Chronically Singing: Flexible Pedagogy for Vocalists with Dynamic Conditions
What You'll Learn
In the 21st century, the performing arts world has become more open about individual experiences of illness and differing abilities. This has overlapped with an uptick in recent years of medical mysteries and interwoven chronic health conditions. In your work as voice teachers, you may have students disclosing conditions such as Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) in your studio or rehearsal space. These conditions are considered invisible because they usually do not require noticeable medical assistance and dynamic because they may only affect a person during a state of flare. Voice teachers strive to meet students at their experience-level and understanding when they enter our studio. It is important to know how to help a singer navigate their practice and performance whether they are feeling their best or require environmental or pedagogical accommodations. When teaching singers with dynamic conditions, pedagogy must be adaptable and creative, tailored to individual goals while remaining achievable under the circumstances of each day.
This webinar includes a basic overview of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD), and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). Via several case studies, Joanne and Marita will share successful strategies that singers have used to navigate the performing arts in higher education and beyond. They will share resources and practical teaching approaches for the voice studio. Voice teachers have the unique opportunity and great privilege of encouraging their students to advocate for themselves, and most importantly, keep singing healthily.
About Joanne
Joanne Bozeman, a graduate of the University of Arizona, has taught singing for over 50 years and is co-author of Singing Through Change: Women’s Voices in Midlife, Menopause, and Beyond. She is retired from Lawrence University’s Conservatory of Music, where she taught studio voice and related courses, and her students have gone on to successful careers as performers, teachers, and voice professionals.
A former performing soprano, Joanne is dedicated to educating singers and teachers about the relationship between hormones and the voice across the lifespan. She is also a contributor to the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Vocal Pedagogy.
In collaboration with research partner Marita Stryker, she presents internationally on hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), and POTS, and their implications for singers and voice professionals. Together, they co-created the resource Chronically Singing to support vocalists with chronic and invisible conditions.
About Marita
Dr. Marita Stryker is an Assistant Professor of Music (Contemporary Voice) and Director of Musical Theatre at St. Olaf College, a PAVA-recognized Vocologist, and movement specialist. She has taught at Shenandoah Conservatory, Oklahoma City University, and Senzoku Gakuen College of Music in Tokyo.
An accomplished performer, her credits include the national tour of Sweeney Todd, The Last Five Years in Tokyo, and work with regional theatres and cruise lines. She holds a DMA in Contemporary Voice Pedagogy from Shenandoah Conservatory.
Her research focuses on how chronic conditions such as POTS, EDS, and HSD affect singers, as well as the connection between singing and the autonomic nervous system. She presents internationally and co-creates Chronically Singing to support vocalists with chronic and invisible conditions.