VoiceProEd at the PAVA Hybrid Symposium 2024
3…2…1…blast off!
A few weeks ago, October 4-6, VoiceProEd blasted off to our first ever voice conference together—the Pan-American Vocology Association’s Hybrid Symposium in Houston, TX at the Johnson Space Center. Because of the pandemic and my cross-country move, this was the first time ever that Maurice and I were able to present together in person! I was also honored to be inducted into this year’s class of PAVA-Recognized Vocologists. For this month’s blog, I wanted to share some of the conference highlights with you, as well as some tips if you’re interested in becoming a PAVA-RV yourself.
Live Laugh Learn
As an independent voice studio owner, I am not able to attend professional events frequently, because the costs can really add up if you’re not supported by your institution. When I do go, I try to make the most of getting to share embodied space with my colleagues, as having a mostly online studio can get a little lonely! Maurice and I were thrilled to make some new friends (pictured above) and attend some great sessions. Some highlights include…
Fat liberation in singing voice pedagogy presented by Elizabeth Benson - Elizabeth shared the results of her research with colleague Kate Rosen, which interviewed 66 singers who identify as fat. The presentation explored the experiences and discrimination that the participants had experienced and offered suggestions for creating a more size-inclusive voice studio. Read more here!
Exploring the Impact of Chest Binding on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Singers presented by Shayna Isaacs, Devin Dolquist, Victoria Vargas, and Andre Chiang - This team presented preliminary results of their summer 2024 study of singers who wear chest binders. Responses were varied, but overall it seemed that the gender alignment experienced by singers who bind was greater than any impact wearing a binder had on singing. I hope they are able to publish and am excited to hear more about this work, especially as it expands into quantitative research.
And of course, VoiceProEd’s presentations…
Beyond the Basics: Enhancing Vocal Warm-Up Strategies for Diverse Vocal Needs - Maurice and I chatted about the differences between a vocal warm-up and a technique exercise and how to modify exercises based on the singing human that is currently in front of you. For example, I often modify singing voice exercises for gender-affirming speaking voice clients, including various SOVTEs and Vocal Function Exercises. Putting the singer in the driver’s seat allows us to listen, observe, get to know their voice, and provide helpful navigation to prepare the singer for their planned voice use. This was actually my first ever conference presentation, so, check that one off the to-do list!
Bridging the Gap: Glottic Insufficiency in Singers - We gave a poster session based on our course from this April, Bridging the Gap! Before each round of posters, presenters gave a 90-second summary so that folks knew what was available to check out, which I thought was cool. Maurice and I had some great conversations both in 2D and 3D—y’all are always all about those exercise suggestions! You can download our poster here and peek at our bibliography and resources pages for both presentations at http://voiceproed.com/pava.
Figaro, Figaro, Figaroooooo
One of the highlights of the conference was the Friday night dinner and cabaret. One of my current performing specialties is arias written for tenor and bass voices, transposed up the octave for my soprano voice. It was delightful to sing Largo al factotum for my colleagues as an example of how we can gender bend in opera even beyond pants roles (and you know I absolutely had to do period drag). I just had to follow Ingo Titze himself singing some Elvis…no pressure! I’m pictured above with Nick Perna, my voice teacher from lockdown times.
Tips for becoming a PAVA-Recognized Vocologist
At the closing ceremonies on Sunday, I and several of my colleagues were honored as the newest class of PAVA-Recognized Vocologists. I often get asked what this certification is like. I’d be happy to answer specific questions via email (click the Contact page above), and here are some general tips if you’re thinking about becoming a PAVA-RV yourself:
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. You have eighteen months to get everything done, and of course I did it all in the last three months! I’d recommend giving yourself a self-imposed timeline for taking the exam and getting your portfolio together.
Ask Ed! Ed Reisert is currently the chair of the PAVA-RV committee, and his advice was invaluable for figuring out how to put my portfolio together.
Plan ahead. This certification is meant for folks who are past the early stage of their career—part of the purpose of the portfolio is to prove that you have spent a certain number of hours actually doing the work of a vocologist in your main field and in related interdisciplinary fields. If you know that you want to become a PAVA-RV, you can use their portfolio requirements to guide your choices in continuing education, attending conferences, and working with mentors.
Fun facts: My Established Professional Practice Portfolio was in Singing Voice Habilitation, and my Multidisciplinary Experience Portfolios were in Performance, Choral Conducting, and Music Education. The exam sections that I earned 100% in were Biomechanics and muscle physiology, Breathing and aerodynamics, Perception of vocalization/psychoacoustics, and Transgender Voice. Considering my professional specialties, I feel pretty proud of these!
You can read more about PAVA-RV and its requirements here. We’re glad to have connected with so many wonderful voice clinicians at the PAVA Hybrid Symposium! I am looking forward to this new public phase in my career.
