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Volume 3, Issue 3
August 2007
Table of Contents:
A Message from the President
From the Editor
2007 VASTA Conference
VASTA Day Continues!
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
VASTAns,
I write this note to you during a brief lull in my summer schedule. Although this may arrive in your mailbox after our conference in Denver has come and gone, for me, the conference still lies ahead. VASTA’s annual conference is a focal point in the year and I’m always surprised by how much gets done there. The board meets both before and after the conference proper, and business matters tend to pepper our conversations throughout the conference. Every year there is a great deal to learn from our presenters and this year we’ll be treated to the equivalent of an intensive course in voice physiology. Finally, there are the personal connections between colleagues. Voice and Speech trainers are very often isolated. Whether in private practice or in academic institutions we tend to work alone as the sole representative of our discipline. The conference is a wonderful opportunity to reestablish our sense of belonging to a professional community and I look forward to seeing many of you there.
I’ll certainly have more to report in my next letter, after the conference, but there are a few important announcements I can share now. First, I’m pleased to welcome to the board our recently elected member Phil Timberlake. Phil has served admirably as conference director and I’m looking forward to having his levelheaded diligence on the board. Of course the beginning of one term always marks the end of another and I’m sorry to bid farewell to Judylee Vivier, our outgoing board member. Judylee has, during her service on the board, taken on the job of “human resources” manager, maintaining a list of jobs and members interested in service. She now hands that task to board member Patty Raun. If you’re interested in getting more involved, just send a message to Patty at praun@vt.edu.
My last task is to try to clear up some confusion that I’ve noticed regarding VASTA’s Professional Index. This is a feature of our website which allows members to post information about themselves so they can be contacted by potential clients or employers. We also have on our website a page for updating the personal contact information that VASTA uses to communicate with you. These are entirely different mechanisms and updating one does not automatically update the other.
The Professional Index is maintained by Chris Neher. When a member submits information for this page, Chris receives it as an email. He checks that the message comes from a current member and then adds the info to the website.
The Member Database is maintained by our Treasurer, Krista Scott. When a new member joins or when a continuing member submits a member contact information update form from the website, Krista adds that information to her database. That database is not posted to the web.
I hope that makes things clearer.
Word,
Phil Thompson
FROM THE EDITOR
Dear VASTANs,
As I take over as Editor of VASTA Voice, I want to thank Allison Hetzel, out-going Editor, for all her support and tutelage over the past year. Having only entered into the world of voice training four years ago, but having been a student for over twenty years, my eyes are constantly being opened to new ideas and perspectives. By stepping into Associate Editor, with Allison to guide me, the journey into this new world for me has been a wondrous, yet undaunting, one. Welcome to my new Associate Editor, Jeff Morrison – I look forward to working together and getting to know another of my voice colleagues.
The role of VASTA Voice is an interesting one, as I see it. It sits between VASTAVox and the Voice and Speech Review (VSR). I am an avid reader of the Vox and love the debate and support offered by our members on a variety of subjects. As I am fortunate enough to have an essay being published in the upcoming VSR, I also have a bit of experience into what the process and timelines are for this publication. Over this past year, in VASTA Voice, I have read a couple of articles that seemed to be a more extended conversation/debate than what is usually printed on the Vox – in fact one was written in response to the first – that on The Belting Voice. It felt like VASTA Voice was the perfect venue for this exchange of ideas.
Many VASTA members are concerned with ways of getting their research and ideas presented in public forums, but are not quite sure how to do it. The VSR presents the results of members’ research – but may be intimidating for some. I think the VASTA Voice is an excellent venue that members can use for this purpose: to put out their more developed/researched theories as a stepping stone to the VSR. If you are working on an article that you would like to submit to VASTA Voice please send it to me (at voicefightguy@yahoo.ca) or Jeff Morrison (jmorrison@mmm.edu).
Cheers,
Mark Ingram
Editor – VASTA Voice
2007 VASTA Conference
Registration is FULL!
VASTA's 2007 Annual Conference will be held at The National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS) in Denver Colorado from August 3-7, 2007. More than 13 presenters will present the latest in voice science and its application to voice and speech training.
The conference will also feature VASTA Day, with over 20 presentations by our own members.
For conference attendees, we also are soliciting ideas/topics for:
"Things That Work--Diversity in the Profession: Clients, Classrooms, and Questions."
If you have a diversity tool you use in private sessions, rehearsals, or in the classroom, a good idea, a cautionary tale, or a question for the group, please share it at the Session. The session will be moderated by Beth McGee. Questions? Contact Beth at bethmcgee@case.edu
See you in Denver!
Phil Timberlake ( phil@amytimberlake.com)
Kate Ufema (kufema@d.umn.edu)
Co-Directors of Conferences
Michele Cuomo (michelecuomo@hotmail.com)
Assistant Director of Conferences
VASTA DAY CONTINUES!
Once again, the last day of the annual conference, August 7th, will be devoted to VASTA-member presentations. This year we are happy to offer nearly thirty presentations. They cover a wide range of topics, from: exploring vocal freedom using Viewpoints work; to a performance and discussion of a member’s one-woman show; to the speech challenges for the student and trainer of /r/, /s/ & /t/. Some of the presentations, especially those that incorporate a movement component, may be interspersed throughout the length of the conference to allow us to move our limbs a bit between lectures.
VASTA Day continues to be one of the most stimulating and rewarding components of the annual conference. We thank the many member presenters for sharing their exciting new work at the conference. If you have any questions about VASTA Day, feel free to contact Laura Hitt, VASTA Day Coordinator, at
lahitt34@yahoo.com.
©2007, Voice and Speech Trainers Association
Questions or comments? E-mail us at vastavoice@vasta.org
This site is designed and maintained by VASTA Director of Technology, Michael J. Barnes , with assistance from Chris Neher.