Estill Voice Training
Encyclopedia
Estill Voice Training is a programme for developing vocal skills based on deconstructing the process of vocal production into control of specific structures in the vocal mechanism. By acquiring the ability to consciously move each structure the potential for controlled change of voice quality is increased.
British speech and language therapist Sara Harris writes:
The system was established in 1988 by American singing voice specialist Jo Estill
, who had been researching in this field since 1979. Estill's research led to a series of vocal manoeuvres to develop specific control over individual muscle groups within the vocal mechanism. Soto-Morettini quotes Estill as saying the great strength of her method is that it can be used for any style of music, and speech and language therapists describe the exercises as valuable to voice therapy
as well as singing, in both professional and non-professional voice use, offering an approach for therapeutic intervention. Estill Voice Training is a trademark of Estill Voice International, LLC.
. 'Power' is the source of energy producing the sound (typically the respiratory system
causing air to be expelled from the lungs). 'Source' is the component that vibrates to create the sound waves (the vocal folds
). 'Filter' is the shaping of the sound waves to create the final result (the vocal tract
). The focus of Estill Voice Training is on the source and filter components of the vocal system and the interactions between them.
Craft, Artistry and Performance Magic: Estill Voice Training separates the use of voice into the 'craft' of having control over the vocal mechanism, the 'artistry' of expression relative to the material and context, and the 'performance magic' of a speaker or singer connecting with their audience. Estill Voice Training has a focus on the 'craft' aspect and hence has also been known as Estill Voice Craft by some practitioners.
Effort Levels: Estill Voice Training uses the identification and quantification of the level of work or 'effort' required for speaking and singing to help develop kinesthetic feedback. This approach enables a speaker or singer to recognize, locate and control the degree of effort involved in voice production.
Dynamical Systems Theory and Attractor States: The human vocal system is extremely complex, involving interactions between breath flow, moving structures, resonators and so on. Estill Voice Training draws on a branch of applied mathematics known as dynamical systems theory
that helps to describe complex systems
. One key concept Estill Voice Training takes from dynamical systems theory is the notion that complex systems can have attractor
states. Attractor states are states to which a complex system tends towards, or is attracted to, over time. When applied to the human vocal system, Estill Voice Training proposes there are configurations of the vocal system that are attractor states, which the speaker or singer uses habitually or tend towards. For example, a subject whose attractor state is for their velum
(also known as the soft palate) to be in a raised position may find it requires more conscious effort to create a nasal sound than someone else whose attractor state is for their velum to be in the lowered position.
' that figure skaters use to demonstrate proficiency). Each exercise or 'figure' establishes control over a specific structure of the vocal mechanism, in isolation, by moving the structure through a number of positions. For example, the figure for velum
(soft palate) control involves moving the velum through raised, partially lowered and lowered positions. The thirteen Figures for Voice are:
These Figures for Voice exercises have a focus basic anatomy and vocal physiology, a knowledge of which helps encourage deductions on reducing constriction and healthy voice decisions. Janice Chapman
, the operatic singer, voice teacher and researcher, writes "Estill figures lead to a much greater freedom and flexibility in the demanding work of the singer and actor."
Figures for Voice are taught on the course 'Level One: Figures for Voice' that typically lasts three days. In addition to the thirteen Figures for Voice, Estill Voice Training also includes the 'Siren' exercise where a sound is produced across the entire vocal range. Other figures are historically part of the model including vocal fold mass which is now part of true vocal fold body-cover control, vocal fold plane which is now part of true vocal folds body-cover control and exercises for falsetto quality, and pharyngeal width which is now part of false vocal folds control and head and neck control.
True Vocal Folds: Onset/Offset Control: In this figure there are three options for coordinating expiration and vocal fold closure: glottal where the vocal folds are closed before expiration, smooth where vocal fold closure is synchronised with expiration, and aspirate where expiration precedes vocal fold closure. Learning to produce and apply different onsets marks the beginning of control over the vocal mechanism.
False Vocal Folds Control: Estill Voice Training identifies three possible positions of the false vocal folds: constricted, mid and retracted. This figure is helpful in identification of glottal
and ventricular
constriction. Its concepts and options are valuable to voice therapy as well as singing. The silent laugh technique, developed into an exercise by Jo Estill
, is widely cited as reducing false vocal fold constriction.
True Vocal Folds: Body-Cover Control: The 'body-cover theory' of vocal fold structure was introduced by Hirano in 1977. This figure demonstrates the controlled use of the vocal folds
in four body-cover configurations: on the thick edge, on the thin edge, in a stiff mode, or in a slack mode. These body-cover configurations change or modify the vibratory modes of the true vocal folds and, within the dynamical system of the human voice, effect the intensity of the sound produced and contribute to what are commonly labeled as the different human vocal registers. This figure was formerly known as vocal fold mass.
Thyroid Cartilage Control: This figure demonstrates control of the position or tilt of the thyroid cartilage
through engagement or disengagement of the cricothyroid muscle. The speaker or singer can tilt the thyroid cartilage by adopting the posture of crying or sobbing, or making a soft whimpering noise, like a small dog whining. In Estill Voice training, it is proposed that the position of the thyroid cartilage influences not only pitch but also the quality and intensity of the sound produced.
Cricoid Cartilage Control: This figure demonstrates control of the position of the cricoid cartilage. In Estill Voice training it is proposed that specific positioning of the cricoid cartilage is a typical part of the vocal set-up for shouting and other high-intensity voice productions employing higher subglottic pressure.
Larynx Control: This figure trains raising and lowering of the larynx
influencing resonance. This figure was formerly known as the larynx height figure.
Velum Control: This figure trains the velum
(also known as the soft palate) and consists of exercises opening, partially closing and completely closing the velopharyngeal port to control the degree of nasality in the voice. Dinah Harris writes, "Estill has excellent exercises for learning palatal control."
Tongue Control: This figure demonstrates the influences of different tongue postures, such as compressed. As a practical example, Diane Sheets (Estill Voice Training Certified Course Instructor) worked on the interaction of tongue and larynx when dealing with the vocal problems of Marty Roe, lead vocalist of Diamond Rio
. Control of the tongue can have subtle resonance changes and give greater flexibility to the range.
Aryepiglottic Spincter Control: This figure demonstrates the ability to control twang in the voice through conscious anteroposterior narrowing of the aryepiglottic sphincter
in the upper epilarynx while avoiding constriction of the false vocal folds. Estill suggests that this laryngeal tube creates a separate resonator that is responsible for the extra brightness in phonation.
Jaw Control: The jaw figure demonstrates the subtle resonance changes in voice production that are associated with different positions or postures of the jaw.
Lips Control: This figure demonstrates various lip postures employed by speakers and singers and their subtle impact on vocal resonance through changing the length of the vocal tract.
Head and Neck Control: Head and neck anchoring involves bracing the skeletal structures of the head and neck gives a stable external framework for the smaller muscles that control the vocal tract.
Torso Control: Torso anchoring stabilises the body and breath. Gillyanne Kayes writes, 'Techniques for anchoring the tone have been described over the centuries by singers and teachers under a variety of names: support, singing from the back, singing from the neck, appoggiare, rooting, grounding and connecting the voice. In the Estill training model, I believe these techniques have been correctly identified as postural anchoring.'
position (the larynx figure) and thin vocal folds (the true vocal fold body & cover figure). The six voice qualities are:
Voice qualities are taught on the course 'Level Two: Figure Combinations for Six Voice Qualities' that typically lasts two days.
Speech: Speech quality is often termed modal speech
by voice scientists or chest voice
by singers. Speech quality includes thick vocal folds and a neutral larynx position.
Falsetto: In Estill Voice Training terminology, the term falsetto has a meaning distinct from falsetto
as a male vocal register in Western classical terminology.
Sob: Sob quality is a soft and dark sound, associated with the sobbing cry of an adult who mourns. Sob quality is produced on a lowered larynx and thinned vocal folds. Sob quality releases glottal hyperadduction and medial compression, lowers the larynx and releases pharyngeal constriction. Mary Hammond
says that young performers find low larynx and sob quality less familiar. Cry quality is a permutation of sob quality adopting a higher laryngeal position.
Twang: The key to twang quality is a narrowing of the epilarynx via a narrowing or constriction of the aryepiglottic sphincter. Twang quality has been used by speakers and singer to boost vocal resonance or 'squillo' and is referred to as the speaker's ring or singer's formant. The quality is excellent when teaching safe shouting and at cutting through background noise, increasing clarity of the voice, and is taught to both singers and actors to enable them to be heard clearly in large auditoria without vocal strain. Twang quality may be nasalized or oral, as differentiated by an open or closed velopharyngeal port. Estill suggests setting the vocal tract initially by imitating a cat yowling, ducks quacking, and other exercises.
Opera: Opera quality is a complex set-up including a mix of speech quality and twang quality with a tilted thyroid cartilage, lowered larynx.
Belting: Belting or belt quality is a complex setup combining speech quality, twang quality, a tilted cricoid cartilage and raised larynx. Twang is an important component in belt quality. Gillyanne Kayes writes, 'Belting is not harmful if you are doing it right. Jo Estill has described it as "happy yelling".' Belt quality also uses clavicular breathing and has the longest closed phase with the highest subglottic pressure and the greatest glottic resistance.
The following list gives some examples of the application of Estill Voice Training in a range of disciplines:
Soto-Morettini writes that, 'although the Estill method can be very complex, there are a number of simple things that students can learn quickly — and that these simple things can go a long way towards clearing up the confusion that attends some vocal training.'
British speech and language therapist Sara Harris writes:
The system was established in 1988 by American singing voice specialist Jo Estill
Jo Estill
Josephine Antoinette Estill known as Jo Estill was an American singer, singing voice specialist and voice researcher...
, who had been researching in this field since 1979. Estill's research led to a series of vocal manoeuvres to develop specific control over individual muscle groups within the vocal mechanism. Soto-Morettini quotes Estill as saying the great strength of her method is that it can be used for any style of music, and speech and language therapists describe the exercises as valuable to voice therapy
Speech and language pathology
Speech-Language Pathology specializes in communication disorders.The main components of speech production include: phonation, the process of sound production; resonance, opening and closing of the vocal folds; intonation, the variation of pitch; and voice, including aeromechanical components of...
as well as singing, in both professional and non-professional voice use, offering an approach for therapeutic intervention. Estill Voice Training is a trademark of Estill Voice International, LLC.
Operating principles
Power, Source and Filter: Estill Voice Training partitions the vocal system into the three components power, source and filter extending the existing source-filter model of speech productionSource-filter model of speech production
The source–filter model of speech production models speech as a combination of a sound source, such as the vocal cords, and a linear acoustic filter, the vocal tract . An important assumption that is often made in the use of the source-filter model is the independence of source and filter...
. 'Power' is the source of energy producing the sound (typically the respiratory system
Respiratory system
The respiratory system is the anatomical system of an organism that introduces respiratory gases to the interior and performs gas exchange. In humans and other mammals, the anatomical features of the respiratory system include airways, lungs, and the respiratory muscles...
causing air to be expelled from the lungs). 'Source' is the component that vibrates to create the sound waves (the vocal folds
Vocal folds
The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx...
). 'Filter' is the shaping of the sound waves to create the final result (the vocal tract
Vocal tract
The vocal tract is the cavity in human beings and in animals where sound that is produced at the sound source is filtered....
). The focus of Estill Voice Training is on the source and filter components of the vocal system and the interactions between them.
Craft, Artistry and Performance Magic: Estill Voice Training separates the use of voice into the 'craft' of having control over the vocal mechanism, the 'artistry' of expression relative to the material and context, and the 'performance magic' of a speaker or singer connecting with their audience. Estill Voice Training has a focus on the 'craft' aspect and hence has also been known as Estill Voice Craft by some practitioners.
Effort Levels: Estill Voice Training uses the identification and quantification of the level of work or 'effort' required for speaking and singing to help develop kinesthetic feedback. This approach enables a speaker or singer to recognize, locate and control the degree of effort involved in voice production.
Dynamical Systems Theory and Attractor States: The human vocal system is extremely complex, involving interactions between breath flow, moving structures, resonators and so on. Estill Voice Training draws on a branch of applied mathematics known as dynamical systems theory
Dynamical systems theory
Dynamical systems theory is an area of applied mathematics used to describe the behavior of complex dynamical systems, usually by employing differential equations or difference equations. When differential equations are employed, the theory is called continuous dynamical systems. When difference...
that helps to describe complex systems
Complex systems
Complex systems present problems in mathematical modelling.The equations from which complex system models are developed generally derive from statistical physics, information theory and non-linear dynamics, and represent organized but unpredictable behaviors of systems of nature that are considered...
. One key concept Estill Voice Training takes from dynamical systems theory is the notion that complex systems can have attractor
Attractor
An attractor is a set towards which a dynamical system evolves over time. That is, points that get close enough to the attractor remain close even if slightly disturbed...
states. Attractor states are states to which a complex system tends towards, or is attracted to, over time. When applied to the human vocal system, Estill Voice Training proposes there are configurations of the vocal system that are attractor states, which the speaker or singer uses habitually or tend towards. For example, a subject whose attractor state is for their velum
Soft palate
The soft palate is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone....
(also known as the soft palate) to be in a raised position may find it requires more conscious effort to create a nasal sound than someone else whose attractor state is for their velum to be in the lowered position.
Figures for voice
In Estill Voice Training there are thirteen vocal exercises or 'Figures for Voice' (named after the 'compulsory figuresCompulsory figures
Compulsory figures or school figures were formerly an aspect of the sport of figure skating, from which the sport derives its name. Carving specific patterns or figures into the ice was the original focus of the sport. The patterns of compulsory figures all derive from the basic figure eight...
' that figure skaters use to demonstrate proficiency). Each exercise or 'figure' establishes control over a specific structure of the vocal mechanism, in isolation, by moving the structure through a number of positions. For example, the figure for velum
Soft palate
The soft palate is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone....
(soft palate) control involves moving the velum through raised, partially lowered and lowered positions. The thirteen Figures for Voice are:
- True Vocal Folds: Onset/Offset Control
- False Vocal Folds Control
- True Vocal Folds: Body-Cover Control
- Thyroid Cartilage Control
- Cricoid Cartilage Control
- Larynx Control
- Velum Control
- Tongue Control
- Aryepiglottic Spincter Control
- Jaw Control
- Lips Control
- Head and Neck Control
- Torso Control
These Figures for Voice exercises have a focus basic anatomy and vocal physiology, a knowledge of which helps encourage deductions on reducing constriction and healthy voice decisions. Janice Chapman
Janice Chapman
Janice L Chapman AUA MOA is a distinguished Australian-born soprano and voice coach, author of Singing and Teaching Singing: A Holistic Approach to Classical Voice and professor of voice at Guildhall School of Music and Drama....
, the operatic singer, voice teacher and researcher, writes "Estill figures lead to a much greater freedom and flexibility in the demanding work of the singer and actor."
Figures for Voice are taught on the course 'Level One: Figures for Voice' that typically lasts three days. In addition to the thirteen Figures for Voice, Estill Voice Training also includes the 'Siren' exercise where a sound is produced across the entire vocal range. Other figures are historically part of the model including vocal fold mass which is now part of true vocal fold body-cover control, vocal fold plane which is now part of true vocal folds body-cover control and exercises for falsetto quality, and pharyngeal width which is now part of false vocal folds control and head and neck control.
True Vocal Folds: Onset/Offset Control: In this figure there are three options for coordinating expiration and vocal fold closure: glottal where the vocal folds are closed before expiration, smooth where vocal fold closure is synchronised with expiration, and aspirate where expiration precedes vocal fold closure. Learning to produce and apply different onsets marks the beginning of control over the vocal mechanism.
False Vocal Folds Control: Estill Voice Training identifies three possible positions of the false vocal folds: constricted, mid and retracted. This figure is helpful in identification of glottal
Glottis
The glottis is defined as the combination of the vocal folds and the space in between the folds .-Function:...
and ventricular
Ventricle of the larynx
The ventricle of the larynx is a fusiform fossa, situated between the ventricular and vocal folds on either side, and extending nearly their entire length....
constriction. Its concepts and options are valuable to voice therapy as well as singing. The silent laugh technique, developed into an exercise by Jo Estill
Jo Estill
Josephine Antoinette Estill known as Jo Estill was an American singer, singing voice specialist and voice researcher...
, is widely cited as reducing false vocal fold constriction.
True Vocal Folds: Body-Cover Control: The 'body-cover theory' of vocal fold structure was introduced by Hirano in 1977. This figure demonstrates the controlled use of the vocal folds
Vocal folds
The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx...
in four body-cover configurations: on the thick edge, on the thin edge, in a stiff mode, or in a slack mode. These body-cover configurations change or modify the vibratory modes of the true vocal folds and, within the dynamical system of the human voice, effect the intensity of the sound produced and contribute to what are commonly labeled as the different human vocal registers. This figure was formerly known as vocal fold mass.
Thyroid Cartilage Control: This figure demonstrates control of the position or tilt of the thyroid cartilage
Thyroid cartilage
The thyroid cartilage is the largest of the nine cartilages that make up the laryngeal skeleton, the cartilage structure in and around the trachea that contains the larynx....
through engagement or disengagement of the cricothyroid muscle. The speaker or singer can tilt the thyroid cartilage by adopting the posture of crying or sobbing, or making a soft whimpering noise, like a small dog whining. In Estill Voice training, it is proposed that the position of the thyroid cartilage influences not only pitch but also the quality and intensity of the sound produced.
Cricoid Cartilage Control: This figure demonstrates control of the position of the cricoid cartilage. In Estill Voice training it is proposed that specific positioning of the cricoid cartilage is a typical part of the vocal set-up for shouting and other high-intensity voice productions employing higher subglottic pressure.
Larynx Control: This figure trains raising and lowering of the larynx
Larynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
influencing resonance. This figure was formerly known as the larynx height figure.
Velum Control: This figure trains the velum
Soft palate
The soft palate is the soft tissue constituting the back of the roof of the mouth. The soft palate is distinguished from the hard palate at the front of the mouth in that it does not contain bone....
(also known as the soft palate) and consists of exercises opening, partially closing and completely closing the velopharyngeal port to control the degree of nasality in the voice. Dinah Harris writes, "Estill has excellent exercises for learning palatal control."
Tongue Control: This figure demonstrates the influences of different tongue postures, such as compressed. As a practical example, Diane Sheets (Estill Voice Training Certified Course Instructor) worked on the interaction of tongue and larynx when dealing with the vocal problems of Marty Roe, lead vocalist of Diamond Rio
Diamond Rio
Diamond Rio is an American Country music/Christian music band formed in 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee. Since its foundation, the group has comprised the same six members: Gene Johnson , Jimmy Olander , Brian Prout , Marty Roe , Dan Truman , and Dana Williams...
. Control of the tongue can have subtle resonance changes and give greater flexibility to the range.
Aryepiglottic Spincter Control: This figure demonstrates the ability to control twang in the voice through conscious anteroposterior narrowing of the aryepiglottic sphincter
Aryepiglottic fold
The entrance of the larynx is a triangular opening, narrow in front, wide behind, and sloping obliquely downward and backward. It is bound, in front, by the epiglottis; behind, by the apices of the arytenoid cartilages, the corniculate cartilages, and the interarytenoid notch; and on either side,...
in the upper epilarynx while avoiding constriction of the false vocal folds. Estill suggests that this laryngeal tube creates a separate resonator that is responsible for the extra brightness in phonation.
Jaw Control: The jaw figure demonstrates the subtle resonance changes in voice production that are associated with different positions or postures of the jaw.
Lips Control: This figure demonstrates various lip postures employed by speakers and singers and their subtle impact on vocal resonance through changing the length of the vocal tract.
Head and Neck Control: Head and neck anchoring involves bracing the skeletal structures of the head and neck gives a stable external framework for the smaller muscles that control the vocal tract.
Torso Control: Torso anchoring stabilises the body and breath. Gillyanne Kayes writes, 'Techniques for anchoring the tone have been described over the centuries by singers and teachers under a variety of names: support, singing from the back, singing from the neck, appoggiare, rooting, grounding and connecting the voice. In the Estill training model, I believe these techniques have been correctly identified as postural anchoring.'
Voice qualities
Estill Voice Training incorporates six 'voice qualities' as mechanisms for demonstration of voice production control. The increased control developed through proficiency in the different Figures for Voice allows the singer or speaker to manipulate the vocal mechanism specifically to produce these arbitrary voice qualities, and variations on them. Essentially these voice qualities, such as 'Sob Quality' and 'Belt Quality', are constructed from moving the structures of the vocal mechanism into specific positions or combinations. For example, Sob Quality includes a low larynxLarynx
The larynx , commonly called the voice box, is an organ in the neck of amphibians, reptiles and mammals involved in breathing, sound production, and protecting the trachea against food aspiration. It manipulates pitch and volume...
position (the larynx figure) and thin vocal folds (the true vocal fold body & cover figure). The six voice qualities are:
- Speech
- Falsetto
- Sob
- Twang (Oral and Nasal variations)
- Belting
- Opera
Voice qualities are taught on the course 'Level Two: Figure Combinations for Six Voice Qualities' that typically lasts two days.
Speech: Speech quality is often termed modal speech
Modal voice
Modal voice is the vocal register used most frequently in speech and singing in most languages. It is also the term used in linguistics for the most common phonation of vowels...
by voice scientists or chest voice
Chest voice
Chest voice is a term used within vocal music. The use of this term varies widely within vocal pedagogical circles and there is currently no one consistent opinion among vocal music professionals in regards to this term...
by singers. Speech quality includes thick vocal folds and a neutral larynx position.
Falsetto: In Estill Voice Training terminology, the term falsetto has a meaning distinct from falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
as a male vocal register in Western classical terminology.
Sob: Sob quality is a soft and dark sound, associated with the sobbing cry of an adult who mourns. Sob quality is produced on a lowered larynx and thinned vocal folds. Sob quality releases glottal hyperadduction and medial compression, lowers the larynx and releases pharyngeal constriction. Mary Hammond
Mary Hammond
Mary Hammond is an English singer, actress, voice coach and Head of Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music.Having trained in both voice and piano at the Royal Academy of Music, Hammond has been teaching and performing in the field of musical theatre for over twenty five years.In 1994,...
says that young performers find low larynx and sob quality less familiar. Cry quality is a permutation of sob quality adopting a higher laryngeal position.
Twang: The key to twang quality is a narrowing of the epilarynx via a narrowing or constriction of the aryepiglottic sphincter. Twang quality has been used by speakers and singer to boost vocal resonance or 'squillo' and is referred to as the speaker's ring or singer's formant. The quality is excellent when teaching safe shouting and at cutting through background noise, increasing clarity of the voice, and is taught to both singers and actors to enable them to be heard clearly in large auditoria without vocal strain. Twang quality may be nasalized or oral, as differentiated by an open or closed velopharyngeal port. Estill suggests setting the vocal tract initially by imitating a cat yowling, ducks quacking, and other exercises.
Opera: Opera quality is a complex set-up including a mix of speech quality and twang quality with a tilted thyroid cartilage, lowered larynx.
Belting: Belting or belt quality is a complex setup combining speech quality, twang quality, a tilted cricoid cartilage and raised larynx. Twang is an important component in belt quality. Gillyanne Kayes writes, 'Belting is not harmful if you are doing it right. Jo Estill has described it as "happy yelling".' Belt quality also uses clavicular breathing and has the longest closed phase with the highest subglottic pressure and the greatest glottic resistance.
Certification
Estill Voice International governs the Estill Voice Training Certification Programme. There are three forms of Estill Voice Training certification available for individuals:- Certificate of Figure Proficiency (CFP) is awarded to an individual who has attended the Estill Voice Training Level One and Level Two courses, and passed the Basic Options for Voice Control Exam demonstrating performance of the Figures for Voice exercises and six Estill voice qualities to the required level of proficiency.
- Certified Master Teacher (CMT) qualifies an individual to teach Estill Voice Training within their private studio or classroom. The certification is a two-stage examination including written and voice control components, and observed teaching.
- Certified Course Instructor (CCI) follows Certified Master Teacher, qualifying an individual to teach Estill Voice Training in public courses, seminars and conferences. The certification is a two-stage examination including written and oral components, and observed presentations.
Influence, adoption and application
Estill Voice Training has been adopted by voice professionals worldwide and a list of certified instructors is published by Estill Voice International. Joan Melton describes the Estill Voice Training terminology as a part of the language of singing teachers in Australia, with terms such as twang and anchoring in common use, although "the Estill language is heard somewhat less frequently in the UK and only occasionally in the United States." Freelance voice teacher and speech and language therapist Christina Shewell writes, "Estill Voice Training clarifies many of the complex vocal tract options that shape the style of a singers voice, explaining and demonstrating different combinations of structural conditions, and many singing teachers use the system as part of their teaching."The following list gives some examples of the application of Estill Voice Training in a range of disciplines:
- Pop Singing: Maureen Scott is a Certified Master Teacher whose clients include MikaMika (singer)Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
and The EnemyThe Enemy (UK band)The Enemy are an English rock band formed in Coventry in 2006, signed to Warner Music Group . In June 2007, The Enemy played twice at Glastonbury Festival, first in the 'Guardian Lounge' on Saturday and then the much larger 'Other Stage' on Sunday. They also headlined on the Saturday night of T in...
. - Country Singing: Diane Sheets is a Certified Course Instructor whose clients have included Marty Roe of Nashville Country Band Diamond RioDiamond RioDiamond Rio is an American Country music/Christian music band formed in 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee. Since its foundation, the group has comprised the same six members: Gene Johnson , Jimmy Olander , Brian Prout , Marty Roe , Dan Truman , and Dana Williams...
. - Acting: Estill Voice Training has been integrated into the training of actors at Mountview Academy of Theatre ArtsMountview Academy of Theatre ArtsMountview Academy of Theatre Arts is an independent drama school situated in the Wood Green area of North London. It was founded in 1945 by Peter Coxhead and Ralph Nossek as 'The Mountview Theatre Club', an amateur repertory company staging a new production for a six-day run every second week...
in LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. - Musical Theatre: Faculty teaching on Musical Theatre training courses reference their Estill Voice Training certification. Examples include Steven Chicurel, Certified Course Instructor with testing privileges and service distinction, who is the chair and an associate professor of theatre at the University of Central FloridaUniversity of Central FloridaThe University of Central Florida, commonly referred to as UCF, is a metropolitan public research university located in Orlando, Florida, United States...
, and Anne-Marie Speed, Certified Course Instructor with testing privileges and service distinction, who teaches spoken voice on the Musical Theatre course at the Royal Academy of MusicRoyal Academy of MusicThe Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London. - Educational Curriculum: Educational institutions have adopted Estill Voice Training terminology and exercises into their curriculum. Examples include the Drama Centre at Flinders UniversityFlinders UniversityFlinders University, , is a public university in Adelaide, South Australia. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of navigator Matthew Flinders, who explored and surveyed the South Australian coastline in the early 19th century.The university has established a reputation as a leading research...
in Adelaide, South Australia, where the Estill-based vocal technique is taught; London College of MusicLondon College of MusicThe London College of Music is a music school which is part of the University of West London in England.The LCM was founded in 1887 and existed as an independent music conservatoire based at Great Marlborough Street in central London until 1991...
in its guidelines on the suggested development of vocal technique, as part of the music theatre syllabus, uses Estill Voice Training terminology; Motherwell CollegeMotherwell CollegeMotherwell College is a further education college located in the Ravenscraig area of Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. The college moved into a new campus in 2009, which is located 1 km from the old site....
, Scotland, includes Estill Voice Training in its BA Honours Musical Theatre programme; and the Voice Performance and Musical Theatre programmes at Mars Hill CollegeMars Hill CollegeMars Hill College is a private, coed, liberal-arts college affiliated with the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. The college is located in the small town of Mars Hill, North Carolina, due north of Asheville, western North Carolina's largest city...
, North Carolina, include Estill Voice Training in their curriculum. - Clinical Voice Therapy: Dinah Harris, contributor to The Voice Clinic Handbook, recommends learning Estill Voice Training as it provides many useful tools for those working in a voice clinic. Rattenbury, Carding and Finn present a study that used a range of Figures for Voice exercises as prognostic indicators and voice therapy treatment techniques.
- Community Choirs: Thomas Lloyd, Artistic Director of the Bucks County Choral Society, writes that he has "seen and heard results related to sound, dynamic range, consistency of support, and vocal color with [his] choirs, especially with [his] untrained singers."
Soto-Morettini writes that, 'although the Estill method can be very complex, there are a number of simple things that students can learn quickly — and that these simple things can go a long way towards clearing up the confusion that attends some vocal training.'