Community engagement and vocal health education are central to the mission of the Duke Voice Care Center (DVCC) team. Below are video excerpts from several DVCC webinars, including “Your Voice is Essential,” “Let’s Talk About It: Keeping Our Voices Strong,” and “Singing Voice Health Through COVID-19 and Beyond.”
Socially Distanced, But Not Vocally Distanced
Duke Voice Care Center speech pathologists Lauren Fay and Audrey Walstrom describe how communication has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these changes affect our mental health and our vocal demands. They offer solutions for preventing and treating vocal fatigue that can occur when wearing masks, during online meetings, or if singing while vocally deconditioned.
How the Voice Works
Duke Voice Care Center speech pathologist Lauren Fay describes the vocal mechanism and how it works. She provides detailed information on laryngeal anatomy and physiology, diaphragmatic breathing, how voices change pitch, and how vocal tract resonators give voices an acoustic boost.
Keeping the Voice Healthy
Duke Voice Care Center speech pathologist Audrey Walstrom teaches practical tips and tricks everyone can implement, including strategies for speaking healthfully, how to establish vocal priorities and budget your voice use, and the benefits of developing a regular practice routine. She also describes what to do if you suspect you have a vocal injury.
Special Tips for Singers
Duke Voice Care Center speech pathologist and clinical singing voice specialist Audrey Walstrom shares special tips to keep your singing voice in shape, including strategies to budget your voice use and some basic vocal conditioning exercises.
Chronic Cough
Duke Voice Care Center laryngologist Dr. Seth Cohen and speech pathologist Gina Vess describe chronic cough, its causes and triggers, why home remedies may not work, how medical management can help, and behavioral strategies that can resolve the cough.
Keeping Our Voices Strong As We Age
Duke Voice Care Center speech pathologists Caroline Banka and Cristen Paige provide insight into how the voice changes over the lifespan in these excerpts from the webinar "Let's Talk About It: Keeping Our Voices Strong." Topics include physical changes that impact the voice later in life, tips to maintain vocal longevity, and how a healthy voice helps us maintain social connections.