Advancing the Science and Art of Voice and Speech
The National Center for Voice & Speech (NCVS) is a source for research-backed insights into vocal communication for performers, clinicians, educators, and researchers.
ICVPB 2026
The next ICVPB conference will be October 7-8, 2026 in Salt Lake City. We hope you will join us.
The Mission of NCVS
Dissemination
We share and highlight information about the science of voice and speech production.
Training and Outreach
We provide post-graduate level training in voice and speech research and outreach to practitioners.
Preservation
We feature and celebrate the history and contributions of individuals in the field of voice and speech research.
Science that Resonates
NCVS Notes is our weekly email newsletter that brings you into the field of voice and speech research. The newsletter highlights new research, amplifies foundational studies, and curates the most impactful analysis being done in the field.
Exclusive articles from researchers in the field
In-depth analysis of new findings and their real-world impact
Practical insights for singers, actors, therapists, and scientists
A science-based perspective on voice and speech
What You'll Find Here
Expert Tutorials & Training
Discover voice tutorials to support the book, Principles of Voice Production.
100 Classic Articles
Explore decades of pioneering voice and speech research.
Hall of Fame
Recognizing those who have shaped the field of voice science.
NCVS Insights
Stay ahead with the latest studies, articles, and expert contributions.
Books
Explore publications from researchers across the field and through the years.
Events
From workshops to our bi-annual events, we help the field stay on top of the latest science and research.
100 Years of Voice and Speech
The field of voice and speech science has developed over the past century into a rich, interdisciplinary domain—bridging medicine, acoustics, linguistics, vocal performance, and biomechanics. From early anatomical studies to the emergence of high-speed imaging and computational modeling, researchers have sought to understand the mechanics, resilience, and expressive power of the human voice.
At the National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS), we honor the legacy of those pioneers by preserving and sharing the stories, research, and breakthroughs that shaped this evolving field. The past 100 years have brought remarkable advancements—from the first laryngeal visualization techniques to modern voice therapy practices and voice synthesis technologies.
Today, NCVS serves as a living archive—a curated history of the people, ideas, and innovations that brought voice and speech science to where it is today. As the field continues to grow, we remain committed to amplifying its impact and ensuring its history informs its future.
Whether you’re a researcher, clinician, performer, or student, we invite you to explore the voices behind the science—and the science behind the voice.
Latest Books
Sing and Shout for Health
Sing and Shout for Health explores the remarkable impact of vocalization on human physiology, health, and well-being. Edited by renowned physicist Ingo R. Titze and vocologist Elizabeth C. Johnson, this groundbreaking book delves into scientific discoveries that reveal how singing, shouting, and other forms of vocalization influence the body at molecular, physiological, and neurological levels.
Voice is Free After SOVT
Voice is FREE after SOVT distinguishes itself as the first book dedicated to Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract methods and is inclusive with scientific explanation and application for singer, teacher and therapist alike. It incorporates a large bibliography of the evolution of these methods and an enormous amount of current peer reviewed literature in the area of voice.
Vocology
The Science and Practice of Voice Habilitation is the first major textbook written in the field of Vocology. It addresses the fundamental postulates and exercises underlying voice habilitation, the art and science of taking a voice beyond normal conversational skills. It introduces voice measurement and assessment (vocometrics), motor learning principles, the carrier-modulation hierarchy, and the union if breathing, valving, and voicing.
NCVS Insights
Vocal Function and Range
We can make many different sounds with our voices, communicating not only with what is said, but also in which context it is said, and who is saying it. This large variability makes the voice a rich channel for communication, but it also presents us with challenges when we try to assess the status of a voice using quantitative measurements, rather than by listening.
The Importance of Vocal Self-Regulation
he human voice is extremely flexible and adjustments of quality, frequency, and intensity serve to signal various moods, emotions, and intentions. These modifications occur automatically in daily life, but can also be implemented in a developed, controlled, and consciously applied way, in spoken and sung artistic expression. The vocal output depends on a series of anatomical, physiological, and neurological factors, however, there is a crucial participation of the emotional component that impacts the vocal output.
The underappreciated role of vocal fold medial surface thickness in vocal control
Clinicians and singers are used to viewing vocal fold vibration from a superior endoscopic view. However, both vocal fold vibration and vocal control are three-dimensional. Although it is hidden from the superior view, the vocal fold medial surface shape in the vertical dimension plays an important part in determining both the vibratory pattern as viewed from above and the produced voice.
The Use of Oscillatory Positive Expiratory Pressure Devices for Voice Therapy
Over the last three years, a variety of oscillatory positive expiratory pressure (OPEP) devices have been commonly used by voice therapist and trainers (e.g. Acapella Choice, Shaker Deluxe, Shaker Medic Plus, New Shaker), even if they were not originally created for voice-treatment purposes. OPEP are intended to be used by physiotherapists to mobilize secretions from the lower airway when treating excessive sputum or secretion retention.
Strategies for Safety Thresholds of Phonation for Performers via Dosimetry
Singers are among a category of professionals, along with many other professionals, who rely on their voice for work [1]. Phonotrauma can be caused by many factors, among which the amount and intensity of vocal use are at the forefront [2]. Dosimetry metrics can assist voice professionals aim for safe amounts of voice use, but a threshold of voice use has not yet been established and recommended by researchers [3].
Can the Production of Subharmonics in Vocalization be Considered a Form of Self-Organization?
Self-organization is the spontaneous formation of structures in space and/or time in systems composed of multiple components. Some form of overall order arises from local interactions between sub-system. The process occurs when sufficient energy is available in the system and nonlinearity exists in system components. No external control is needed. Unpredictable fluctuations in internal parameters, usually arising from nonlinearity, are amplified by positive feedback to bring about this organization. Chaos theory describes self-organization in terms of islands of predictability (attractors) in an otherwise unpredictable system.
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Clearfield, UT 84015