Tara interviews speech and language pathologist Dr. Anita Kozan. She specializes in helping people with their singing and speaking voices when they run into vocal issues. She discusses how our voice works, some of the differences between male and female voices, what can happen to aging voices and how vocal therapy can help people even without surgery in many circumstances. Join me for this insightful discussion with someone who really cares about helping people with their voices and can bring hope!
(2:20) Dr. Kozan first had a friend talked to her about speech therapy—thinking that she would be good at it.
(4:20) She explains video stroboscopy—what it actually is. It has been in use since about 1985.
(7:55) Dr. Kozan would assess the voice through listening and watching a patient and using stroboscopy that could help her see the details of the vocal folds.
(10:15) She describes for us how small our vocal folds are and where they sit in our body. She also talks about the difference between male and female voices.
(11:20) Our vocal folds open and close 256 times per second at Middle C! Dr. Kozan describes our singing as an incredible athletic event.
(14:50) When a patient comes to Dr. Kozan with vocal issues, she goes through a vocal hygiene checklist with them.
(19:30) Dr. Kozan shares a story of someone who came for vocal therapy and already knew that he had to change certain ways of doing things.
(24:17) Spasmodic Dysphonia: there are 3 types
- When the folds stay together for too long, that is Adductor Dysphonia
- When the folds say open too long, that is Abductor Dysphonia
- Some people have both things happen at different times—the cords closing for too long or opening for too long
(26:04) Actress Katherine Hepburn had a vocal tremor. This can happen to people as they age.
(27:30) Dr. Kozan addresses aging in men and women and how it affects their voices.
(33:50) Jeannette LoVetri from Baldwin Wallace University helps teachers of singing with exercises that can really be beneficial for their students.
(36:35) When a patient has surgery on their voice, they are most often required to go on complete vocal rest for a time.
(38:05) In some therapy that Dr. Kozan does, she works with patients on adding breath on the onset and releasing it in a way that helps their vocal production. Especially with the vocal fry, which tends to pinch our cords and needs a better release of breath.
(44:25) How do we know it’s time to get our voices checked out?
(47:59) The Interval Training Model means we only do short amounts of practicing, then a time of resting the voice.
(53:20) We need to cool down our voice after strenuous usage. It helps the swelling to go down and get toxins out of our system.
To contact Dr. Kozan, please go to her website: www.kozanclinic.com
You can contact her also via email on her website and she will get back to you.
You may call or text 612-669-3206.
For finding other vocal speech language pathologist, contact the American Speech Language Hearing Association here:
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