1. Statistics
Teachers are about 4% of the U.S. workforce, yet are almost 20% of the patient load in voice centers.
Teachers spend an average of 49.3 hours per week on teaching duties.
Nearly 15% of students (ages 6-19) show signs of hearing loss.
Teachers are almost twice as likely as other professionals to be concerned that voice problems will impact their future employment and job functions.
In a study comparing teachers to non-teachers, about 20% of teachers (but only 4% of non-teachers) said they've missed work due a voice problem.
When those with voice disorders were surveyed, about two-thirds reported depression.
Voice disorders caused by abuse and overuse are the most common, but also the most preventable, types of voice problems.

2. Tips to keep you talking
Vocal Health for Music (& other) Teachers
March 29, 2018
Tips to keep you talking

3. Why are teachers vulnerable?
FACT:
Teachers simply use their voices more each day than most other professionals. Of course, there are gaps in teachers' speech. Cumulatively, in a seven-hour work day, teachers speak about one hour. Music teachers speak/sing significantly more.
Teachers get little recovery time. Teachers typically work five days a week, with only two-day weekends to rest. Personal and sick days are few and far between.
They are constantly exposed to students with sniffles and sore throats. Viruses and other upper respiratory episodes usually wreak havoc on the voice.
More children are hard of hearing as compared to previous generations, probably due to damage from loud music and other noise. Teachers find themselves constantly cranking up their vocal volume so their students can hear them.
Environmental conditions are less than ideal. In particular, chemistry, art and industrial education teachers as well as maintenance and custodial staff are exposed to irritating fumes. Dusty ventilation systems, low humidity, or molds can all contribute to vocal tissue irritation and difficulty voicing. Instrumental teachers have prolonged exposure to unsafe Db levels as a normal part of their day-to-day routine.
Many classrooms have poor acoustics.
About 75 percent of all teachers are female. Since women usually speak at a higher pitch, their vocal folds collide more times each day than those of men. Thus, women may be more prone to certain voice problems such as nodules.

4. Why are teachers vulnerable?
SUSPECT:
It is true that because of less language experience (as compared to adults), children must be able to hear their teachers' voices well over background noise in order to learn. Likely sensing this, teachers tend to raise their vocal volume — perhaps more than necessary or in a compensatory way. Many teachers' vocal systems just can't take that high daily vocal burden.
Teachers haven't been taught healthy ways of speaking. Knowledge of optimal voice use from disciplines such as speech-language pathology hasn't crossed over to the field of education. When teachers have a voice problem, they may be unsure how to seek help.
Their unique work cycle may let teachers procrastinate about finding medical help for their voice problems. Teachers likely start the school year with well-rested voices, but as the year progresses, periodic problems with vocal fatigue, pain or illness may occur. Perhaps when teachers have reached a desperation point, summer has arrived, and teachers again have a three-month recovery period.

5. Vocal Physiology Respiration/Actuation……..Powers Sound
Phonation/Vibration…….Produces Sound
Resonation……….….Amplifies the Sound
Articulation………………Forms the Words
Volition……………………Systems Control

6. Vocal Disorders Pharangitis Swollen lymph nodes Reflux Laryngitis
Nodules
Polyps
Reinke’s Edema (Smoking)
Alcoholic Laryngitis
Cancer
Hemorrhage
Bruised cartilages or muscles
Paralysis
HPV (Venereal Disease)
Disphonia
Hormonal issues
Neurological issues
Related disorders (not larynx): bronchitis, pneumonia, upper respiratory infection/sinusitis, tonsillitis, hearing loss, ear infection

7. Preventative maintenance
Hydration
Sleep
Stress Reduction
General Healthful Behavior
Warmth
Wear Your Seatbelt
Avoid: gum chewing, whispering, screaming, loud background noise

8. Treatment of basic problems
Treat the symptoms that cause the ailment
Know a good ENT or Otolaryngologist
Sleep/Time
Hydration
Warm salt water gargle (or Hydrogen peroxide)
Various degrees of Vocal Rest
Avoid: home remedies, throat sprays, lozenges if doing heavy speaking or singing

9. Application/Strategies to help you
Vocalizing
Supporting the Breath
Posture
Balance Your Onset
Resonate from the mask, not the throat
Consider speaking at a different pitch; avoid monotone
Pace yourself
Realize the effects of foods and drugs on your voice
Avoid clearing your throat and coughing
Use amplification
Non-verbal approach
Advanced organizers that get attention, but don’t use your voice
When sick, talk less, or not at all
Assess and troubleshoot the acoustics of your classroom
After speaking, warm down

10. Available at: www.kristopherzook.weebly.com

11. Resources & Links
Doscher, Barbara. The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice. Scarecrow Press. 1993
McCoy, Scott. Your Voice: An Inside View, 2nd Edition. Inside View Press
McKinney, James C. The Diagnosis and Correction of Vocal Faults. Nashville, TN. Broadman Press 1982
Miller, Richard. The Structure of Singing: System and art in technique. Collier Macmillan, New York.
Sundberg, Johan. The Science of the Singing Voice. Northern Illinois University Press, 1987
2013The Grabscheid Voice Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center
Vox Humana Laboratory at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
Regional Center for Voice and Swallowing, at Milan's Azienda Ospedaliera Fatebenefratelli e Oftalmico
National Center for Voice and Speech