An
Interview with Pamela Harvey, M.A., CCC by
Sarah Whitten*
When we spoke in mid-October Pam Harvey and I talked mostly about her
background in voice pathology, and her current research interests both
of which make her a veritable gold mine for singers – both those
who are healthy and those in need of care. Harvey refers to herself as
a voice pathologist (rather than the traditional term, Speech Language
Pathologist), working only with professional voice users such as Clergy
members, Teachers, Singers and Actors, experiencing difficulty with their
voice. She serves as the Director of Voice Pathology Services at Brigham
and Women’s Hospital where she works with Dr. Jo Shapiro, Chief ENT
and first woman to run a division, and Dr. Seth Dailey, who trained in
both NY and here in Boston with Dr. Steven Zeitels.
Background
Harvey’s work is one example of the way the medical and artistic
worlds are beginning to work together to bridge the gap between science
and the arts. Harvey began her undergraduate career in musical theater
but after taking one voice disorders class she realized she was more interested
in treating professional voice users than in being one. In her masters
degree Harvey focused her research on a comparison of the primary voice
use techniques advocated by Linklatter, Lessac and Skinner in spoken theater
with the rehabilitative techniques used in vocal pathology. Since that
time Kittie Verdonlini has developed what is called Lessac Based Resonant
Voice Therapy (LBRVT) which uses many of the same principles of voice
study to rehabilitate an injured voice. Any singer who has sat in on a
voice therapy session can tell you the exercises are very similar to what
is taught in Bel Canto style singing.
After doing clinical work for a few years, Harvey was invited to do a
vocal coaching internship at the American Repertory Theater. It was here
that she worked with Bonnie Raphael, who is now on the faculty at University
of North Caroline, Chapel Hill. Following that Harvey connected with Keith
Saxon, Chief research laryngologist a NIH and Walter Reed Army Medical
Hospital. After finding themselves frequently presenting at the same conferences
with subjects that overlapped, the two decided to team up. The resulting
program, “From Center to Surface Assessing Peak Performance”,
was presented to university populations and at NATS conferences. The workshop,
meant for singers and actors, deals with everything from centering and
mindfulness to vocal and physical exercise, sleep, diet and nutrition.
(Saxon has trained with Deepak Chopra on the mind-body connection.) Currently,
the pair gives the workshop only by invitation.
Harvey is a member of the Voice Foundation, and the Voice and Speech Trainers
Association. She is on the editorial board at the Journal of Voice and
has authored many articles on the performing voice.
Current Research
Harvey’s interest as a voice pathologist lies in seeing the larynx
as part of a greater whole. In her current research she looks at laryngeal
disorders as they relate to concomitant conditions such as GERD, asthma,
allergies and general physical care that influence the throat. She is
particularly interested in how sleep affects the voice (singers may have
seen the sleep survey in the May/June 2003 NATS journal presented by Harvey,
Saxon and Dr. Robert Sataloff). Harvey indicates that recent research
shows that it is not only important to be well rested going into an event,
but it is the first sleep received after learning a new task hat will
help in succeeding in mastering the new information. Fatigue, Harvey points
out, is a biochemical event, which can be measured in the blood. In singing
one way fatigue is detected in is the changes that occur to breathing,
which inevitably effects sung tones.
If you are interested in seeing Pam Harvey for help with a voice problem,
she recommends visiting your primary care physician, obtaining a referral
to an ENT, and then a referral to her via the ENT.
Pam Harvey’s Recommendations to maintain a healthy voice:
Value Sleep - develop a way to get enough of it.
Engage in regular muscle training and exercise
Keep a healthy diet
Training is maximized in a state of optimal nutrition
Take a multivitamin/multimineral on a daily basis
Look for USP standards – means a higher quality of vitamin/mineral
Know about Ester-C – it is pH neutral and won’t aggravate reflux
Focus on Stress Reduction
Meditation, Yoga
For a healthy Larynx:
Keep it moist
Don’t smoke
Use steam inhalation, especially when traveling
Warm up adequately
Cover:
Breathing, alignment, and laryngeal relaxation
Use vocalizes specific to the music you will sing
Focus on resonance building and pulling it all together
Cool down after singing:
Humming
Stretching of body
Deep breathing
When should you send a student to see and ENT
When a change in the voice persists for more than 3 weeks
When a voice is aberrant in conversational speaking
Anytime a person is in an acute state of illness but has to perform anyway
A singer has an insurmountable roadblock (EX: restricted pitch range)
BACK TO VOCAL HEALTH HOME PAGE
Boston
Singers' Resource - "Bringing the
New England Singing Community together."
JOIN US!