Center for Voice & Swallowing

Services – Voice Screening

Your Voice Matters!

World Voice Day 2013:  Free Voice Screening Event Will Be Held on Wednesday, April 17

Each year in April otolaryngologists – head and neck surgeons – and other voice health professionals recognize the importance of voice health with World Voice Day. World Voice Day encourages men and women of all ages to evaluate their vocal health and adopt good voice habits.

In Honor of World Voice Day BMC’s Center for Voice & Swallowing is offering a FREE screening event on Wednesday, April 17.

Download World Voice Day Voice Screening Poster (PDF)

Free Voice Screenings!
4:00 – 7:00 pm
Moakley Building, Ground Floor
Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery Clinic
830 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118

Are you a former smoker? Do you have hoarseness? Are you a concerned voice professional? Check your vocal chords now to avoid future problems.

Free Public Lecture!
“Understanding and Maintaining a Healthy Voice”
7:00 – 8:00 pm
FGH Building, Ground Floor
Carter Conference Center
820 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA 02118

No appointment is necessary and screenings are done on a walk-in basis. For more information call 617.638.7933.

About the Voice Screening Program at BMC
Why Attend Voice Screening?
The Benefits of a Voice Screening
What’s included in Your Free Voice Screening on April 17

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About the Voice Screening Program at BMC

The Voice Treatment Program at Boston Medical Center specializes in state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic services to individuals of all ages who present with a variety of voice disorders. Our patients include professional and non-professional singers, speakers, teachers, clergy, attorneys, salespeople, actors, elected officials, cheerleaders, coaches or any individual experiencing a vocal pathology.

Performers generally look upon vocal problems with dread. There are few things worse than having to walk on stage with the fear of your voice not functioning properly. A routine examination of the voice box by a voice care team can often make the difference between a successful show and a canceled one.

The time to see a doctor is when you first suspect something is wrong, long before a minor issue becomes a major one. Singers know when they're having problems. The important thing is to be proactive at the first sign of a problem and not to wait until further damage is done.

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Why Attend Voice Screening?

Are you a professional voice user? If you rely on your voice for your livelihood, then you’re a professional voice user. Get results whenever you use your voice and make sure your vocal abilities are optimized by taking care of it!

• Are you experiencing a voice problem?
• Is your voice problem affecting your personal or professional life?
• Do you feel as though your voice gets “tired” or “strained” after prolonged talking?
• Do you often lose your voice?
• Do you have trouble projecting your voice?
• Has your voice been hoarse, raspy, or breathy for more than 3 weeks?
• Do you experience reduced vocal range; inability to sing at length; recurring laryngitis; a tonal change from a clear voice to one that is breathy, raspy, squeaky, foggy or rough; repeated throat clearing; pain in or around the larynx; the sensation or a foreign substance or lump in the throat; recurring throat soreness; tickling/burning sensation, tension or tightness in the throat; and/or the feeling that talking or singing is an effort?

If so, please visit Boston Medical Center on April 17 from 4-7 PM for a FREE voice screening!

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The Benefits of a Voice Screening

1. Determine the presence of a potential laryngeal pathology.
   
   
2. Determine a singer or actor’s risk for throat problems prior to their performance or before beginning voice lessons.
   
   
3. Provide you with a baseline image of your healthy larynx – use this as a source of comparison if you experience voice problems in the future.
   
   For example, many lyric sopranos have tiny baseline vocal fold nodules, which may be NORMAL. A picture of your larynx under normal conditions would be vital when seeing a new doctor.
   
   
4. Receive education on the normal functioning of the larynx to understand how the voice works, how to control it, and to prolong and enhance your career as a professional voice user.
   
   
5. Identify habits for optimal vocal use to help you meet the demands of your lifestyle.

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Your Free Voice Screening on April 17 Includes:

1. A review of your voice history to identify any potential problems.
   
   
2. Visualization of the larynx with a small endoscope (camera) that is passed (painlessly) through the nose. This is optional for the squeamish, but the most objective way to look at the vocal cords.
   
   
3. A DVD of an image of your larynx is available by request
   
   
4. 1-hour workshop entitled: "Understanding and Maintaining a Healthy Voice"

Take advantage of this opportunity open to the public to get a FREE voice screening (a procedure that can cost up to $1,000).

No appointment is necessary and screenings are done on a walk-in basis. For more information call 617.638.7933.