Free voice screenings for professional singers

The screenings at UIC will be offered for World Voice Day.

WHAT:
The UIC College of Medicine’s Chicago Institute for Voice Care — together with MusiCares, a charity of the Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards — will sponsor free voice screenings for professional vocal artists.

Screenings include video imaging of the vocal tract to diagnose potential problems and assess injury risk, and a consultation with a speech pathologist to address common issues for performers.

Singers must have five or more years of professional experience and no health insurance to be eligible. To schedule a screening call MusiCares at (212) 245-7840.

WHEN:
Saturday, April 12
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

WHERE:
UIC Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary
1855 W. Taylor St.

DETAILS:
The screenings at UIC are part of World Voice Day, April 16.

“People don’t really think about how much they rely on their voices until something goes wrong,” says Dr. H. Steven Sims, associate professor of otolaryngology and director of the UIC Chicago Institute for Voice Care. “Everyone from professional vocal artists to lawyers, teachers and parents need their voices to get through the day, but constant use of the voice can lead to problems, which we can diagnose and treat.”

Common voice problems include the development of nodules or scar tissue of the vocal folds and strains in the muscles used in forming sound.