The “So What” of Voice Research

In my tenure as editor, I have offered thoughts and tips on writing for voice research in many of the Editor’s Notes.¹ The Voice and Speech Review’s (VSR) mission includes supporting and encouraging authors, particularly those new to publishing. In that vein, prospective scholarly authors sometimes show trepidation about writing, asking “How can I write something unique to the field?” Graduate students will sometimes also lament having to “say something new” in their thesis or dissertation. When asked, my response is always this: “new” is relative and not as titanic as it may seem initially.

First, no idea exists in a vacuum. All research builds from previous scholarship, and research is commonly a response to problems, challenges, and varying audiences within the field. For anyone dreading the task of creating or writing something “new” for the field of voice, take comfort in knowing that. Generally, all VSR articles require some scholarly engagement, which means that authors need to show previous research and include a literature review of some kind. Authors should answer the question: How is this article in dialogue with earlier scholarship? Of course, people come along and have bold original thoughts, but again, “brand new” is relative.

Rather than thinking of articles as “new,” authors should ask, “So what?” After reading an article, the reader should be able to answer one of the two following questions: (1) how is the article adding to the field, and (2) how is the author’s point of view unique? In other words, so what? Often, VSR articles are highly practical with the “so what” built in. Additionally, many articles ask a formal research question and offer an answer to it in some fashion. The “so what” may also be built in for this kind of research perspective as well.

When writing about the “so what” for the field of education, Selwyn (2014) offered the following four questions to jump start the writing process:

• What is the relevance of the article to educational practice […] or any other aspect of the “real world?”

• What is the relevance of the article to policy?

• What is the relevance of the article to other academic research and writing?

• What is the relevance of the article to theory? (3–5)

These have direct application to the voice field and the VSR, particularly given the applied focus of the journal. And I encourage authors to consider these questions as they write. For the field of voice, I am particularly interested in the use of voice research for policy change since such implications are rare in my experience.

That said, I regularly sit on thesis and dissertation committees, and a common thought I offer early in the process is this: “The best thesis is a done thesis.” Often students feel that their thesis or dissertation has to be a magnum opus—the most significant work of an artist’s career. Rarely does this happen in a thesis or dissertation, and rarely does this happen in any given article, to be candid. I offer the same perspective to potential scholarly authors, particularly those writing an article for the first time. Rather than trying to create a “masterwork,” write a simple, clean article. Make the “so what” clear. The broader impact of the article will develop on its own.

In This Issue

All of the authors in this issue clearly answered the question, “So what.” As I offer the overview of this issue, I will also point out how they did so. The issue opens with “The Current Use of Standard Dialects in the United States Theatre Industry” by Melissa Tonning-Kollwitz, Joe Hetterly, and Ellen Kress. They develop their previous research projects that focus on the relationship between accent training and how actors use accents in the theatre industry. The “so what”: the article has direct implications for educational curriculum and policies. Andrew Papa, Adriano Cabral, and Elisa Gonzales give “Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual Approaches to the Fitzmaurice Voicework Focus Line.” While Fitzmaurice Voicework is a well-researched voice method, little research exists on the “focus line”—a key concept within Fitzmaurice training. The “so what”: the authors fill this research gap.

“The Quadruple Threat: The Importance of Stage Violence Education in the Post-Secondary Musical Theatre Sphere” by David Reed and Tara D. Snyder argues that stage violence should be a key part of musical theatre performance training along with acting, singing, and dancing. The “so what”: adding robust stage violence training to musical theatre is a unique perspective. In “Voice Dosimetry in an Elementary Music Student Teacher,” Bryan E. Nichols, Kay Piña, and Scott-Lee Atchison pilot a study with a new voice dosimeter device applied to a K-12 music student teacher. The “so what”: no research previously existed on this device and a K-12 music student teacher.

Taylor Stilson offers “Hypnosis as a Supplemental Treatment for and a Prevention of Muscle Tension Dysphonia.” As the title implies, the author explores hypnosis as an allied tool for voice training and muscle tension dysphonia. The “so what”: this article invites scholarly discussion on the role of hypnosis in training. And Michaela Bartoskova’s “The Role of the Psoas Major Muscle in Speaking and Singing” looks at the relationship between the psoas major muscle and voice. The “so what”: as a literature review, this article organizes previous research around a topic (the psoas), which allows future scholars to explore more profoundly.

Forum articles also have a “so what,” but these articles operate as academic opinion pieces. So the scope of the articles functions differently than the research articles above. Nevertheless, “Voice Screenings for University Students: The Why and The How” by Brett Myers, Brian Manternach, and Karin Titze Cox provides practical and well-researched tools for university students and how they connect with voice screenings. The “so what”: the advice has a direct application for student use. Joanna Weir Ouston’s “The Feeling Voice: A Linklater Approach to Freeing the Voice through Embodied Connection to Image” explores the author’s relationship between images and voice coaching. The “so what”: the author invites voice trainers to experience her techniques and exercises. In “Voicing Poems,” Jan Gist creates original poems that consider her teaching. The “so what”: on occasion, the VSR will accept non-traditional works, such as poems or letters, that add to the field in some way.²

I hope you enjoy the issue.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Rockford Sansom

Rockford Sansom, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Voice at Louisiana State University and the voice coach of LSU’s resident Equity theatre, Swine Palace. As a coach, he has worked with actors Off-Broadway and in regional theatre, Fortune 500 executives, UN delegates, and members of the US Congress. He holds a PhD in education (Capella University), an MFA in theatre (University of Central Florida), and voice certifications from Fitzmaurice, Knight-Thompson, and Estill (Master Trainer). As an actor, he performed Off-Broadway, regionally, and in international and national tours. He is the Editor of the Voice and Speech Review and the editor of the book The History of Voice Pedagogy. Member, AEA, SAG-AFTRA.

Notes

1. See Sansom (2016, 2017, 2018a, 2018b, 2018c, 2019a, 2019b, 2020). These articles go over many trends and challenges in voice training including: the history of research and pedagogy, defining voice studies, certification, and different categories of articles and methodologies.

2. I invite members of the voice community to submit their non-traditional/creative works that fall within the voice training scope of the journal.