Kayla:

 

YES, this is a serious problem, and YES, there is time to fix it.

 

Allen is correct:  we don't know enough to give realistic advice.  If this is a nodule problem, PLEASE reassure her that nodes are a SYMPTOM of bad vocal habits that are creating physical damage, but that they can be cured by good voice therapy with a good therapist.  And DO NOT ALLOW ANY DOCTOR NEAR HER WITH A SCALPEL!!!!!  When most doctors talk about "the voice," they're talking about the speaking voice, and have no idea what's required of a singing voice.

 

I had an incoming college Freshman audition for my ensemble, heard some questionable sounds, and asked her about them.  It turned out that she had been a cheerleader (what else?!!!!), had been diagnosed with nodes, and had been referred to a good voice therapist in her senior year.  She was very lucky to get a good diangosis, a good referral, and to be smart enough to do what she was told to do.  It took her about another year, but she made it into my ensemble the second time around, and became one of my 1st sopranos (and I am VERY picky about my 1st sopranos!).

 

We had a student here who was accepted into grad school at several schools, indluding Indiana and Florida State, but who declined because she had vocal problems following a tonsilectomy.  She worked and took Masters classes in Business while she worked through the problems, after finding that one school would give her deferred admission while the other would not.  And she ended up with a full graduate scholarship at Peabody after her vocal problems had been worked out.  So tell you student, as well, that if she want to sing and if she can't go directly from high school to college, SO WHAT!  It took me 12 years to finish my undergrad degree.  It doesn't have to be done on the same schedule everybody else follows, and if she needs to take a year off, so be it!

 

All the best,

 

John

 

 

It is never too late.  She needs to see a specialist!  I am not sure of your location, but there are incredible Doctors throughout the US that can help.  Three years ago, I also thought my singing career was over when I couldnt phonate in head voice.  Fortunately, I found Dr. Robert Bastian in Chicago.  After surgery, I have made a 110% recovery...and am actively performing in the Chicago area.  Dr. Bastian works on opera singers, pop singers and TV and Radio personalities.  He is the best and has an amazing staff of voice therapists to help get the singer back on track!  Check him out!

So what does the doctor say is the problem? And was this a speech pathologist or ENT specialist, or just a general practice doctor? Hard to know what to recommend without further information. A real specialized center like this might be more helpful than this forum.

And I agree with John and Allen in every way. I also went through vocal problems which hastened my retirement in June.

  I had been like stainless still for decades then, poof, NOT! I couldn't speek for more than say, two seconds, without my voice

breaking like a pubescent boy. I wnet to my doctor. I saw my doctor of his PA three times thinking this was an infection or.... This went on for several months until my depression and dismay overwhelmed me.

  The last time I went to my doctor I told him that I was looking for a REAL voice doc and willing to go to New York and see Dr. Peak Wu or a voice clinic in Philadelphia both of which work with prominent singers, actors and "normal" people. My doctor rather got his hackels up and said that there was a new practice and the doctors studied at U Penn. I tried this new practice. The first doc examined me and said that I had imflamation but that he would not treat me because I was a singer. He continued, if it were nodes, I would just take you an STRIP your vocal chords and send you one your way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But, My colleague has his own voice clinic at Ithaca College and works with singers so we will make an appointment with him.

  I felt much better after seeing Dr Strominger who knew the clinic in Philadelphia and that doctor and works with the singers and actors at Ithaca College. Aged and fat, he told me that I had acid reflex and that the acid was burning my esophagus and vocal chords. He proscribed Aciphex.

But, because of diabetes or inhalant or antibiotics or just because, I had a fungal infection, Thrush. Thus, if you will excuse, I had fuzzy tone.

This Christmas was the first time in over a year, my voice felt like my voice.

  If you search Peak Wu on the web you will find him and you may make an appointment. If you can't find the doctor or clinic in Philadelphia, I will get the info and get back to you.

 John is correct about avoiding the knife unless there are polyps which can become cancerous. Nodes are developed much like calouses and vocal behaviors are to blame. These can be corrected.

  I worked with several singers with troubled voices when I taught at Ball State University. BSU had a very respected Voice Clinic and, as students, they received free care. Since they were singers, their doc thought that maybe their teacher, me could help as well. Over weeks of instilling better breathing habits, taking care of obvious tension habits, proper focus, etc, etc, etc. The student improved steadily and the doc credited me and the student's diligence. He simply did not know the singing voice which is more than just the extent of the spoken voice.

 This is not the end but certainly a beginning and a wake-up call. John's suggestions of alternatives are excellent. Your student need not go in as a music major. Most schools have a General Studies, Exploratory, Non-declared program to be accepted in while she heals and may take advantage of their voice/speech pathology clinic.

Best of Luck and hold her hand. the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train.

S

Hi Kayla,

 

I am married to an ENT doc and have an interest in vocal health, myself.  The gentlemen here have given some good advice.  I am also familar with the Bastian Voice Institute, since Bob is a friend  of my husband's and I have had dinner with him (and his lovely wife, Jan) many times. Hubby does general ENT with an interest in professional voice but always knows when to refer to Bastian!

 

I do wonder who would have given a young girl such dismal news, with no other options.  As has been stated, there could be many reasons for her vocal problems, including poor technique, cheerleading (the BANE of HS sopranos) and even GERD.  Surgery could be an option as well as a vocal therapist (speech pathologists with special training in singers/actors, etc.).  Vocal rest, change in diet, breath control training, etc. could all be part of a treatment program.

 

There are some good vocal health centers, including one in Philly at the Albert Einstein School of Medicene--I think Dr. Sataloff  (sp?)is still there--that would have much to help your student.    If she did NOT see an ENT, she needs to.  If she did see an ENT, she should find a laryongoloist (someone who specialises in voice and swollowing issues). Who is the best throat doctor in your area?

 

And as John has suggested, there is no rush to begin college right out of HS if she wants to sing and is having problems.  She could take music classes (piano, theory, history) at a community college until her voice is healthy again.  It is so important to find out what is causing the problems so she can correct them and sing!

 

Good luck !

 

Marie

Wayne Kirkham in Dallas at Medical City Hospital is fantastic - every singer with voice problems in this part of the world goes to see him. He's an expert on the singing and not just the speaking voice.

 

Mary Jane Phillips

 I think you have done the right thing by not trying to advise her yourself.  The names mentioned by respondents are good, and keep searching.  Call Curtis and ask them who they recommend, call other places and ask them.  See more than one specialist in the field before you make a decision.  If 2 or more agree on the same method of treatment, chances are, it is the way to go.  And worse come to worse, prepare her for the fact that some things may not be fixable and she needs the "Plan B".

 Dr. Michael Willet of Southern New England Ear, Nose and Throat

 

He has several offices in CT, here is their Cheshire (about 30 minutes Southwest from Hartford) office:

 

 Philadelphia:  Dr. Joseph Sataloff's Office.  He wrote the book - literally.  But you do not have to see him personally  - there are other very qualified doctors in the practice.  The advantage of this clinic is that they specialize in professional voice use.  Their voice therapists completely coordinate with the doctors. General ENT's typically are not aware of the complexity of professional voice use, or the demands it makes on the voice, nor do they have the resources to refer you to a qualified therapists - for both speaking and singing - as was pointed out in another post, very different issues.  Often, it's the speaking voice that is causing the problem.  Get her to a doctor/ clinic who understands this.  

Speech pathologist/ voice specialist here:

 

A doctor who takes one look & tells a young singer to consider giving it up, is not someone who really understands the instrument OR the psychology of singing.

Diagnosis with videostroboscopy and a voice team who are familiar with singers is the essential first step, worth travelling for.  If you're in Connecticut, UConn Medical Center in Storrs has an excellent voice team, with speech pathologists who are themselves singers. Ask for Starr Cookman in their otolaryngology department & say I sent you! 

 

In Boston, Dr. Steve Zeitels is one of the best laryngologists in the world, but may not accept insurance; I also concur with the NY, Philadelphia, & Chicago referrals that others have suggested.

 

Please encourage your student to approach this as deep (if traumatic) learning process. If she is not in shape to audition well and start college on schedule, is it possible for her to take a year off, earn/save money, & stockpile some "general ed" credits and keyboard/theory skills at a community college, while recovering from the vocal glitch? The whole process might well lead to her using better technique/ achieving better sound—not to mention gaining maturity as an artist, via self-knowledge and compassion for human condition— than she would have without such a "wake-up call." These are not things that a teenager would want to hear, but perhaps more tolerable than the thought of giving up for good -- which is ENTIRELY premature!

 

Feel free to contact me directly if I can be of further help.

best regards,

Joanna

 

 

I had "something on my cords," as you said.  The local specialist took a look, told me not to talk for six weeks, and to come back.  Nothing changed, so he sent me to a better specialist in Portland, Oregon.  This Dr. told me that if the nodules were filled with clear liquid, like blisters, the treatment would have worked.  These, however, were filled with blood and would not have gone away, according to him,  if I had not spoken for six years.  He removed them and everything is back to normal.  So - perhaps before advising someone to not let any doctor near a student with a scalpel, a correct diagnosis of the situation should be made.  There are nodules, and there are nodules.

I am a success story with vocal cords, though I am long past my school days. The problem started when I took a job as a high school choral director. I was a piano major in college so probably did not use my voice correctly, plus this was a tough school and I had discipline problems so talked and sang too loudly. By summer, my voice was raspy and hoarse. I consulted my otolaryngologist who did a scope and sent me to a speech therapist. After 8 weeks of therapy, I was cured! (I did the exercises faithfully every day.) But some vocal misuse caused the problem to return. I did those exercises again faithfully and once again restored my voice. (The diagnosis had been "nodes.") But then I had some bad bouts of asthma, and coughed too much which strained my voice again. (Sometimes I would cough an hour straight, and I hated taking prednisone so refused.) This pattern continued, until finally last summer I went back to my doctor and tried speech therapy again. After several weeks, she sent me to a laryngologist, who is more specialized than an otolaryngologist. She prescribed surgery but her first attempt revealed a more serious problem so on Jan. 5 I had hospital surgery--she found a huge cyst on my vocal cords and removed it. I was told not to talk for 8 days, and I did not. Then I started very slowly, and resumed my exercises, but never early in the day. I would refrain from any talking for several hours before I even attempted the exercises. My voice returned, and I am functioning as a church choral director and I'm fine. I do my vocal exercises daily, and still do not talk until I have completed them. The reason was explained by my surgeon: the vocal cords swell when we lie down all night and it takes them awhile to settle down once we are in a vertical position. Occasionally I still overuse my voice too much and have to rest it and be very conscious about what I do. But I really do have my voice back, and I have struggled with this problem since 2002. One more tip: the phone is very hard on anyone with a voice problem. We always speak louder and more intensely on the phone, even if we try not to. That is hard on the voice. Also, drink plenty of water frequently. As I always say, I am "hydrating my vocal cords." I really respect my laryngologist, and when I would go in with a long list of questions, she would carefully answer every one. At my last appointment, she said to check back in a year!  I hope my success can inspire others.

I am not an expert but I have had similar trouble in the past which was due to my technique being too much in the head or too forward. I was just not getting enough support really. I am over at http://voicediary.wordpress.com/ if you want any more details.

Kayla

Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston has a fabulous voice therapy department ,with all the best specialists and therapists that are professional singers.  They work with all kinds of voice problems;  but specialize their therapy specifically for professional singers.  I have been to workshops led by some of their singer/therapists and they were very informative and positive.  Good luck to your singer.  She will receive excellent help there and it is close-by.

Judy