Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a novel teacher-reported pediatric voice outcome measure and to investigate its psychometric properties. Method: In the first stage, a new instrument, the Teacher-Reported Pediatric Voice Handicap Index (TRPVHI), was developed. After item generation, a panel of experts evaluated the items to assess…

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to assess the acoustical conditions in which optimal intelligibility and low listening difficulty can be achieved in real classrooms for elementary students, taking into consideration the effects of dysphonic voice and typical classroom noise. Method: Speech intelligibility tests were performed in six…

Purpose: Translating exercise-science methodology for determination of muscle bioenergetics, we hypothesized that the temporal voice-use patterns for classroom and music teachers would indicate a reliance on the immediate energy system for laryngeal skeletal-muscle metabolism. It was hypothesized that the music-teacher group would produce longer…

Teachers represent a large portion of professional voice users in the United States and the development of poor vocal health has related to their work. Elementary music educators are expected to use their voices in both speech and song and are vocally active for much of their workday. This study investigates elementary music teachers'…

The voice is arguably one of the most important tools of the trade for music teachers. However, vocal health for music teachers is often relegated to the margins of policy discussion. This article investigates the social and political environs where vocal health resides, arguing that music teachers must be the first advocates for the enforcement…