EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF LAX VOX VOICE THERAPY TECHNIQUE (LVSTT) ON STUDENT VOICES: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

The Lax Vox Sound Therapy Technique (LVSTT), a semi-occlusive vocal tract exercise, is widely used in the practice of professional voice users, voice training, and voice therapy. This study aimed to determine the effect of LVSTT on student voices. The study group consisted of 20 second-year students enrolled in individual voice training courses at the Music Education Department of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, who were divided equally into experimental and control groups. During the eight-week training period, the experimental group received voice training with LVSTT, while the control group received standard voice training. Pre-test videolaryngoscopic (VLS) data were collected from all participants, and individual interviews were conducted with the experimental group students during the post-test. At post-test, a decrease in pachydermia of the vocal folds was observed in two students from the control group. Participants in both groups who had pachydermia, vascularization, granularity, hyperemia, asymmetric closure of the vocal folds during phonation, and normal voice health findings at pre-test continued to show these conditions at post-test. Overall, LVSTT and standard voice training had similar effects on the students' voices. Before and during the study, six out of ten participants in both groups smoked at least 10 cigarettes per day, highlighting the importance of vocal hygiene in enhancing the effectiveness of both techniques. According to student feedback, nine out of ten participants reported that LVSTT positively influenced their vocal development. Content analysis of student opinions revealed three main themes: (1) voice development (breath control, vocal control, tone maintenance, expansion of vocal range, vocal loudness, articulation), (2) personal awareness (self-confidence and self-recognition), and (3) practical challenges (health and continuity). One student remained neutral, stating that LVSTT neither benefited nor harmed their voice. In conclusion, LVSTT can be used by trained teachers and students as an auxiliary technique in individual voice training to enhance vocal development and personal awareness.29