***Congratulations to M.Parker who won a the free copy!***
I don’t see voice students nearly as often as I see those for language or artic so when I do I’m often looking to supplement my materials.
At one point, I had a student with an unusual pitch and I got to think that an app to provide a visual (or even just measurable data) was just what I needed.
Wow. That was harder than I expected! I spent more money on a few voice apps than I had in a year (maybe more) for language or artic. My frustration grew as most were confusing to use or had no real utility, certainly not for the price.
I finally found one that was worthwhile—OperaVox.
This app reminded me of the grad school clinic and the mammoth equipment we used, but now it was all so portable!
I bought the personal version which allowed for storage of data (plus graphing features) and emailing results, but at a much lower price than the Multi-user version which allows for multiple user profiles in addition to a few other features, but at a price out of my range.
Here’s what you get:
High quality recordings (and it prompts you if background noise—like that darn lawnmower, again–is causing an issue).
Voice Stability Analysis of a sustained vowel with a 5 sec. countdown: Here you receive data on mean pitch, jitter and shimmer.
Reading/analysis of the Rainbow Passage (remember that one?!): This analysis gives you the mean pitch and pitch range including F0 maximum and minimum.
Maximum Phonation Time: This is analyzed from the best of three with an override available.
Singing pitch: This measures the highest and lowest tone produced.
While it’s easy to subjectively comment on something like pitch it is so important to quantify what it is you’re talking about. And because (assuming no physiological cause) you are in essence re-training a habituated pattern, watching the minute changes each week are what can keep you going until you make more perceptible progress.
It also gave me a chance to see where the “natural” pitch range should be and compare it to the “usual.”
The app contains lots of clear instructions and a little tutorial in what all of those voice terms/measures actually mean.
OperaVox comes in three versions—lite, standard and multi-user. Click here for more info.
Wish you had a copy for yourself? OperaVox has generously given me a copy for a giveaway! (Opinions here are mine though, and I purchased my own copy over a year ago.)
Let’s see….in honor of the Rainbow Passage, tell us what is your favorite color of the rainbow and what you’d do if you found that elusive pot of gold at the end of it. One lucky winner will be drawn at random and you have until Saturday, March 28, 2015 EST to enter.
Remember, the TPT Hunt and Hop is still on! Grab 11 new freebies and enter a drawing for 11 prizes! Click here for more info.
This Post Has 17 Comments
If I found a pot of gold, I would open my own speech/language preschool.
My favorite color is orange, and right now, at this very moment, if I were to find a pot of gold, I would give it all to a fellow SLP who lost everything in a house fire over the weekend.
Red! I’d retire if i found that pot of gold!
My favorite color of the rainbow is violet, and if I had a pot of gold, I would pay off my huge student loans and then use the excess (if there was any) to buy my husband the beloved car he sold to help pay off one of said loans.
My favorite color of the rainbow is blue. If I found the pot of gold I would do so many things I haven’t been able to do. First retire, then- take a cross-country trip and visit & give to one of my charities-St. Joseph’s Indian School in SD & visit family in CA.. I would pay off my son’s student loan debt. I would give amounts to family. I would travel to Europe. I would pay off my house sell it and move to one near the ocean.
I love all the colors together – can’t pick just one. I would retire and travel.
My favorite color of the rainbow is blue. If I found a pot of gold, I would save some to put my kids through college, then use the rest to make sure my parents were taken care of, provide free therapy, and give the rest away.
My favorite color of the rainbow is indigo…and if I found the proverbial pot-of-gold I’d do one of two things (besides paying off my family debt)…
1) I’d start a clinic specifically research language and fetal alcohol syndrome and treatment thereof; or
2) I would create the equivalent of a Scottish Rite clinic in a rural state where kids could go for no-cost-to-them treatment and testing.
(actually, those two aren’t so different are they…maybe I’d combine them and have FAS be a specialty but not the only focus).
My favorite color is the whole rainbow…could never pick just one. But if I found the pot of cold I’d purchase an AAC Device for all of my kiddos who have no voice and then I’d retire and spend my time volunteering to teach them and their families on how to use their new voice.
My favorite colour of the rainbow is violet. First, I’d get the gold valued. Then, I’d put 1/3 into savings (for retirement, etc), I’d out 1/3rd toward something special (travel to India?), and spend the last third for a great memory like a big party or a trip to see an old friend.
My favorite color of the rainbow is blue!!
If i found a pot of gold I would donate some money for alzheimers research which took my loving pop-pop and take my husband on a vacation.
My favorite color of the rainbow is purple – If I found a pot of gold, I would switch to part time status and do some traveling. There are so many great places in the US alone that I would love to see!
My favorite is purple, and if I found a pot of gold I would pay off these student loans!!!
I love how the blue and violet fade into each other. If I found a pot of gold I’d retire, travel, donate and downsize by buying a townhouse or condo.
My favourite color of the rainbow is blue > all different shades of blue.
If I found a pot of gold I would probably make sure that all close family members were financially safe. I would continue to make speech material that is so needed for my Icelandic population, and all families speaking that minority language 🙂
BLUE IS MY FAVORITE COLOR AND THAT POT OF GOLD WOULD BE PAYING OFF THOSE STUDENT LOANS!
My favorite color is red! If I found a pot of gold I would donate it to my university’s clinic for new materials.
Comments are closed.