Preparation, Occupational Dysphonia, and PYV!

The Week of March 22nd BLOG: 

TUESDAY TOSS UP:  PREPARATION

Read that again.

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WHAT are you preparing for? WHO do you desire to become? 

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It’s that day to day grind. It’s that daily COMMITMENT to your goals... your mission...your dreams. PREPARE SPACE FOR SUCCESS. It “happens” in those “unglamorous” daily habits. 

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 “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” (Abraham Lincoln)

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 “Opportunity does not waste time with those who are unprepared” (Idowu Koyenikan)

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 “Before anything else, PREPARATION is the key to success” (Alexander Graham Bell)

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 “The will to win is important, but the will to PREPARE is vital” (Joe Paterno)

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“Behind every brilliant performance, there were countless hours of practice and PREPARATION” (Eric Butterworth)

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“I run on the road long before I dance under the lights” (Muhammad Ali)

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“Learn from the past, PREPARE for the future, LIVE in the present (Thomas S. Monson)

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“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is PREPARATION” (Arthur Ashe)

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“Don’t waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well-assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties will be the best PREPARATION for the hours and ages that will follow it” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

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“PREPARATION for tomorrow is HARD WORK today” (Bruce Lee)

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“SUCCESS IS THE SUM OF SMALL EFFORTS, REPEATED DAY-IN AND DAY-OUT” (Robert Collier)

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*It’s the “unspectacular” PREPARATION that leads to completely spectacular achievement.*

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This concept can apply to so many facets of our lives. In every class you teach, do you PREPARE by knowing what you want to say and HOW you want to say it (to create the most impact and guide others on a journey with your voice)? For every time you use your voice (for your job, to sing, to speak in public, etc.), are you PREPARING for vocal success by prioritizing your vocal health DAILY and by committing to vocal warm ups and cool downs? Are you PREPARING for easy (versus effortful) voice use by preventively instituting muscle tension release techniques into your day?

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The choice is yours. Commit to “unspectacular” preparation and you will create a spectacular future. 

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#voxfit #tuesdaytossup #voice #vocalfitness #bevocallyfit #occupationalvoiceuser  #vocalhealth #vocalwellness #prioritizeyourvoice #protectyourvoice #healthyvoice #educationispower #singer #fitnessinstructor #publicspeaker #speechpathologist #voicespecialist #awareness #beproactive #preparation #vocalsuccess #inspiration 

HUMP DAY HEALTH AND PRIORITIZE YOUR VOICE Friday:  Occupational Dysphonia

Because of quite a few recent insanely long pretty much 12  hour work days, #humpdayhealth has been shifted to #prioritizeyourvoicefriday .. and  interestingly enough the topic features a research study on occupational voice use!

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The study examined changes in FITNESS TO WORK (a.k.a. ability to work) of teachers with dysphonia referred to an occupational clinic, and evaluated employment outcomes following voice therapy, voice rest, and microphone use. 

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I LOVE how they use the term “fitness to work”… because it’s truly what it is…we have to be VOCALLY FIT to consistently and successfully uphold the demands of our often vocally-heavy jobs. We often discount our work to just the “day-to-day grind”, but it’s true that our voice must exhibit and uphold some kind of vocal fitness to perform the occupational and professional voice duties/demands required, especially while maintaining vocal health vocal efficiency, and general vocal success at our jobs. 

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The study found that voice therapy (especially when instituted early!!!) is a strong predictor for retaining “fitness for employment” among teachers with dysphonia. The study represented the first demonstration of the protective role of voice therapy and long-term employment status by preserving fitness to work full-time among teachers with dysphonia who were referred to an occupational medicine clinic.

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And remember, YOU are an occupational voice user if you use your voice for your job. If you rely on its efficiency, quality, endurance, agility, and dynamics to speak, sing, instruct, inspire, teach, perform, coach, etc...YOU should PRIORITIZE YOUR VOICE and prioritize not only physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual FITNESS— but also VOCAL FITNESS. 

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#voxfit #voice #prioritizeyourvoice #yesyoucan #healthyvoice #vocalhealth #vocalwellness #vocalefficiency #vocaldynamics #speechpathologist #voicespecialist #fitnessinstructor #fitnessisfun #goworkout #prioritizeyourhealth #letsgo #teacher #coach #research #vocalinstrument #occupationalvoiceuser