Research Review: “Motor Learning and Teaching Singing: An Overview”
Understanding how people learn voice skills is just as important as knowing how to teach them. This can be especially true when our clients are singers or professional voice users with specific voice concerns. This month’s research review dives into the science of motor learning with Motor Learning and Teaching Singing: An Overview by Laura Crocco and David Meyer. Let’s dig into this article that offers a practical and research-informed lens into how voice teachers and SLPs can apply motor learning principles to support measurable change in vocal technique. You can read the full article here.
Article Summary
Motor Learning is the heart of what we do as voice clinicians. In Motor Learning and Teaching Singing: An Overview, Crocco and Meyer explore how principles of motor learning, when integrated appropriately can enhance the effectiveness of voice teaching, especially in one-on-one instruction. Integral to our mission at VoiceProEd, the authors advocate for a more student-driven approach, emphasizing autonomy, self-assessment, and perceptual training. Key motor learning strategies—like reducing the frequency of feedback, focusing on external goals, and encouraging students to develop an internal reference-of-correctness can support better skill acquisition, retention, and generalization.
This information is especially critical when working with folks who have specific challenges are the use of their voice. How much more effective could these principles be with a client who feels a loss of voice control due to the presence of muscle tension dysphonia or a vocal fold paralysis? How about clients who struggle with monitoring their own voice use and effort in the presence of vocal fold nodules and other phonotraumatic voice problems?
Three Ways Clinicians Can Integrate This Work Into Practice:
Ask, Don’t Tell (Right Away): After a vocal task, ask clients what they noticed, heard, or felt before offering your own feedback. This builds self-assessment skills and strengthens their internal reference-of-correctness.
Scale Back Feedback: Instead of correcting every detail, focus feedback on one major goal at a time and consider how often you give it. This helps prevent overload and can encourage long-term retention.
Prioritize Motivation and Autonomy: Set shared goals with clients, affirm progress using simple outcome-based cues, and provide the space for independent exploration.
This article provides not only direct examples but the exact language that you can immediately integrate into your clinical practice with singers!
We encourage you, the voice clinician, to read the full article and continue equipping yourself with the tools you need to meet the demands of your voice clients. Staying informed with evidence-based research strengthens your clinical practice and enhances patient outcomes.
Check out our other blog posts or visit our courses page for additional learning resources.
