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Day 10 Topic 3
Why It Matters
Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract (SOVT) work stabilizes breath-pressure and onset. Add a clear character thought and your acting aims the airflow. Result: aligned phonation that survives nerves.
How to Practice (straw-to-sing circuit)
- Gear: Narrow stirrer straw (~3–4 mm). Light seal at lips; jaw easy.
- Phrase plan: Choose the first box of your piece. Pick one verb.
- Straw phonate the box for 8–12 seconds. Aim for even, unbroken flow.
- Speak the verb immediately (quiet, present-tense): “I comfort.”
- Sing the box right away, keeping the same airflow feel you just had.
- Repeat x3. Each time, let the thought trigger the breath, not the other way around.
Upgrades
- Water version: Tip the straw 1–2 cm into water; keep bubbles steady (stop if dizzy).
- Resistance play: Cover/uncover 10–20% of the straw end to feel fine control.
- Onset check: If the first millisecond splats, go back to straw and re-aim the verb.
Common Mistakes
- Over-blow. If cheeks balloon or neck grabs, back off 20%.
- Treating the straw as warm-up only. Always add the verb so it transfers.
- Dropping posture/10–2 during straw work—then wondering why the transfer fails.
Pro Tips
- Pair the straw with micro-blocking: go through your blocking as if the stage were 1/4 the size it is. Notice where the blocking or your choices are causing you to interrupt airflow, or push.
- Pair the straw with Full-blocking: Use this as a tool to learn how to pace yourself and become more efficient with your acting. Remember, foot movement burns through a lot of oxygen so do as much as you can with the rest of your body expression wise before traveling with your feet.
- Keep phrases short. Many tiny wins > one long, blurry blow.
- If lightheaded, stop, reset breath, hydrate. Safety first.
Assignments
- Do 3 straw-to-sing reps per day on your opening phrase for a week.
- Log your Note → Change → Result after each set.
- On day 7, record a no-straw take; compare tone/onset to day 1.
Final “Do This Next”
- Choose one piece. Mark 3 hot spots with cue + verb + action.
- Schedule the Integration Ladder for the next three days.
- Run the straw circuit before each Step-3 run.
Cross-links: Review Boxes/Lines/Arrows (Days 1–2), 10–2 & diagonals (Day 7), and Taking Correction Like a Pro (Day 7) to tighten the loop. Film yourself. Iterate. Curious beats perfect—always.
REFERENCES
- Titze, I. R. (2006). Voice training and therapy with a semi-occluded vocal tract: Rationale and scientific underpinnings. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49(2), 448–459. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2006/035) PubMed
- Titze, I. R. (2009). Phonation threshold pressure measurement with a semi-occluded vocal tract. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 52(2), 500–515. ASHA Publications
- Kapsner-Smith, M. R., et al. (2015). A randomized controlled trial of two semi-occluded vocal tract voice therapy protocols. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 58(3), 535–549. PMC
- Enflo, L., Sundberg, J., Romedahl, C., & McAllister, A. (2013). Effects on vocal fold collision and phonation threshold pressure of resonance tube phonation in water and in air. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 56(5), 1318–1327. ASHA Publications
- Bonette, M. C., et al. (2020). Immediate effect of semi-occluded vocal tract exercises using resonance tube phonation in water. Journal of Voice, 34(6), 1012.e1–1012.e8. ScienceDirect
- Meerschman, I., et al. (2023). Immediate effects of straw phonation in air or water on laryngeal function and configuration… International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders. (Stroboscopy RCT.) UPSpace Repository
- Laukkanen, A.-M., et al. (2024). Glottal imaging study comparing vowel phonation with semi-occlusion exercises. Journal of Voice. (Online ahead of print.) jvoice.org
- Verdolini Abbott, K. (2008). Lessac-Madsen Resonant Voice Therapy: Clinician Manual. Stemple/NCVS. (Evidence-based resonance work that pairs well with SOVTE.) WorldCat