Vocal pedagogy

Contact information Frances Ascott ENT Dept Manchester Royal Infirmary 0161 276 4215 (voicemail) frances.ascott@cmft.nhs.uk

Vocal pedagogy The method and practice of teaching In order that you can effectively teach students in singing you need to understand the mechanism. It is no longer acceptable to teach purely “by ear” although your musical skills, interpretation, tuning and many more shills are also required. The first part of this course is dealing with the physical aspect of voice production. Valuable for you as singers and as a teachers of singing

Opportunity for Questions As we go along At the end of sessions Make an appointment/arrangement At end of course

A Functional Approach to Voice Production Anatomy Need 2x laryngeal models ?servox Handouts VCN video Normal larynx video

Cycle of voice production

course Anatomy and physiology of these systems Function

Aim To visit the anatomy of the larynx to be able to visualise the 3D image as a basis for understanding the movement.

Useful terminology in anatomy

Vocal tract Respiratory system Larynx Pharynx Oral cavity Nasal cavity

Larynx

Main functions of the larynx Respiration Acts as a valve to regulate airflow Protection/swallowing Closes during swallow to prevent aspiration by action of epiglottis and up and forward movement Thoracic fixation Closure of upper airway temporarily to increase abdominal pressure

Position of larynx

Larynx The larynx sits at the top of the windpipe/trachea It sits in front of the hypopharynx

Laryngeal cartilages Cartilages Bone 1 x thyroid 1 x cricoid 2 x arytenoid 1 x epiglottis 2 x corniculate 2 x cuneiform 2 x triticea Bone hyoid

Larynx from front

Thyroid cartilage

Thyroid cartilage Thyroid cartilage is the largest cartilage Made of 2 quadrangular plates called thyroid lamina. Each plate has 2 surfaces :Inner & outer 4 Borders : Upper,Lower,anterior,posterior Anterior border Anterior borders unites at an angle or approximately 90° in men and 120° in women Thyroid prominence (Adams apple) separated by Thyroid notch

Thyroid cartilage Posterior borders :Prolonged upwards & downwards called Sup. & Inf. Horns or Cornu Superior horn connects to the hyoid bone Lateral thyrohyoid ligament Inferior horn is connected to the cricoid cartilage by Cricothyroid joint in a facet at the medial surface for cricoid arch Ossification or calcification of the thyroid cartilage begins early at around 20 years starting posteriorly and inferiorly

Thyroid cartilage Halfway between the thyroid notch and the inferior border is a slight depression which marks the level of the vocal cords. The cartilage is covered in perichondrium and on the inner surface this is covered my mucosal membrane

Cricoid cartilage

Cricoid cartilage This a signet ring in shape It is the only full ring of cartilage in the airway The posterior lamina may be up to 30mm in height The cricoid arch at the front can be as little as a few mm in height. Because it is thin it tens to ossify/calcify later

Cricoid cartilage Internal dimension vary a lot Women average 11.6mm range 8.9-17mm Men average 15mm range from 11-21mm The distance between the Cricothyroid joint facets also varies

Arytenoid cartilages

Arytenoid cartilages 2 Pyramidal cartilages sit on top of the wide, posterior facet of the cricoid cartilage They begin to ossify around 30 years of age. They are capable of complex movement coming together in the midline and revolve over the cricoid

Corniculate and Cuneiform and Triticea cartilages Sitting on the top of the apex of the arytenoids are the Corniculate cartilages. These help with the rigidity of the aryepiglottic folds The cuneiform cartilages in the aryepiglottic folds help with epiglottic movement in swallowing The Triticeal cartilages are within the thyrohyoid ligament and can be mistaken on x-ray for a foreign body Classified as minor cartilages

Epiglottis

Position of the epiglottis

Epiglottis Arises on the inner surface of the thyroid cartilage above the insertion of the vocal cords. Ligaments attach from the epiglottis to the hyoid bone, the thyroid cartilage, and the base of the tongue. Attachment via ligaments rather than joints allows the epiglottic to move passively in tandem with these structures It is quite soft and flexible

Intrinsic muscles of the larynx The muscle within the larynx have three main purposes Changing the tension of the vocal folds Opening Closing the vocal folds They may be described as abductor, adductor, tensor and relaxer

Intrinsic muscles superior and sagittal views

Intrinsic muscles anterior and posterior views

Abductor muscle (opening) Posterior cricoarytenoid PCA Traditionally credited as the only abductor Paired muscle from the posterior surface of the cricoid cartilage and inserts onto the muscular process of the arytenoids Pulls back on the muscular process swinging the front ends away from each other so opening the glottis for respiration

Posterior Cricoarytenoid

Abductors and adductors

Adductor muscles Lateral cricoarytenoid Interarytenoid muscles

Lateral cricoartenoid Plays the most active role in the protection of the airway through closure It regulates medial compression May have some abductory abilities

Inter-arytenoid muscles Transverse muscle is unpaired Obliques are paired Transverse pulls arytenoids horizontally together

Movement or arytenoids

Adductors 1

Adductors 2

Relaxer Muscle The thyro-arytenoid is the main pitch lowering muscle. Contraction shortens the muscle lowering the pitch Also contraction straightens and closes the vocal folds It forms the bulk of the vocal cord It has 2 distinct muscle bands Medial Thyroarytenoid (vocalis) Lateral Thyroarytenoid (thromuscularis)

Thyro-arytenoid muscles Note when the muscle is contracted and also opposed by other muscles this will result in an increase in tension so it may also be described as a tensor Check diagram to see muscle bands making up the vocal fold

Thyro-arytenoid muscles

Thyro-arytenoid muscles

Tensor muscles The paired crico-thyroid muscles which have two distinct parts pulling in slightly different directions By closing the cricothyroid at the front the vocal folds are elongated and stretched increasing tension and pitch

Cricothyroid muscles

Action of cricothtroid

Cricothyroid muscles

Aryepiglottic muscles Sometimes describes as a sphincter Not easily fit into one of above categories but still intrinsic laryngeal muscle These muscle are continuation of oblique arytenoid muscle to epiglottis. Pulls epiglottis down during swallow. Control not understood

Aryepiglottic muscles

Intrinsic membranes and ligaments Then form important structure to the larynx. Conus elasticus is cone shaped below the vocal folds. In the anterior midline it forms the cricothyroid ligament which then divided to form vocal ligament (from the anterior inner surface of the thyroid cartilage back to the arytenoids. This is part of the vocal fold.

Membranes and ligament Posterior/coronal

Intrinsic membranes and ligaments The quadragular membrane form the side walls of the laryngeal vestibule above the vocal folds The inferior border forms the ventricular ligament in the ventricular folds (or false vocal folds) The ventricular folds move largely passively. The mechanism is not entirely understood. Ideally they should be retracted to allow maximum freedom for vocal cord vibration

Extrinsic muscles Titze 1994

Laryngeal Elevators Elevators Digastric Stylohyoid Mylohyoid Geniohyoid Thyrohyoid Hyoglossus Genioglossus muscles Listed so that you have heard of them How named attached to hyoid / tongue Point to note that there are more of them than the depressors Palpate mylohyoid +/- swallow

Laryngeal depressors Sternohyoid Omohyoid The laryngeal depressors are the sternohyoid and omohyoid muscles. They pull down the larynx rather than push it down (infra hyoid muscles) Much lowering of the larynx is by a relaxation of the suprahoid muscles

Muscles which raise the larynx are called elevators Elevation often goes with increase in pitch but the larynx can raise independent of pitch. There will be an acoustic change. Opera quality require a fairly low position where as belt require a high setting.

References Obert and Chicurel (2005) Geography of the Voice. Pub Estill voice training systems Perkins and Kent (1986) Textbook of Functional Anatomy of Speech, Language and Hearing. Pub Taylor and Francis Sataloff (2006) Vocal Health and Pedagogy. Vol 1 Pub. Plural

Further viewing www.anatomyzone.com via You Tube