Karen Kochis, PhD, CCC-SLP
Assistant Professor, California State University, Northridge

My path to doctoral studies in the area of voice science was unusual. I graduated from Berklee College of Music with a degree in vocal performance quite a number of years before pursuing doctoral studies and spent many years performing, singing Jazz, Pop, and R&B. During that time, I met a remarkable singing teacher, Dante Pavone. Dante was quite well known for teaching both classical and non-classical vocal techniques and had not only a Master's of Music, but also a Ph.D. in Speech Pathology with a specialty in the area of voice. He was by far the best and most effective singing teacher I had ever encountered, and I studied with him for eight years, eventually became certified in his method, and began teaching. I moved to Los Angeles and opened a private singing studio that was quite successful. However, the longer I taught, the more questions I had about teaching, about the anatomy and physiology of the voice, and about the laryngeal mechanics of singing. I also frequently encountered singers whom I suspected had vocal pathologies. I became increasingly interested in pursuing graduate studies and also becoming a voice therapist. But, where to go?

After much investigation, it became clear that a D.M.A. was not going to provide me with the scientific knowledge I sought nor would it lead me to a master's degree and licensure in the field of speech pathology. I needed to travel a different path. First, I pursued an MA with a specialty in voice at California State University, Fullerton. There, I was mentored by Dr. Kenneth Tom, a professor, singer, and voice specialist who had earned his Ph.D. from Iowa. Through my experiences with Dr. Tom, it became clear that his doctoral education in voice science at the University of Iowa had been outstanding. No other program compared to Iowa in terms of the curriculum dedicated to the study of voice, which included study with Dr. Ingo Titze and Dr. Eileen Finnegan (who eventually became my doctoral advisor). The voice coursework was wonderful, and I thought I'd died and gone to ‘voice science heaven!' I had found the mecca for scientific study of voice, but more importantly for me, the singing voice!!

My professors were outstanding and the opportunities for research extensive. As I learned, and learned to think scientifically, I developed questions, busted singing myths, and gained a clearer picture of the mechanics of voice production. How I taught singing began to change. My research hypothesis emerged, which was electromyographic investigation of laryngeal muscle activity during the production of various singing registers. I know of no where else in the world where this type of extensive curriculum in voice is offered. I will be forever grateful to have had this opportunity.

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