The Voice Science Podcast

A Case for Voice Teacher/Trainer Licensure

Anyone can legally teach voice lessons in the United States. No degree. No clinical hours. No exam. No license. In this episode, contributor Timothy Wilds makes a direct and sometimes uncomfortable case for why that should change — and what a more professionalized field could look like. Timothy draws a pointed comparison between the credentialing standards required of speech-language pathologists and those expected of voice teachers, argues that the overlap between the two professions is larger than the industry acknowledges, and challenges the commonly cited reasons for keeping voice teaching unregulated. He also shares how his own teaching was transformed by pursuing deeper training — and why he believes evidence-based tools and voice science have a critical role to play in raising the bar for teachers at every level. Whether you’re a voice teacher, a student, or simply someone who cares about the integrity of the field — this episode is for you. Ready to go deeper? VoSci Academy gives you structured Practice Paths, real-time pitch and interval feedback, and biweekly Q&A calls. Learn more at voicescience.org

The Reason You Can't Sing Has Nothing to Do With Your Voice

When someone tells me they can't sing, I usually hear: I tried, it didn't sound right, so I assumed the instrument was broken. It almost never is. This episode unpacks why singing lives much closer to speech than most singers think, why what you hear of your own voice isn't what's coming out of your mouth, and why the first year of lessons is mostly about removing habits — not building new ones. We get into attractor states, the diaphragmatic breathing problem for pop and musical theatre singers, what every other instrument in the practice wing knows about fundamentals, and the research showing that how you practice matters far more than how long. Whether you have a teacher or you're going it alone, the path forward is the same: short sessions, specific goals, daily, and a recorder you're willing to listen back to. Ready to go deeper? VoSci Academy gives you structured Practice Paths, real-time pitch and interval feedback, and biweekly Q&A calls. Learn more at voicescience.org Presented by: Drew Williams Orozco Written by: Josh Manuel

Your Choir Director Is Your Real Voice Teacher — For Better or Worse

Your Choir Director Is Your Real Voice Teacher — For Better or Worse | The Voice Science Podcast Has your choir director ever told you to "open your mouth," "create more back space," or "raise your soft palate" — and you had no idea whether you were actually doing it right? You're not alone. And the stakes are higher than most people realize. A 2019 study by Chorus America reported that 54 million US adults and children sing in choirs. That means for the vast majority of singers, the choir rehearsal — not the private lesson — is where all the voice training is happening. In this episode, contributor Timothy Wilds unpacks what that really means: for choir directors, for choir members, and for the long-term vocal health of anyone who has ever stood in a section and tried to follow their director's instructions. You'll learn: * Why the choir rehearsal is the primary site of voice training — and why that matters * The real vocal knowledge gaps in choir directing, and why they exist * A practical three-part framework for decoding the most common choral directives: * "Open your mouth / drop your jaw" — what the director is after, and how to test it * "Open your throat / create more back space" — the anatomy behind the instruction, and how to find it * "Raise your soft palate" — what that actually means physically, and how to know you've done it * Why singers consistently overdo these adjustments — and what happens when they do * What choir members should expect from their directors, and how to advocate for themselves in the room 👉 Want structured training between rehearsals? Check out Practice Paths at voicescience.org [https://voicescience.org/] 🧠 Topics Covered: * Chorus America 2019 data on choral participation * Why most singers' vocal education comes from choir, not private lessons * Director knowledge gaps: church, school, and theatre contexts * Oral cavity opening — the one-finger test * Pharyngeal anatomy: dimensions, flexibility, and function * Velopharyngeal port, velum, and the "ng" soft palate test * The "Goldilocks position" across all three directives * Why oversized breaths and exaggerated adjustments undermine the goal 🔥 Helpful for: * Choir singers trying to understand what their director is actually asking for * Choir directors looking to be more precise and effective in rehearsal * Voice teachers working with students who have a choral background * Anyone whose primary vocal training has been in an ensemble setting

You Can’t Actually Sing from the Diaphragm - Here’s What Actually Works

Overview A complete rework of Episode 1. Expanded with two new sections — symptom mapping (what failing breath support looks and sounds like) and studio observations (teacher-focused patterns and honest expectations). Original content restructured to lead with the diaphragm myth as the primary hook. Estimated runtime: 18–22 minutes. Key Concepts * The diaphragm is an inhalation muscle that relaxes during singing — it cannot "support" the voice * Breath support = voluntary regulation of exhalation to manage subglottal pressure * Your body already produces enough pressure; the job is managing and extending it * The muscles you can actually control: external intercostals, pectorals, lats * Smaller controlled breaths > maximum breaths for contemporary styles * Failing support shows up in the body before it shows up in the sound * Too-small breaths are rare — running out of air is almost always a management problem * Results possible in session one; automation takes months; never fully automatic Research Notes * Traser et al. (2020): subglottal pressure for singing = 5–35 cmH2O; maximal inhalation = ~30 cmH2O recoil force * Fiz et al. (1993): healthy individuals produce up to 204 cmH2O; trumpet players up to 288 cmH2O — 8x+ the max needed for singing

The Art of Phrasing

Why Technically Perfect Singing Is Boring — And What Actually Moves People | The Voice Science Podcast (Title A — A/B test against: "What 'Phrase It Better' Actually Means — And How to Do It") Timothy once attended a choir performance at Juilliard. Every note was in place. The tuning was immaculate. The blend was flawless. And it was boring. So what's the difference between technically correct singing and singing that actually moves people? One word: phrasing. In this episode, Josh Manuel breaks down what phrasing actually is, how to teach it, and what singers can do right now to start making more intentional, expressive choices — regardless of genre or level. You'll learn: * Why "phrase it better" isn't an instruction — and what to say instead * How to find the keyword in any phrase, and why it changes everything * The tools singers actually have: dynamics, rubato, onset choices, consonant weight * Why self-discovery is the most important principle in teaching phrasing — and how to protect it * The breath problem that shows up the moment students start working on expression * Why phrasing is completely different in classical vs. contemporary styles * Why you should always learn the song as written before making any artistic choices * What mastery in phrasing actually sounds like — and how to know when a student is getting there 👉 Want structured practice built around how your voice is actually performing? Check out Practice Paths atvoicescience.org [https://voicescience.org/] 🧠 Topics Covered: * Phrasing defined: the bridge between technical execution and storytelling * Text analysis: speaking the lyrics as a sentence to find natural emphasis * Keyword identification and why students surprise you * Dynamics, tempo rubato, glottal onsets, consonant intensity * The self-discovery principle and why you never demonstrate first * Breath choices as a storytelling tool — and the disconnect of the diaphragmatic breath in emotional contexts * Genre conventions: classical vs. contemporary phrasing rules * Learning from multiple recordings to build artistic taste * Mastering the score before departing from it * What mastery sounds like from the teacher's perspective 🔥 Helpful for: * Singers who've been told to "phrase it better" and didn't know what that meant * Voice teachers looking for a concrete framework for teaching expression * Students who sing technically well but feel something is missing in their performances * Anyone crossing genres who needs to understand why the rules change Production Notes Written by Josh Manuel. Read by Drew. Audience: intermediate-to-advanced singers and voice teachers. Covers phrasing from first principles through mastery. Practice Paths CTA. Estimated runtime: 18–22 minutes.