St. Luke’s brings international voice treatment techniques in the Philippines

St. Luke’s Medical Center (SLMC) recently introduced US-based McClosky vocal therapy training and certification to select voice professionals, music educators, renowned Filipino choral conductors, musicians and speech language pathologists all over the country, in order to make advanced vocal treatment more accessible to Filipinos.

“We will continue to promote various medical therapies to sustain our world-class patient service, especially in the field of voice therapy. There are more locals who are engaged in professions that are highly dependent on vocal communication which is why there is a need to respond to voice-related problems and disorders,” said Katherine Molina, SLMC’s Singing Voice Specialist assigned to the Voice, Swallowing and Sinus Service.

The training included rigorous lessons and written examinations in anatomy, physiology, and voice disorders. After passing the examinations, the candidates are bound to teach small groups next year, guided by a master teacher.

The McClosky technique aims to introduce functional efficiency to the body by modulating the tone, stance, and breathing in order to promote a healthy voice. This requires being able to relax the muscles found in the face, tongue, jaw and throat to ensure proper vocal modulation and use.

Maria Argyros, President of the McClosky Institute of Voice, Jay Lane, Vice-President and Co-Master Teachers Lisa Barksdale, Terrie Sanders and Peggy Tartaglia led the seminars.  Dr. Rebecca Feliciano also lectured on common disorders associated with the larynx and SLMC treatments.

McClosky Institute of Voice held its first certification course outside of the United States in the Philippines, in a hospital setting where the first voice technique was developed by founder David Blair McClosky. McClosky was an opera singer and voice coach of late US President John F. Kennedy during his presidential campaign in 1960. He was a pioneer of the field of voice science and rehabilitation, and a recognized authority in the treatment of voice disorders caused by misuse.

St. Luke’s Medical Center’s Voice, Swallowing, and Sinus Service is equipped with state-of-the-art technology with a wide array of services in the diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of patients with voice, ears, nasal/sinus and swallowing problems, at par with international practices. The hospital has a team of otolaryngologists (ENT), speech language pathologists, and voice therapists who are committed to promote and preserve SLMC’s world-class patient service.