* Most participants will consider themselves interdisciplinarians. 


* Perhaps you work in applied music or music pedagogy but would like to deepen your understanding of the science of sound production and analysis. 


* Maybe you work in speech language pathology as a clinician and you would like to expand your skillset beyond the clinical measures you take when caring for a patient. 

Or


* You are a graduate student in music perception or cognition, or someone who works with existing datasets who would like to gather your own signals. 

This workshop was designed and is taught by people like you.

We are passionate about studying musical sounds, we create analysis tools that are custom built for studying music performance, we seek to both enrich our teaching and also share knowledge through conferences and publications, and we understand that mastery of this technology requires actually using the technology. 

This course is recommended for those who already possess a basic theoretical understanding of acoustics, anatomy, and physiology, and who want to learn how to record and analyze singing voices or musical instruments with non-invasive equipment appropriate for use in a voice or performing arts lab.

If you have taken basic speech communications or science-based voice pedagogy classes, or have spent time in self-study, you will be fine. Although all of the instruments covered are appropriate for analysis of the voice, any wind or brass instrument may also be studied with acoustical or respiration instruments.

In the summer of 2024 we will cover acoustical measures, the electroglottogram (EGG), and respiration inductance plethysmography (RespTrack).  These are non-invasive instruments that are within the financial reach of those working with performing artists. Non-invasive means that no part of the instrument passes into the body through a constriction point. For example, a nasal laryngoscope is invasive because it passes through the velo-pharyngeal port. Non-invasive instruments may be used without the need to purchase medical malpractice insurance, are appropriate for use in a music school setting, and complement the more expensive, invasive instruments available in medical and speech and communications labs.

Each of these instruments will be covered at the workshop, and participants will both spend time learning how to use them and also how to analyze the results in VoceVista Video Pro and Praat. The aim of this workshop is to send you back to your community with the hands-on experience and software tools needed to purchase and begin using this technology in clinical, research, or classroom settings. This workshop is neither an introduction to voice and performing arts science, nor is it an overview of every available research and analysis technology. Our goal is to help you build skills and autonomy.

Participants will learn:

*The basics of a digital audio signal chain and gain staging. 


* How to select microphones, preamps and convertors or interfaces, and monitors (speakers)


* How to calibrate the intensity of a microphone and apply calibration corrections to the signals 


* The visual vocabulary of acoustical analysis (e.g. waveform, power spectrum, spectrogram), understand how each image was created, and what each image does and does not represent


* How to think through acoustical controls in a recording environment


* How to carry out analysis of many parameters including:


* Signal to noise and harmonic to noise ratios


* Calibrated intensity


* Pitch and frequency


* Jitter and shimmer


* Cepstral peak prominence and smoothed cepstral peak prominence


* The Acoustic Voice Quality Index


* Spectral moments


* Voice range and formant range profiles


* How to record and manipulate audio in VoceVista Video Pro, Praat, and Audacity


Participants will learn:

* The basics of what the EGG measures


* How to optimize the quality of the captured signal


* The visual vocabulary of the EGG signal and come to understand the strengths and shortcomings of the instrument


* How to carry out analysis of many parameters including: 


* Contact quotient 


* The EGG derivative


* Speed quotient


* Contact duration


* Signal to noise challenges


* Typical registration-related waveform shapes


* Counter-intuitive waveform shapes


Participants will learn:

* How to use the RespTrack system for biofeedback and analysis


* The visual vocabulary of the RespTrack signals and understand the relationship between changes in the abdominal and ribcage circumferences while singing or playing a musical instrument


* How to calibrate lung volume


* How to carry out analysis of many parameters including: 


* Calibrated lung volume


* Circumference change of the ribcage and abdomen


* Both inspiratory and expiratory flow rates and duration


* Paradoxing (physiological adjustments that singers are unaware of)


* The relationship between lung volume and the resting expiratory level (REL)


On day four, you will have the chance to sign up for time blocks covering research design mentoring and use of the equipment, software, and programming environments. 

This day is optional and will be largely driven by what you want to work on. 

Participants must bring a laptop computer (MacOS or Windows) to fully participate. You will be expected to download VoceVista Video Pro (the EML will loan you a full license for one month), Praat, and a spreadsheet program (Microsoft Excel or similar; Google Sheets online is also possible). 

If you own any lab instruments that you would like to bring, please do. We are happy to help you work with your own equipment. 

Assigned readings will be required prior to the workshop, and you will be sent home each day with recordings to practice analyzing. 

9:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Lectures and small group experiential learning

12:00 PM - 1:15 PM: Lunch break

1:15 PM - 4:00 PM: Lectures and small group experiential learning

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM: Break

4:30 PM - 5:00 PM: Discussion and reflection

5:00 PM - evening: Dinner, free time

We will provide light breakfast foods, a catered lunch each day, and coffee and tea throughout. Participants will be on their own for dinner. Ann Arbor offers many Vrbo and AirBnB listings, and ride-share services are widely available.

Ann Arbor is served by the Detroit (~25 minute drive) and Toledo airports (~40 minute drive). We are a two and a half hour drive from Cleveland, a three and a half hour drive from Chicago, and a four hour drive from Pittsburgh. Ann Arbor has an Amtrak station as well. 

To ensure that all participants receive ample opportunities to utilize the equipment, and to keep our faculty to participant ratio low, we are limiting enrollment to 8. We will hold the workshop at a residence in Ann Arbor. Our goal is to create a relaxing, open, and encouraging atmosphere where deep learning can take place.