Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center to Host Symposium: Health & Science in Voice Pedagogy, February 5, 2000, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., Kulas Recital Hall Story by Tamara Kissane Photos by Linda Shockley OBSVAC brochure cover art by Robert Kelemen
	RELATED LINKS: • OBSVAC Home • OBSVAC Affiliate Scholars • OBSVAC Director • OBSVAC Equipment • OBSVAC Student Assistants		"The exciting thing about our symposium," explains Richard Miller, Director of the Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center (OBSVAC) and Wheeler Professor of Performance at Oberlin Conservatory, "is that it will bring together professionals from several disciplines who share an intense interest in the welfare of the professional voice user. The singer is a vocal athlete whose needs go beyond those of music training and coaching." Miller adds, "It has been my privilege to work with several of our Oberlin Affiliate Scholars over a period of years. Their contribution to the furtherance of the vocal art is impressive. At the symposium, these highly qualified professionals will each speak to some aspect of the art of singing, and consider the relationships among voice teaching, medicine, and science." Co-Sponsored by Bowling Green State University's Department of Communication Disorders, College of Health and Human Services, the symposium will offer presentations by professors from Oberlin College Conservatory, Bowling Green State University and Case Western Reserve University, and by OBSVAC affiliate scholars who are physicians from the Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Disorders of the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Richard Miller, director of OBSVAC Affiliate scholar Dr. Douglas Hicks is Director of The Voice Center and Head of Speech-Language Pathology, Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Disorders, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He says, 'The group of speakers has tried to focus on content that is practical for the performer and teacher of singers. We hope that participants will have exciting and useful take-away material for their day-to-day needs." The symposium is free and open to the public, but registration is required. A selection of box lunches is also available at a cost of $3.50: chef's salad with turkey and ham; turkey sub; or three cheese sub. All lunches include fruit, carrot and celery sticks, chips, cookies and beverage. Please reserve a lunch when registering for the symposium. To register, call 440/775-6903; or E-mail: Vocal.Arts.Center@oberlin.edu Deadline for registration: January 31, 2000. The Symposium February 5, 2000, 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m., Kulas Recital Hall THE SCHEDULE 8:30 - 9 a.m. Oberlin Conservatory & Voice Science Presenter: Lorraine Manz, Associate Director, Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center; Associate Professor of Singing, Oberlin Conservatory A historical perspective of voice science as applied to the training of the classical singer. A brief summation of current research and student activities at OBSVAC. 9 - 9:30 a.m. Mechanics of Breathing for Singers Presenter: Peter Watson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Case Western Reserve University, Department of Communication Sciences An overview of the mechanics of the respiratory system. Discussion of breathing as an important component in the acquisition of good singing technique, the complexities of the respiratory system and its control, and the interaction between the demands of performance and the different parameters of breathing in a coordinated way. 9:30 - 10 a.m. Applying Voice Science to the Singer Presenter: Ronald C. Scherer, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Bowling Green State University, Department of Communication Disorders, College of Health and Human Services An overview of some basic aspects of voice production related to performance and non-performance voice, with special emphasis on the singer. 10 - 10:15 a.m. Break 10:15 - 11 a.m. Anatomy & Physiology of the Vocal Instrument and Medical Care of the Professional Voice Presenter: Tom I. Abelson, M.D., F.A.C.S., Otolaryngologist, Head and Neck Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Foundation/Solon; Assistant Clinical Professor of Otolaryngology, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Explanation of the anatomy of the larynx and surrounding structures as they apply to vocalization. Discussion of medical evaluation of the larynx, and common medical issues affecting the voice, treatment, and the implications that those medical problems or medications have on the singing voice. 11 a.m. - Noon Healthy Phonation in Speaking & Singing Presenter: Douglas Hicks, Ph.D., Director of The Voice Center and Head of Speech-Language Pathology, Department of Otolaryngology and Communicative Disorders, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation A practical discussion of vocal wellness and hygiene, providing attitudinal concepts and action plans to prevent vocal crisis. Noon - 1 p.m. Lunch Conservatory Lounge - Symposium faculty available to interact with participants. 1 - 2:15 p.m. Fiberoptic/Stroboscopic Session Presenter: Tom Abelson, Douglas Hicks Several singers will be examined performing vocal maneuvers, while the audience observes via television monitors. 2:15 - 2:30 p.m. Break 2:30 - 4 p.m. Teaching Demonstration Presenter: Richard Miller, Director, Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center; Wheeler Professor of Performance, Oberlin Conservatory Panel: Tom Abelson, Douglas Hicks, Lorraine Manz, Paul Oncley, Ph.D., Ronald Scherer, Peter Watson. Practical application of technique and technology of performance. Commentary from panelists. 4 - 5 p.m. Q&A Session with Panel 5 - 6 p.m. One-Act Comic Opera, Oberlin Opera Theater (Jonathon Field, director; Daniel Michalak, music director) About The Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center A student uses the spectrograph inside OBSVAC The Otto B. Schoepfle Vocal Arts Center (OBSVAC), named for a longtime supporter of the Conservatory, is dedicated to fostering the art of singing through the application of measurable analyses. OBSVAC houses an impressive collection of instrumentation that provides powerful and immediate feedback to enrich and accelerate a singer's technical progress. Additionally, OBSVAC boasts a strong video and book collection. OBSVAC is the first vocal arts center of its kind to be incorporated into a program of vocal instruction in the United States. Although the traditional language of imagery is useful in the teaching of singing, the singing voice is a physical and acoustic instrument (aerodynamic/ myoelastic) that depends on the coordination of vocal-fold vibration, airflow, and resonation factors. When relying solely on subjective experience, it is often difficult for a teacher of singing to convey how healthy and efficient vocal function can best be achieved. Specificity of communicable language is increased through visual and auditory feedback; the singer is thereby able to overcome technique problems more quickly, arriving sooner at effective artistic expression. A student watches his own vocal cords in action using one of OBSVAC's three laryngoscopes OBSVAC reaches national and international audiences through professor Richard Miller's yearly workshops around the world. Also, many voice teachers visit Oberlin every summer for Miller's annual pedagogy workshop in which OBSVAC plays an integral role. Many teachers, inspired by the benefits of OBSVAC, have used their experiences at OBSVAC to model new centers around the country.
			Back to the Backstage Pass