Gender & Voice at Furman Resources
Want to start working on your voice? Consider these questions:
1. Who are some voices that you enjoy listening to?
This can be people you know personally, celebrities, cartoon characters, voice actors, podcasters–anyone!
2. What do you enjoy about these voices?
If you don’t have words to describe this, that’s okay–make them up! You can talk about how high or low their voice is, what colors the voice sounds like, or how the voice makes you feel–be creative!
3. What would you like your voice to sound like?
What do you think are the elements of your most euphoric voice? Again, if you don’t have words to describe this, make them up!
Nail the Pitch App
This app will give you a visual representation of how high and low you are speaking or singing as well as tell you your exact pitch.
Voice Tools App
This app provides a visual representation of pitch, example pitches, and an average pitch calculator. It’s not my favorite because it’s very gendered, but its tools are helpful and it is free!
Voice Pitch Analyzer App
This app is a great tool for practicing pitch. Each time you open the app, you record yourself reading a passage, and it keeps track of your average pitch. It also uses gendered colors, which isn’t my favorite, but I appreciate its diary format.
Acoustic Gender. Space
This browser app allows you to record or upload a clip of you speaking, and it will analyze the pitch and resonance of your voice. It may not be a reliable way to train resonance, but it is a fun tool!
Books and articles
One Weird Trick: A User’s Guide to Transgender Voice by Liz Jackson Hearns and Patrick Maddigan
Queering Vocal Pedagogy by William Sauerland
Exogenous Testosterone and the Transgender Singing Voice: A 30-Month Case Study (Summary on Ari’s website and is also in Journal of Singing) - Ari Agha & Laura Hynes
Types of Testosterone Therapy and their Effects on the Voices of Transgender Singers (Journal of Singing) - Tessa Romano
Voice and Communication Change for Gender Nonconforming Individuals: Giving Voice to the Person Inside (WPATH Standards) - Shelagh Davies, Viktória G. Papp & Christella Antoni
The Lives of Transgender People - Genny Beemyn and Susan Rankin
Online resources
Reneé Yoxon (they/them): Self-guided courses in voice training available for purchase, excellent free resources on Instagram and TikTok.
Trans Voice Initiative: A group of trans and gender diverse voice clinicians that provide monthly trainings and socials for fellow trans and gender diverse folks. Great to check out if you are trans and interested in doing this kind of work.
Blue Ridge Speech and Voice: Emily Halder (she/her) is local to Asheville and takes insurance for gender-affirming voice care. She just started putting out content on TikTok.
The Voice Lab: Liz Jackson Hearns (she/they) is the founder of The Voice Lab in Chicago and the author of One Weird Trick: A User’s Guide to Transgender Voice. I trained with Liz and The Voice Lab and regularly use exercises from this book.
Prismatic Speech: Gender-affirming voice provider doing telehealth based in NC. They do not take insurance, but they can superbill your insurance for reimbursement and also have a grant fund.
Vocal Team: Their clinician Altamira is putting out voice content on Youtube and Tiktok.