Claim OwnershipThe Voice Science Podcast
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Description
The Voice Science Podcast is your go-to resource for singers who want to understand the science behind great vocal technique. Hosted by Josh Manuel, founder of VoSci, this podcast breaks down complex voice topics into clear, actionable insights—so you can sing with more confidence, skill, and artistry.
Each short, focused episode explores common myths, key vocal concepts, and research-backed techniques to help you build a stronger, healthier, and more versatile voice. Whether you’re a singer, voice teacher, or just curious about how the voice works, you’ll get practical takeaways to apply in your own singing journey.
🎙️ Tune in, level up your knowledge, and take your voice to the next level—backed by science!
53 Episodes
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Most voice teachers teach the same lesson to every student. Same warmup, same exercises, same repertoire suggestions. It's efficient, it's comfortable—and it shortchanges the fundamentally different instrument sitting in front of you. This episode tackles individualized teaching honestly: not the idealized version where you run comprehensive diagnostics on every new student, but the realistic version where you're juggling a full studio and a mortgage payment. We cover how deepening your voice...
Voice training has the potential to be deeply rewarding—for students and teachers alike. But too often, that early excitement fizzles into disappointment and a disappearing student. In this episode, veteran voice trainer Timothy Wilds explores why that happens and what both sides can do about it. The answer starts before the first lesson: most students have no idea what voice training actually entails. They think they'll just sing songs. They don't realize it involves understanding how the vo...
"Descend on that high note like a leaf gently falling onto a lake." Beautiful image. But what does a singer actually do with that? In this episode, we tackle the imagery debate head-on. We share a personal story of doing breath support exercises for years—lying on piano benches with heavy books, dutifully tensing abs—only to discover that less than 10% of breath support actually comes from the abdominals. Within a week of learning what was really happening, dynamic control improved and a full...
The finale of our five-part formant series tackles the question every classically-trained voice teacher faces: how do you teach CCM without making students sound operatic? Classical technique uses maximum formant manipulation for acoustic projection. CCM flips this—minimal manipulation, speech-like production, letting the microphone handle projection. Same physics, completely different targets. We cover belt's specific F1:2f₀ tuning (and its ceiling around C5/A4), clarify why mix isn't a form...
"Just sing what's on the page." The advice that made me feel slapped across the face—until I realized I'd been confusing inspiration with artistry for years. This episode explores why learning music from recordings is like playing telephone, why your "artistic choices" might just be accidents you kept doing, and the framework I use to decide when changes actually serve the character. Plus: how I caught myself making the same mistake with School of Rock nearly 20 years after learning this less...
You've read about formants. You understand F1, F2, the singer's formant. But when you try to apply it in lessons, your student's eyes glaze over—or worse, they strain trying to find "more ring." There's a gap between understanding formant science and actually teaching it. This episode bridges that gap for classical and legit musical theater technique. We cover two fundamentally different teaching approaches (both work—the skill is knowing which to use when), voice type-specific strategies for...
Singing is supposed to be fun—so why does it stop feeling that way? Josh shares his own journey through singer burnout: from loving choir as a kid, to spending every evening locked in practice rooms chasing a perfection that kept moving further away. He breaks down what actually causes burnout for hobbyists, music students, and professionals—and offers different strategies for each. If you've ever dreaded the practice room, felt like you weren't getting better no matter how hard you worked, o...
That B♭4 in your piece—too thin when you "think soprano," too stuck when you bring in chest voice. You're not doing it wrong. Your voice isn't difficult. You're an alto, and you need both acoustic strategies. In Part 3 of our Formant Formula series, we explore what makes the alto voice acoustically unique: the requirement to use singer's formant projection in the lower range AND F1:F0 tuning in the upper range—and to blend them smoothly through the critical transition zone where most alto rep...
Your cold symptoms are gone, but when is your voice actually ready to sing again? Feeling better and being healed aren't the same thing—and that gap is where vocal injuries happen. This episode delivers a concrete return-to-singing protocol: three readiness tests, four recovery phases, and specific guidance for when you have to perform anyway. We also tackle that frustrating "lump in throat" sensation that lingers after illness and the cough/clearing cycle that keeps inflammation going. The s...
Why do sopranos struggle to project on high notes while tenors cut through effortlessly? It's not effort—it's acoustics. In Part 2 of our Formant Series, we explain F1:F0 tuning: the formant strategy high voices need in the upper range. When your fundamental frequency exceeds 500 Hz, the singer's formant cluster stops working. You need a completely different approach. We cover why vowel modification is acoustic necessity (not technique failure), exactly how much to modify each vowel at specif...
Your cold symptoms cleared up days ago—so why does your voice still feel off? Cold symptoms resolve in 3-7 days. Vocal fold tissue takes 3-4 weeks to fully heal. That 1-3 week gap where you feel fine but your voice isn't ready is where singers cause preventable damage. This episode covers what's actually happening in your vocal folds during a respiratory infection—the swelling, the fragile blood vessels, the disrupted mucosal wave. We break down the three injury patterns from returning too so...
Why do trained male singers cut through orchestras effortlessly while you're straining to be heard over a single guitar? The answer isn't talent—it's acoustic physics. In Part 1 of our 5-episode Formant Series, we break down the singer's formant: a learnable concentration of acoustic energy around 3,000 Hz that gives low voices their characteristic ring and carrying power. You'll learn what creates this physiologically (hint: pharynx width + epilaryngeal narrowing), why this frequency region ...
Why do singing resolutions fail every January? It's not your discipline—it's the model itself. In this Season 1 finale, we break down the two predictable failure modes of vocal resolutions and introduce a process-based alternative built on compound improvement. Learn why 1% daily gains outperform breakthrough chasing, what your first 30 days should actually look like, and how long-term improvers think differently about progress. In this episode: Why willpower-based resolutions are designed to...
Everyone says warm-ups are essential. Everyone says they protect your voice. But when we looked at the research, the honest answer surprised us. The injury prevention framing is a recent invention—borrowed from sports medicine, where even that field can't prove warm-ups prevent injury. Meanwhile, the physiological mechanisms we assume are happening (increased blood flow, tissue temperature changes) remain largely theoretical. But here's what troubles us more: the concept of "warming up" gives...
93% of voice teachers experience imposter syndrome. 52% burn out. And 44% never collaborate with another teacher. If you've been teaching alone and wondering if everyone else has it figured out—this episode explains why that's not a personal failure, and what the research says actually fixes it. We cover why your degree program probably didn't prepare you, why the competitive culture in private instruction is making everything worse, and practical collaboration strategies that actually improv...
Your voice changes as you age—but 85% of people who get the right help actually improve. This episode covers what really happens to your voice over time and what you can do about it. We break down presbyphonia (age-related voice changes): vocal fold atrophy, tissue stiffness, cartilage calcification, respiratory decline, and hormonal effects. Then we cover Vocal Function Exercises—the intervention with the strongest research evidence—including the exact protocol and dosage. Practical guidance...
Stop hunting for notes at the piano. Sight reading is the most practical skill singers can develop—and it's completely learnable with the right approach. We break down what sight reading actually is, why it matters for church musicians, auditioners, and choir singers alike, and compare the main learning systems: neutral syllables, scale numbers, and solfege. Plus the exact resource and difficulty level to start with today. Sight reading saves time, builds confidence, and makes you a more inde...
Struggling to learn songs quickly and accurately? Most singers waste hours repeating the same mistakes. In this episode, you'll discover the 7-step systematic method professional singers use to master songs faster with deeper understanding and fewer errors. 🎤 Ready to level up your singing? Join VoSci Academy for just $1 for 30 days and get instant access to courses that build the technical foundation every singer needs: www.voicescience.org/academy/ In this episode, you'll lear...
How do you teach someone to feel confident when they sing? In this episode, we explore the psychology and pedagogy behind building genuine vocal confidence—not through empty praise or forced positivity, but through earned experience and strategic teaching approaches. In This Episode: The anatomy of confidence: why experience matters more than talent or personalityCreating "safe risk" environments using the zone of proximal developmentTransferring ownership from teacher-dependent to self-suffi...
Discover the science behind extreme vocals, screaming, and growling in metal music. Are harsh vocals safe? How do death metal singers create those intense sounds? In this episode of The Voice Science Podcast, we explore the fascinating biomechanics of extreme vocalizations with insights from Dr. Ingo Titze's Utah Center for Vocology and research on Will Ramos of Lorna Shore. Learn how the supraglottic region creates vocal distortion, why the stigma around harsh vocals may be misguided, and wh...
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