What’s a Singing Voice Specialist, Anyway?

Anna poses with Larry the Larynx

If you consider yourself a part of the voice field as a clinician, you have heard the term "Singing Voice Specialist" (SVS) tossed around. In her 2020 research and dissertation, Rebecca Holbrook Loar found that 56% of the singers she surveyed had never heard of a Singing Voice Specialist, and it’s true that there exists no standardized set of requirements to become an SVS. So what exactly does an SVS do, who are they, and how can you become one?

Definition of Singing Voice Specialist

Otolaryngologist and industry big name Dr. Robert Sataloff coined the term “singing voice specialist” in 1981. As published in a 2022 Journal of Singing article, “Loosely defined, it refers to a singing teacher with specialized training that qualifies them to work with the injured singing voice in collaboration with a medical voice team.” In the decades following the term’s inception, laryngologists, SLPs, and voice teachers have entertained continued discussion on who can be considered a Singing Voice Specialist and what it takes to get that designation.

History of the Singing Voice Specialist (aka I did a deep dive of the Journal of Singing archives so you didn’t have to)

In the Journal of Singing (JOS), one of the earliest articles on voice care teams was a joint statement between ASHA and NATS published in November/December 1992. “The Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist and Teacher of Singing in Remediation of Singers with Voice Disorders” recommended “interdisciplinary management of singers with voice disorders,” as well as an emphasis in training for voice teachers in the realms of voice anatomy & physiology and voice disorders and for SLPs in voice pedagogy and performance. The end of the joint statement charged both organizations to develop these more specified training requirements as well as criteria for certification in this specialty. In 2005, another joint statement between ASHA, NATS, and VASTA was published, similarly affirming the need for interdisciplinary work and specialization.

In 2010, Marina Gilman, John Nix, and Edie Hapner surveyed 429 NATS members and found little consensus between teachers on who should work with singers who have voice disorders. In 2012, Karen Wicklund proposed an undergraduate and graduate curriculum that combined SLP courses like Hearing Science and Voice Disorders with Voice Pedagogy and applied lessons in singing and piano. The Pan-American Vocology Association was founded in 2003 with the intent to create a space for vocologists and voice science specifically, and their certification program PAVA-RV (Recognized Vocologist) launched in 2022 to “add credibility to our members’ established professional credentials (especially in fields not formally regulated) and encourage multidisciplinary study of all vocology disciplines that can inform members’ established profession.”

The most recent JOS article on this topic was published in the May 2024 issue: “Care of the Professional Voice: Professional Voice Care: A Team Approach” states that “so far, there are no formal training or fellowship programs that assist singing teachers in becoming a singing voice specialist.” Over thirty years later, this joint goal of ASHA and NATS to create a formalized training program or certification for Singing Voice Specialists still does not exist, although plenty of leaders in the field continue to weigh in on what this would look like.

So where does this leave us now?

Since there are currently no degree programs, certifications, or codified requirements to becoming an SVS, VoiceProEd aims to provide courses that help clinicians get the knowledge that they need to exist in this interdisciplinary space. We think that both of the most common routes to SVS practice are valid—an SLP with a singing voice background and experience working with voice disorders, and a singing voice teacher who has collaborated with voice care teams and expanded their knowledge of voice A&P and disorders further than what graduate voice pedagogy currently offers.

SLPs, you don’t have to be a professional singer to do this work. Singing voice teachers, you don’t have to have your CCCs to do this work. What you do need is a willingness to learn about working with voices and the humans that they belong to, a creative and collaborative spirit, and continued education and mentoring that is founded in evidence-based practice to provide the best care you can.

Want to learn more about what we think Singing Voice Specialization looks like? Join us for our August 11, 2024 course, SLP & SVS for Singing Voice Teachers!

References and Further Reading

Bozeman, K., Arneson, C., Baroody, P., Brunssen, K., Ciesinski, K., Cusack, M., Douglas, J. E., Edwin, R., Faulkner, J., Goffi-Fynn, J., Helding, L., Henderson, A., Horne, B., Keenze, M., LoVetri, J., Manz, L., Nicosia, J., Prokop, J. E., Randall, M. L., Robinson-Martin, T., Saunders Barton, M., Shirley, G., Simonson, D., Sjoerdsma, R., & Spivey, N. (2022). The singing voice specialist: An overview of the history, training protocols, career opportunities, and general considerations. Journal of Singing, 79(1), 9-11. https://doi.org/10.53830/FYXY1854

Gilman, M., Nix, J., & Hapner, E. (2010). The speech pathologist, the singing teacher, and the singing voice specialist: Where's the line? Journal of Singing, 67(2), 171-178.

Graves-Wright, J., Heuer, R., Duhlinske, S., Westerman Gregg, J., & Titze, I. (1992). The role of the speech-language pathologist and teacher of singing in remediation of singers with voice disorders: ASHA and NATS joint statement. Journal of Singing, 49(2), 14.

Loar, R. H. (2020). The singing voice specialist: An essential bridge between two worlds (Doctoral dissertation). University of South Carolina. Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/6056

Pan American Vocology Association. (n.d.). Frequently asked questions. Retrieved July 18, 2024, from https://pavavocology.org/FAQ

Wicklund, K. (2012). The future of singing voice rehabilitation as a profession: A suggested curriculum of study for the training of singing voice specialists. Journal of Singing, 68(4), 411-414.

Yeakel, H., Martha, V., & Sataloff, R. T. (2024). Professional voice care: A team approach. Journal of Singing, 80(5), 553-562. https://doi.org/10.53830/sing.00043