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Volume 3, Issue 4
October 2007
Table of Contents:
A Message from the President
From the Editor
2007 VASTA Conference
VASTA Issues: Diversity
VSR Call for Papers
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
VASTAns,
I really do believe that our conferences get better every year. It’s always a pleasure simply getting together with our widespread network of colleagues to commiserate and recharge our supply of inspiration. But the summer conference has also been an opportunity for professional development – for expanding our knowledge as voice specialists and immersing ourselves in the latest advances in our field. This summer’s conference at the National Center for Voice and Speech in Denver, Colorado, was an incredibly rich resource for those who were able to attend. Our presenters were more than knowledgeable. What they provided were the very latest developments in voice science, derived from their own research.
I left the conference with an increased confidence in my understanding of the physiology and physics of the human voice and an enthusiasm for the research that lies ahead. Dr. Ingo Titze, Director of NCVS made request of our organization, that we convey to him our ideas and hopes for the future direction of that research. I invite you to take that discussion onto our listserv, VASTAVOX. Let’s have a conversation about what we’d like to know about the voice. I also invite you, especially if you weren’t able to make it to the conference, to make a visit to NCVS.org. You’ll find quite a bit of information there, including tutorials in voice science, articles and presentations of the center’s research at various conferences. Reading through that research may answer some questions for you, but it might also lead you to a realization of some new and important question that remains unasked.
Another important outcome of our conferences is the addition of new officers. We are, after all, an organization powered by the energy of our members. It’s through the efforts of volunteers like these that we are able to accomplish so much.
Please welcome:
Tammy Meneghini – Associate ATHE Conference Planner
Kristin Loree – Assistant ATHE Conference Planner
Kara Tsiaperas – Officer for International Resources
Erica Bailey – Assistant Treasurer
Hilary Blair – Associate Membership Director
Micha Espinosa – Associate Conference Planner
Cynthia Bassham & Jason Martin – Associate Directors of Technology
You may notice that many of these positions are Associate positions, which means that these officers will move into the full position as soon as their term ends. This means, of course, that we have a new slate of officers who, until recently, served as Associates. So, please welcome
Adrianne Moore –ATHE Conference Planner
Antonio Ocampo-Guzman –Membership Director
Michele Cuomo–Conference Planner
If you’d like to serve VASTA in some position just send a message to Patty Raun, our board member in charge of “Human Resources” at board.6@vasta.org .
I’ve written in previous letters of the pride I take in this organization and I’d like to take a moment to point out a wonderful new way that you can show your pride. Founding Technology Director and website designer, Eric Armstrong has added this little button to his website. It advertises his membership and also serves as a link to VASTA’s website at http://vasta.org.
If you’d like to see the link in action visit Eric’s website at http://www.voiceguy.ca/
This may seem like a small gesture but by adding this link to your own webpage or university bio, you can help spread knowledge of our organization to everyone who visits.
One caveat, however: You’ll want to check with our Membership Director, Antonio Ocampo-Guzman to be sure you’re a current member.
Word,
Phil Thompson
FROM THE EDITOR
Dear VASTAns
I’m writing to you at a particularly stressful time of year for myself – having bought a house and sold a house in a two-week period, starting up my next semester at school and dealing with all the family pressures of Thanksgiving. I am very grateful for those moments when I remind myself to breathe.
And as I breathe and focus on the task at hand, I find that a thank-you is in order for the volunteers who have helped out as Regional Editors for VASTAVoice. Thank you to those who have agreed to continue for the next term: Peter-Jack Tkatch, Daydrie Hague, Evelyn Case and Dawn McCaugherty. And thank you to those who have fulfilled their duties and are now moving on: Leigh Smiley, Darryl Thompson, Jill Walmsley Zager and Linda Cartwright.
With this departure of a number of Regional Editors, I now need to ask for volunteers to take over these positions. Duties require Regional Editors to contact VASTA members, via email, in the region they are covering twice a year (Nov. & April) to collect member news. The regional editor compiles and edits the news and passes it on to the editors for the VASTAVoice. That is the main task of the Regional Editors and it is a two-year commitment.
If you are interested please contact me (at voicefightguy@yahoo.ca) and Jeff Morrison (jmorrison@mmm.edu). Although it is not required that you live in the region you represent, it may help – let us know which area you’re interested in. The regions open are:
- New York
- Southern – AL, AR, LA, MS, OK, TX, TN, KY
- East Central – OH, MI, IN, WI, IL
- West Central – MN, IA, MO, ND, SD, NE, KS, MT, WY, CO, NM, ID
- International
Aside from looking for Regional Editors, we are also (always) looking for items for VASTAVoice. 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).
With a voiced sigh of thanks,
Mark
2007 VASTA Conference– Denver, Colorado
The 2007 VASTA Annual Conference entitled Practical Voice Science: Watch. Learn, Play was held in Denver, Colorado the first weekend in August at the National Center for Voice and Speech. The conference was attended by almost 80 members. Befitting the location, attendees invested three full days immersed in the science of voice and speech, as well as other subjects related to our profession. Though the focus was assuredly voice science, I think I can speak for all of us lowlanders in stating that we also left the Mile High City with an increased respect for the importance of oxygen and productive breathing!
The information presented at this conference was detailed, in depth, and fascinating. The kick-off presentation by Dr. Ingo Titze, head of the NCVS, provided a context for the study of voice as it is conducted at NCVS.
In the large group sessions attendees heard presentations by Clark Rosen, MD, director of one of the top 5 voice treatment facilities in the country and Eric Hunter of NCVS, who spoke on the subject of instrumentation and technology used in the study of voice. Breakout sessions featured Kate DeVore, who got us playing with resonance (thanks for the kazoo!); Doug Montequin, who gave us a unique opportunity to view and experience an excised porcine larynx; Hilary Blair and Randy Hansen, who did a practical, hands-on workshop on voice-over work; and Jennifer Spielman, who addressed technology in the field of voice bio-feedback.
A very special opportunity was available on a first-come, first-served basis to have one’s vocal folds scoped and photographed – there was a small fee involved, but those who participated felt it was well worth the small investment.
The Voice Science Rap session was well attended and there was, as usual, not enough time as the conference speakers answered questions.
Additional activities proved very popular: singing with Claudia Anderson; a Monday evening improv session with A.C.E. Improv Co. of Denver; warm-up sessions hosted by different attendees on different days; and the extremely animated Things That Work discussion on the subject of Diversity, hosted by Beth McGee, held over lunch on Monday. Many in attendance also took a very damp bus ride on Saturday evening to attend the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s production of Julius Ceasar.
It is worth mentioning to the entire VASTA membership that in his closing comments at the panel discussion, Dr. Titze stressed his desire to conduct research that serves those of us working in the voice community. He that we write down our 3 biggest issues/ concerns/ questions and send them to him so NCVS can tailor grant requests to address more adequately the needs of voice professionals and the communities we serve.
VASTA day, held on Tuesday, was extremely well attended and a big hit, as VASTA members presented papers and workshops on various subjects. We had to pick and choose as there were too many presentations to attend them all, but it was still a great day!
Huge thanks and kudos to conference organizers Phil Timberlake and Kate Ufema, and to the assistant conference organizer, Michele Cuomo, who takes over the conference organizer position for 2008 as Phil Timberlake steps into his new position on the VASTA board. The date and location of the 2008 conference has not been officially announced yet, but the board’s focus is on building the conference around a Shakespeare festival next year. As soon as everything is finalized we will all get the word. We wait with baited (but supported) breath.
Elizabeth Terrel
eterrel@email.com
VASTA Issues: Diversity Who are Your Diversity Allies?
VASTA issues: Diversity Who are Your Diversity Allies?
This is the first installment of a continuing column on diversity issues in the VASTAVoice. As chair of the VASTA diversity committee, I invite anyone to contribute to this column; to do so, please send your essay to bethmcgee@case.edu for consideration. Also feel free to comment either in the Voice, or to my e-mail address if you wish to discuss any of the issues brought up in this column. The other members of the diversity committee are Phil Thompson, Antonio Ocampo-Guzman, Elizabeth Terrel, and Michelle Lopez-Rios
-- Beth McGee, President-elect, VASTA
The 2007 Denver VASTA conference hosted a special “Things that Work” session on diversity issues. It was clear from the attendance and the ensuing serious, engaging discussion that these issues are not only very important to VASTA members, but are not being fully addressed in our professional arenas. Many issues were brought up, and VASTA plans to continue these important conversations at our conferences and through this column in the VASTAVoice.
One of the situations discussed brought up a question: Who are your diversity allies?
Some of us work in arenas that are fairly isolated. Or we may be the only under-represented minority in our peer group, academic department (school!). We may have clients that are disabled and want to create an optimum learning environment. We might be the only person in our academic department or professional association that is thinking about diversity issues. We may have colleagues that say and do inappropriate or appalling things. We may be mentoring students or clients with sexual orientation/gender association issues. We may be championing clients or students of color without any noticeable support. We may be faculty of color spending a disproportionate amount of time supporting our students of color, because they seek us out for advice. We might be concerned that our colleagues, clients, faculty or student body is not reflective of the diversity of our country. Those of us who are involved in diversity issues know we are working against the tide of majority culture, and we can get pretty tired of treading water to move a few inches forward. To whom do we go for support?
Consider finding your allies, and how you can reach out to them. If you’re on a university campus, drop by your Office of Equal Opportunity or Office of Multicultural Affairs to chat with the diversity professionals there. They’ve seen and heard it all, and can commiserate with you or give you advice on how to proceed with your questions or difficulties. If you’re a private practitioner, consider joining a listserv on diversity issues, or consulting with diversity professionals in your area. Join a web mailer like DiversityInc.com. You can always call/e-mail the VASTA diversity committee for advice or an understanding ear (their e-mails are hyper-linked, above).
Due to ever-present majority-culture “push back” and historical lethargy, working for under-represented populations can feel isolating and overwhelming at times. Our work for diversity is a process, not an “end-result.” Find your allies and reach out to them to keep your spirits lifted and your motivation moving forward.
VSR Call for Papers
Congratulations and thanks to all of you who contributed to the Voice & Speech Review's latest issue "Voice and Gender." The scope and depth of the topics and the quality of the writing continues the excellent tradition started by Founding Editor Rocco Dal Vera and furthered by recent past Editor Mandy Rees.
As the new Editor-in-Chief, I am pleased to announce the cover topic for VSR 09 - "The Moving Voice - An Integration of Voice and Movement Studies." I invite outlines, abstracts or full drafts on that topic or any of the broad range of voice-related topics covered in all ten areas of the journal. You can email your thoughts and ideas to the appropriate associate editor (their names and email addresses can be found on the VASTA.org website, as can style and submission guidelines) or you can email me at renacook@ou.edu.
Though the deadline for completed drafts is September 2008, the Associate Editors and I would enjoy hearing from you during your development process.
I look forward to reading your voices soon.
Write on!
Rena Cook
©2007, Voice and Speech Trainers Association
Questions or comments? E-mail us at vastavoice@vasta.org
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