VOICE AND SPEECH REVIEW

History

VASTA was founded in 1986 with the idea of creating an organization that would give a professional locus to an emerging branch of voice and speech pedagogy: the artist-trainer whose work is specifically focused on performing artists and career voice users.

Almost since the organization's beginning, VASTA members have contemplated the idea of starting a journal to support our overall mission of disseminating information related to voice and speech training and the improvement of the practice of our craft.

VASTA has accomplished a great deal in the past twelve years and the time is ripe for the emergence of its own Journal.

In future years we may look back and see this inauguration of our Journal as one of the most significant steps taken by the Voice and Speech Trainers Association since its inception. So, please read this article with an eye to how you might profit from and contribute to this undertaking.

Rationale

There is a real need for us to produce a journal. Voice and speech training and coaching is not well understood as a profession - even, at times, by its practitioners. The scope of individual practice, theoretical underpinnings, and objective goals is quite broad.

Subject areas with which we need to be familiar can range from hard science to ephemeral art. Few among the membership can claim to be conversant with the most advanced concepts and methodologies in all the areas related to such a broadly based field.

This Journal can provide an access point to information necessary for its readers to remain up-to-date in this rapidly changing and diverse field, and can be a forum for broadening discussions and clarifying concepts on critical topics.

The Journal will be an important public representation of our profession. Members of allied professions may come to a richer understanding of our professional goals and methods by reading the Journal. Observations we make from our experiences may provide useful contributions to other professions. Since the Journal will welcome submissions from other disciplines, it will serve as a conduit through which information and techniques from other fields can improve our own work. This communication, collaboration, and cross-fertilization is a primary goal of the Journal.

The Journal can encourage new research and rational investigation into areas that are especially

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relevant to professional voice training for the performing arts. The Journal has the potential to positively evolve the intellectual landscape of our profession.

Those coaches and trainers who hold academic positions may find the Journal a helpful tool on the road to tenure and promotion. It can provide an outlet for scholarly, peer-reviewed publication and a concrete measure of one's contribution to the field - as well as an overall ratification of the craft itself.

Reactions from the Membership

Because we were interested in the amount of popular support for this undertaking, a survey regarding the Journal was given out at the VASTA/ATHE conferences this last summer. There were 48 responses. The most significant were to the following questions:

Do you think VASTA should found a journal?

yes: 47 no: 1

If NO, why not? (No explanation for the 1 dissenting vote was offered. It may have been an error, since the anonymous respondent went on to present extensive opinions and recommendations about the Journal.)

Current plans are for semi-annual publication. Would you like to see the Journal come out:

Quarterly: 12
Semi-Annually: 31
Annually: 7

There will need to be a dues increase to cover the cost of the Journal. Assuming two issues a year, would you support an increase in the current dues ($55) to:

$65: 3
$75: 27
$80: 14
$90: 3
$100: 1

Note that 45 of 48 supported at least a $20 annual increase. No one rejected the idea of some increase.

In addition to these specific issues, a number of questions were asked about the organization and content of the Journal. Those responses will be helpful to us as we enter the next phase of planning and implementation.

Implementation

The committee to found the Journal is made up of Dudley Knight (board liaison), Rocco Dal Vera (editor), and Ron Scherer. Current plans are to introduce the first issue in the summer of 2000, and to publish two issues annually after that.

In order to cover publication costs, the board