Resonant Voice — Phrases
Extend resonant voice to phrase level.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Start every phrase from the hum and do not let the buzz drop. The hum establishes the forward placement and the phrase has to inherit it — a phrase said after a hum, rather than out of it, has lost the point. Ask the student where they feel the vibration; lips and the front of the face is the target, and throat is not. Ten minutes covers the twelve.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentThe student uses resonant voice on their own. Listen without reminding.Log as correct
- Visual reminderTouch your own lips and nose to show where the buzz should be felt.Log as cued
- Verbal reminderSay a short reminder, such as 'Easy, forward buzz.'Log as cued
- ModelSay it yourself using the technique; the student copies, then tries the card again.Log as cued
Voice work belongs after an ENT examination. If hoarseness lasts or gets worse, stop and refer back to the physician.
Adjust it
Go back to hums or single words, and shorten each turn.
Move to longer turns, then conversation, then a noisier room.
Matching IEP goal
Student will use resonant voice in phrases in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a visual reminder.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve phrases each preceded by a hum: mmm… my mom, mmm… many moons, mmm… make me move, mmm… no more noise, mmm… nine new nickels, mmm… morning music, mmm… mama made muffins, mmm… meet me Monday. Every phrase is loaded with m and n, which are the sounds that carry the forward vibration a resonant voice is built on.
What to listen for
Listen for the resonance surviving past the first word. Mmm… my mom usually keeps the buzz through mom and loses it by the end of a longer phrase like mama made muffins. Watch whether the voice gets quieter as it moves forward — resonant voice should be easier and not softer, and a student who is fading has substituted reduced effort for forward placement. Resonant voice work follows a laryngeal examination rather than standing in for one: a student hoarse for more than about four weeks should be examined by an ENT before these phrases are the plan.
Carrying it home
Humming before speaking is a two-second habit that attaches to anything — before answering the phone, before a class. It looks like nothing and does the same work as the exercise.
What's in this activity
- mmm… my mom
- mmm… many moons
- mmm… make me move
- mmm… no more noise
- mmm… nine new nickels
- mmm… morning music
- mmm… mama made muffins
- mmm… mine and yours
- mmm… name a number
- mmm… move it slowly
- mmm… my new home
- mmm… meet me Monday
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Third through eighth, for resonance work as part of voice therapy.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve phrases play with no account.
- Why are the phrases full of m and n?
- Because nasal sounds force the vibration forward into the face, which is the placement the whole technique is built on. Loading the phrase with them makes the target hard to miss.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.