Breakout Session
Why Would I Want to Occlude Anything? The When and How of Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises
Saturday, July 9 • 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Presenter: Lynn Maxfield
Introduced by: Cindy Dewey
Location: Chicago Ballroom E-H – 5th Floor
“Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract” exercises (SOVT) are hot topics for discussion in current vocal pedagogy. For over a decade, researchers and singing pedagogues have been investigating and writing about various vocal exercises that all seemed to have a common element: by creating an occlusion of the vocal tract, the exercises build resistance and, thus air pressure, within the oral cavity and pharynx. However, while these exercises and their effects on the vibration of the vocal folds have been discussed in a number of articles in the Journal of Singing, many singing teachers still have questions about how to use SOVT exercises in their studios and why they work. Using demonstrations as well as discussion, this session will answer these questions and provide teachers with hands-on experience with SOVT exercises to use in their own studios.
About Lynn Maxfield
Lynn Maxfield, PhD, is Associate Director of the National Center for Voice and Speech at the University of Utah where he also teaches graduate voice pedagogy, Instrumentation for Voice Analysis, and maintains a private voice studio. He holds a PhD in Voice Pedagogy and an MA in Voice Performance from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining the NCVS, he taught voice and voice pedagogy at Eastern Connecticut State University and Knox College, as well as music theory and ear training at Carl Sandburg College. In addition to teaching and researching, he maintains an active singing and speaking presence. He has been an invited lecturer for the Northern Utah NATS chapter, the Utah Educator’s Association, and the College of Idaho as well as coordinating the 2012 and 2013 Singer’s Workshop: Teaching with Technology workshops at the University of Utah.
