Voice Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation for Singers with an Injured Voice
When a singer’s voice is compromised by injury or pathology, a team-based approach is essential for effective recovery. As a Singing Voice Rehabilitation Specialist (SVRS-VT), I have specialized training under the mentorship of Dr. Kari Ragan, SVRS-VT, that allows me to collaborate with a medical voice team to help restore a singer’s vocal function. After a medical evaluation by a laryngologist and a speech-language pathologist who specialize in voice care, singers may be referred to my studio for a singing evaluation and a tailored recovery plan.
A Singing Voice Rehabilitation Specialist (SVRS-VT) is a voice teacher or speech-language pathologist with advanced training in the recovery of singers with vocal injuries or pathologies. An SVRS-VT must work in affiliation with a medical voice team–primarily a laryngologist and speech-language pathologist–to help restore the voice of a singer. Just as professional athletes require a team of experts to recover from physical injuries, performing artists rely on a coordinated effort from both medical and voice professionals to regain their vocal health. The laryngologist leads this team, providing diagnosis and overseeing treatment strategies.
Helping singers restore their voices is both a responsibility and a privilege. Vocal injuries can deeply affect not only a singer’s career but their sense of identity and well-being. Through the recovery process, singers often develop vocal techniques that not only restore function but also enhance their artistry, allowing them to perform with greater freedom and confidence than before. If you need more information about referrals or voice care teams, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Singing Voice Rehabilitation Specialist
Dr. Klein has the privilege to work in affiliation with exceptional voice teams in the Cleveland area. In particular, he collaborates with the Voice Center at the Cleveland Clinic and the voice care team at University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH. These partnerships allow him to provide specialized support for singers recovering from vocal injuries and seeking habilitative care.
The work of a Singing Voice Rehabilitation Specialist (SVRS-VT) requires extensive training in the anatomy and physiology of the five voice systems—respiration, phonation, registration, articulation, and resonation—as well as expertise in voice disorders and recovery. An SVRS-VT must understand how these systems function both independently and interdependently to produce sound and how injury or pathology affects vocal function. This specialized training enables the SVRS-VT to collaborate with medical professionals in developing individualized rehabilitation plans for singers.
The field of Singing Voice Rehabilitation Specialists is still evolving, although voice professionals have been working alongside medical teams for decades. Early discussions of this collaborative approach date back to 1984, when Dr. Robert Sataloff outlined the concept of a program dedicated to the care of the professional voice. Arts Medicine emerged as a field in 1987, and by 1991, discussions at the Voice Foundation Symposium—led by Dr. Sataloff, Dr. Ingo Titze, and others—further refined the standards of care for singing voice professionals. The ‘voice team approach’ continues to develop, providing singers with more comprehensive and effective care.