| Abstract Title | An Exploration of Marking in the Studio and in the Clinic: A Workshop for Singers, Voice Teachers, and Speech Language Pathologists |
|---|---|
| Submission Category | Speech Language Pathology |
| Presentation Type | Workshop |
| Willing to Present as Poster? | No |
| Abstract | The term ‘marking’ refers to modifying voice production to conserve the voice, and is described as a “skill” or “technique” intended to reduce vocal load during the rehearsal process ( Sataloff, 2017) Research in motor learning has long confirmed that demonstration and/or modeling alone do not facilitate the learning of a new skill ( Hodges & Franks, 2000) This suggests that, as a skill, ‘marking’ should be taught and practiced just as deliberately as unrestricted singing. A survey by the authors (Wright et al, 2023 in preparation) of 41 voice teachers, 45 voice specialized speech language pathologists and 72 professional and pre-professional singers indicated that ‘marking’ is recommended more frequently than it is taught, there is a lack of consensus on how to teach marking, and voice teachers and SLPs differ in what they teach as marking. The study found that nearly 40% of pre-professional and professional singers lack confidence in their ability to ‘mark’ effectively during rehearsal. 67% of singers indicated that they were either self-taught or never taught how to ‘mark’. Ultimately, these findings highlight the need for direct ‘marking’ instruction to adequately prepare professional and pre-professional singers to meet their unique occupational voice demands. This interactive, master-class-style workshop will explore an approach to ‘marking’ and ‘marking’ instruction for both habilitation and rehabilitation of pre-professional or professional singers. Participants will create and rehearse novel “marked” versions of musical pieces using strategies such as octave displacement, reduced vocal intensity, optimal breath management strategies for voice conservation, and strategic registration choices. The session will culminate with a discussion on effectively implementing ‘marking’ strategies to optimize performance across genres in the voice studio and in the voice clinic. Sataloff, R. T. (Ed.). (2017). Vocal health and pedagogy: Science, assessment, and treatment (Third). Plural Publishing. |
| First Name | Jacob |
| Last Name | Wright |
