Hearing, articulating and sustaining the voice are three separate things that tend to fail together. A child who can’t tell /s/ from /z/ will end up articulating poorly; a teacher with nodules usually has a posture that isn’t helping either.
This section brings together the material for all three: what’s used to train the ear, what’s used to rehabilitate voice and speech, and what supports the body while you do it. Three subsections, each with its own listing.
The three areas
Auditory perception
Sound discrimination, source identification, auditory memory, figure-ground and localisation. Instruments, sound lottos, sound level meters and active listening material. → See auditory perception
Speech and voice
Vocal rehabilitation and speech work: Lax Vox, resonance tubes, vibrators, respiratory trainers and oral motor praxis material. The busiest subsection in this branch. → See speech and voice
Body work
Dynamic cushions, verticality and postural support material. The voice rests on the body: without a stable base, vocal technique doesn't hold. → See body work
Professional voice or child voice?
These overlap less than you'd expect. Professional voice users — teachers, singers, call handlers — mainly need semi-occluded vocal tract work and breath control. A child's voice almost always arrives alongside a breathing or swallowing pattern that has to be addressed first: for that, see breathing and lips, tongue and more.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Lax Vox and what is it used for?
It's a silicone tube submerged in water that the client phonates through. The back-pressure it creates reduces vocal fold effort, and it's used in nodule rehabilitation, functional dysphonia and vocal warm-up. It's one of the most widely used semi-occluded vocal tract techniques.
Is auditory perception material suitable for children with implants?
Much of it is, though the emphasis shifts: with a cochlear implant the work centres on detection and identification before fine discrimination. See also hearing impairment.
Do you supply schools?
Yes, with an invoice and a quote up front. Send us the list and we'll prepare it.