well over a thousand are singers. In addition, he follows a large population of patients with spasmodic dysphonia (lifetime caseload of over 1600 patients) and adult recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. He is known as well as a pioneer of modern office-based surgical procedures, including use of the pulsed-KTP and thulium lasers. Other areas of expertise include swallowing disorders; non-organic voice and airway disorders; and laser and other surgeries for cancer. In addition to maintaining a busy practice, Dr. Bastian is also building a large educational website called Bastian Medical Media for Laryngology.
