After a vocal injury or illness, speech therapy can be a vital tool in voice recovery. However, for singers, speech therapy may not completely and comprehensively repair the voice if phonation is done in a different way than speech. Because of the differences between professional and everyday voice use, a more comprehensive approach to vocal rehabilitation is necessary.

While there is much evidence of the impact of speech therapy on damaged voices, there is no research aiming to retrain the voice using sung vocal exercises. Previous studies utilize exercises on single pitches, in the speech range, or on a glide without vibrato. The lack of research on the use of pitch-focused, sung exercises in vocal retraining indicates that such exercises need to be studied to bridge the gap between speech and singing techniques.

A preliminary study to determine the usefulness of sung exercises on damaged voices was done using ten singers with voice damage. In this study, subjects sang a series of vocal exercises created by modifying speech therapy techniques to be used over the range of the voice. These exercises were designed to improve vocal efficiency, while acoustic data was recorded by an electroglottograph (EGG) and a microphone. Two recordings per subject were made, approximately one month apart. VoceVista Video Pro was used to assess glottal closure and spectrographic data.

The results of the study showed a 100% success rate in improving symptoms of voice damage. Improvements were seen in subjects’ glottal efficiency, vibratory patterns, presence and strength of overtones, registration, and tone quality. The subjects that provided videos from laryngoscopic examinations revealed that vocal fold pathology was resolved during the study. The implications for professional voice users are significant: not only can a targeted regimen heal voice damage, but it can improve vocal function to avoid future injury. This research aims to give pedagogues the tools and confidence needed to recognize symptoms of vocal injury, guide students to appropriate medical professionals, and collaborate appropriately in the process of vocal retraining.