Sing for Hope friend and volunteer, the wonderful Dr. Michael Pitman, announces the third annual Free Voice Screening in celebration of World Voice Day offered by The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary and MusiCares® (the philanthropic wing of The Recording Academy (aka. The Grammy Foundation). In addition to being on call pro bono during Sing for Hope rehearsals and performances, Dr. Pitman is pleased to raise awareness through Sing for Hope of World Voice Day, and of the free vocal screenings for uninsured singers offered by The Voice and Swallowing Institute.
Free Voice Screenings for PROFESSIONAL SINGERS
Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary
Voice & Swallowing Institute
6th Floor, North Building
310 East 14th Street (at 2nd Avenue)
New York, NY 10003
These expensive tests and services will be provided FREE OF CHARGE. Singers must provide professional credits and be pre-screened for eligibility by MusiCares in order to qualify. For more information and to schedule an appointment, call 212.245.7840 or email rsvp_mcny@grammy.com.
The goal of the screening is to help voice professionals sing at their optimal level at all times, without developing voice disorders that can affect their careers. Scheduled services include the following:
Professional voice assessment including vocal use questionnaire, strobo-scopic exam of vocal folds and physician examination. This assessment will provide a baseline for future voice care. Physicians and other specialists will diagnose any current problems, perform a comprehensive vocal injury risk assessment and teach singers practical voice care techniques.
Each singer will receive an information packet filled with tips on voice care and injury prevention as well as a summary of their assessment.
Participating Specialists:
Michael Pitman, MD, Director, The Voice & Swallowing Institute, The New York Ear and Eye Infirmary
Amy Lebowitz, MS, CCC-SLP, Director, Speech Pathology/Voice & Swallowing, Singing Voice Specialist
What follows are Dr. Pitman’s words about this day of service:
WORLD VOICE DAY. What a wonderful concept. A day to increase public awareness of the human voice and the need for vocal preventive care and treatment. World Voice Day was established in Brazil in 1999 as the Brazilian National Voice Day. It was a mixed initiative of physicians, speech-language pathologists and singing teachers. The Day spread internationally and in 2002 was recognized by the American Academy of Otolaryngology and renamed World Voice Day.
The field of laryngology has progressed dramatically over the last twenty years. Our understanding of vocal production, our diagnostic modalities and treatment armamentarium have become more extensive and sophisticated, allowing excellent recovery for most maladies. Unfortunately, in our present age not everyone has health insurance. 44 million people are uninsured in America. As the economy suffers, the decision to pay the daily bills or spend money on medical care is one with which many people struggle.
Many professional singers experience times of economic instability. As artists, they are now having as much, if not more, difficulty than others. Despite their level of success and reputation and in many cases years of work, if singers do not currently have health insurance through a union, professional guild or record label, they are often left without health insurance. Many of these artists cannot afford to pay privately for health insurance, yet they do not qualify for government assistance. As a result they are without insurance and hence neglect their general medical care and vocal medical care.
At the Voice and Swallowing Institute at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary, part of our mission is to provide “specialized and professional care to the professional singer.” Wrapping this mission with the modern difficulties of health care and the hope to spread the word of the World Voice Day, we held our first World Voice Day Free Vocal Health in 2008. The third annual screening will take place on Saturday April 17, 2009 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary’s Voice and Swallowing Institute: 6th Floor, North Building, Second Avenue at 14th Street, New York City.
The screenings will be provided free of charge and are need-based. Each eligible singer will receive a complete vocal assessment, including assessment by a laryngologist, a stroboscopic exam of the vocal folds, and vocal function testing. This assessment will provide a baseline for future care or diagnose a current problem.
(Note: These free vocal screenings are not limited to Sing for Hope roster artists; any professional singer demonstrating financial need is eligible. SFH artists, please feel free to forward this article to any professional vocalists whom you feel may benefit from this day of service.)
