Vocology is the science and practice of vocal habilitation, or vocal training and therapy.Titze IR. (1996). What is vocology? Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, 21:5-6. Its concerns include the nature of

speech and language pathology Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

, the defects of the

vocal tract The vocal tract is the cavity in human bodies and in animals where the sound produced at the sound source (larynx in mammals; syrinx in birds) is filtered. In birds, it consists of the trachea, the syrinx, the oral cavity, the upper part of t ...

( laryngology), the remediation of

speech therapy Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

, and the voice training ( voice therapy) and voice pedagogy of

song A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usu ...

and

speech Speech is the use of the human voice as a medium for language. Spoken language combines vowel and consonant sounds to form units of meaning like words, which belong to a language's lexicon. There are many different intentional speech acts, suc ...

for

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

s and

public speaker Public speaking, is the practice of delivering speeches to a live audience. Throughout history, public speaking has held significant cultural, religious, and political importance, emphasizing the necessity of effective rhetorical skills. It all ...

s. In its broadest sense, vocology is the study of voice, but as a professional discipline it has a narrower focus: the science and practice of voice habilitation, which includes evaluation, diagnosis, and intervention.

History

Vocology was invented (simultaneously, but independently) by Ingo Titze, and an otolaryngologist at Washington University in St. Louis, Prof. George Gates. Titze defines vocology as "the science and practice of voice habilitation, with a strong emphasis on habilitation". To habilitate means to “enable”, to “equip for”, to “capacitate”; in other words, to assist in performing whatever function that needs to be performed". He goes on that this "is more than repairing a voice or bringing it back to a former state ... rather, it is the process of strengthening and equipping the voice to meet very specific and special demands".

Requirements and educational programs

It is not yet its own professional degree, thus it only assists the voice medicine team. Usually a person practicing vocology is a voice coach with additional training in the voice medical arts, a prepared voice/singing teacher, or a speech pathologist with additional voice performance training—so they can better treat the professional voice user. The study of vocology is recognized academically by courses and institutes in India, Italy, United States and Chile.

Chile

* Diplomado en Vocologia, Universidad de los Ande

Colombia

Vocology Center, Todo Comunica

India

Chetana National Institute of Vocology

Italy

* Milan's Azienda Ospedaliera Fatebenefratelli e Oftalmico, University Alma Mater Studiorum in Bologna

United States

* Grabscheid Voice Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center *

Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington (IU Bloomington, Indiana University, IU, IUB, or Indiana) is a public university, public research university in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. It is the flagship university, flagship campus of Indiana Univer ...

Lamar University Lamar University (Lamar or LU) is a public university in Beaumont, Texas, United States. Lamar has been a member of the Texas State University System since 1995. It was the flagship institution of the former Lamar University System. As of the ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

* National Center for Voice and Speech at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

offer an 8-week intensive course (9 graduate level university credits) and a Certificate in Vocology. * Regional Center for Voice and Swallowing * The Boston Conservatory at Berklee *

Rider University Rider University is a private university in Lawrence Township, New Jersey, United States. It consists of three academic units: the Norm Brodsky College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which includes Westminster Choir Coll ...

* Vox Humana Laboratory at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center *

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

University of Southern California Thornton School of Music
* Westminster Choir College

Korea, Republic of

Korean Vocology Association
Reflecting the increased recognition of vocology, the ''Scandinavian Journal of Logopedics & Phoniatrics'' and ''Voice'' merged in 1996 with the new name ''Logopedics, Phoniatrics, Vocology''.Kjær BE. (1996). Welcome to a New Journal. Logopedics Phoniatrics Vocology, 21: 3 Additionally, a new association bearing the name of vocology (Pan-American Vocology Association) has also been started.

References

External links

Pan-American Vocology Association

National Center for Voice and Speech

The NCVS's Summer Vocology Institute website-- Certificate in Vocology

University of Kansas Vocology Lab

Vocology Center, Todo Comunica

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD)
{{Authority control Speech and language pathology Singing