After The Session: Practical Magic*: The Art & Science of Balancing Voices with SOVTs and VFEs with Melanie Tapson

What makes a vocal exercise effective? Is it the tool itself, the way we use it, or our understanding of what happens when we put it into practice?

In Practical Magic: The Art & Science of Balancing Voices with SOVTs and VFEs, voice teacher and professional singer Melanie Tapson explored the science behind two widely used approaches to voice training: Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises (SOVTs) and Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs). Combining scientific explanations with practical demonstrations and interactive activities, the session examined how these techniques can support vocal efficiency, stamina and sustainable voice use.

Rather than treating exercises as a one-size-fits-all solution, Melanie encouraged participants to understand what each exercise does, how individual voices respond and how to adapt techniques to achieve meaningful results.

Understanding the science behind SOVTs

Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises involve partially closing or narrowing the vocal tract, usually at the front of the mouth. Familiar examples include straw phonation, lip trills, tongue trills, humming and producing sound through a tube into water.

Melanie explained that these exercises do more than simply alter the sound we hear. By changing the acoustic and pressure conditions within the vocal tract, they can influence how the vocal folds vibrate, potentially making phonation easier under suitable conditions.

One helpful analogy was exercising in water. A movement that feels difficult on land can become easier in a pool because the water provides resistance and support. Similarly, SOVTs can create conditions that help the voice work with less unnecessary effort.

The session explored how the vocal folds and vocal tract interact, highlighting the importance of source-filter interaction. Rather than thinking of the vocal folds as producing sound independently before the vocal tract shapes it, Melanie demonstrated how these systems influence one another throughout voice production.

This interaction helps explain why a relatively small adjustment to an exercise can make a noticeable difference to the sound, sensation or effort involved in singing or speaking.

Finding the right exercise for the individual voice

A key theme throughout the session was that there is no single SOVT exercise that works best for everyone in every situation.

Melanie demonstrated a range of possibilities, including straw phonation in air and water, lip and tongue trills, humming, and resonant voice exercises. Each offers different levels of resistance and sensory feedback, creating opportunities to adapt the exercise to the needs of the individual.

For example, a narrower or longer straw generally creates greater resistance than a wider, shorter one. When phonating through a straw into water, the depth of the straw can also change the resistance experienced. Some singers may find this additional feedback helpful, while others may respond better to a different exercise.

The aim is to find the right balance: enough challenge to encourage a useful change, without introducing unnecessary tension, pushing or discomfort.

Melanie encouraged teachers to think creatively when an exercise is not producing the desired result. Rather than assuming that a singer is doing something wrong, it may be more helpful to adjust the tool, resistance, pitch or vocal task.

This flexible approach allows teachers to respond to individual needs instead of relying on a fixed set of exercises.

From exercises to everyday singing and speaking

An important part of the session focused on transferring the benefits of an exercise into the singing or speaking task that matters to the individual.

Melanie introduced a practical process of testing, trying, retesting and deciding. Participants were encouraged to begin with a familiar vocal task, such as a phrase of speech or song, and notice how it sounded and felt. After trying an SOVT exercise, they returned to the original task to see whether anything had changed.

The focus was not simply on whether the sound became louder or brighter. Participants were encouraged to consider several factors:

• Sound quality: Did the voice feel clearer, more connected or more consistent?

• Sensation and effort: Did producing the sound feel easier, or was there any additional tension?

• Transfer: Did the change carry over into the original singing or speaking task?

• Practical usefulness: Was the result helpful for the individual's goals, and was it something they would want to use again?

This process helps singers develop greater awareness of their own voices and gives teachers useful information about what to try next.

Melanie also highlighted an important distinction: a louder or brighter sound does not automatically mean that the voice is functioning more efficiently. Acoustic output and the physiological effort required to produce a sound are related, but they are not interchangeable. Listening carefully and considering the singer's experience are therefore essential when evaluating an exercise.

Vocal Function Exercises: Building coordination and stamina

The session also explored Vocal Function Exercises (VFEs), a structured programme designed to support the coordination and function of the vocal mechanism.

Melanie discussed how VFEs bring together elements of resonant voice work, semi-occluded vocal tract exercises and carefully controlled vocal tasks. The programme aims to encourage balanced muscular activity, improve coordination and build stamina through consistent practice.

The exercises involve attention to factors such as alignment, breathing, easy voice onset, resonance and the quality of the resulting sound. Melanie emphasised the importance of clear modelling and individualised instruction, particularly when introducing a structured exercise programme.

She also discussed how tracking sheets and straightforward instructions can help singers understand what they need to practise, monitor their progress and build a consistent routine.

For teachers, this highlighted the value of making exercises manageable and accessible. A well-designed programme is more likely to be useful when the singer understands its purpose, knows how to perform it and can recognise what they are working towards.

Making vocal practice sustainable

Consistency was another important theme. Even an effective exercise is unlikely to deliver lasting benefits if it is rarely practised or performed without attention.

During the discussion, Melanie explained that some singers notice changes relatively quickly, particularly when they practise regularly and understand how to produce the desired result. However, progress varies depending on the individual, their starting point, the task and the way the exercises are performed.

She suggested practical ways to make vocal practice easier to maintain, including pairing exercises with an established daily habit. Short, focused practice sessions can be more manageable than routines that feel overwhelming or difficult to fit into everyday life.

Melanie also stressed the importance of responding to the voice rather than pushing through difficulties. If an exercise produces strain, discomfort or a deterioration in vocal quality, it may need to be modified or reassessed. Persistent or worsening symptoms should not simply be ignored in the hope that practice will resolve them.

Both SOVTs and VFEs may have a role in vocal rehabilitation and in optimising vocal function, but their application should reflect the individual's needs and circumstances.

The value of evidence-informed, individualised teaching

Throughout the session, Melanie returned to a central idea: the real value of an exercise lies in understanding what it is intended to achieve and knowing how to respond to the results.

SOVTs and VFEs offer teachers practical tools, but their effectiveness depends on thoughtful application, clear instruction, feedback and individualisation. By helping singers observe changes in sound, sensation and effort, teachers can encourage greater independence and confidence in their vocal practice.

The session brought together the science of voice production and the practical realities of teaching, demonstrating how an understanding of vocal function can inform everyday decisions in the studio.

Ultimately, the “magic” is not simply in the straw or the exercise itself. It is in knowing why it might work, recognising when it is helping and adapting it to support the needs of the voice.

Thank you to Melanie Tapson for sharing her expertise and practical insights with the Voice Study Centre community.