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• Resonant voice is the oral vibratory sensations in an individual’s alveolar ridge, lips, or higher in the face. Some points that RVT focuses on are oral sensations, easy phonation, and sensory awareness. According to ASHA, Resonant voice therapy uses a continuum of oral sensations and easy phonation, building from basic speech gestures through conversational speech. With the goal to achieve the strongest, “cleanest” possible voice with the least effort and impact between the vocal folds.

Elements of Resonant Voice Therapy include:

• Lessac-Madsen Approach (LMRVT)
  • Created by Dr. Katherine Verdolini-Abbott is a therapy technique that highlights a forward focus, easy phonation and sensory processing.
  • Sustaining all voiced consonants ( /m/, /n/ and /z/), feeling sensation on voiced consonants (‘mention’, and ‘the machine is broken’)
  • ○ This can be used in clients that have hyperfunctional voice disorders who would benefit from an increase in the airflow and a decrease in muscle action during phonation. This approach focuses on the larynx and surrounding structures and reduces any excess respiratory effort that would impact the vocal folds through clinician modeling and client imitation. The sensory processing component comes from the client feeling the vibrations during phonation in their mouth or alveolar ridge and face
• Y-Buzz Approach
  • Arthur Lessac described resonance as the Y-Buzz in 1997.
  • This technique draws emphasis on the vibration (resonance) of the speaker’s ‘hard palate, alveolar ridge and nasal septum’ (Stewart, Kling & Allen, 2016 pg. 163). The focus of the Y-Buzz technique is to create an easy resonant tone that does not cause tension or constriction in the vocal folds. Additionally, this technique draws kinesthetic awareness to vocal fold vibration to develop an individual’s voice holistically with efficient power and flexibility. One method of the Y-Buzz is to say a word that starts with ‘y’ such as you and then the long vowel /i/ such as easy. By producing these sounds the client should feel a buzz like vibration on the alveolar ridge area.