Health Network hosts free voice workshops for trans students – The Rocky Mountain College

Barnaby Atwood, Staff Reporter
January 30, 2023

The Colorado State University Health Network’s Transgender Health Team is hosting a voice workshop in collaboration with the Pride Resource Center for transgender and nonbinary students from January 31 to February 2.

January 31st will focus on the feminization of the voice, February 1st on the neutralization of the voice, and February 2nd on the masculinization of the voice. In this workshop, transgender and non-binary students can learn how to change their voice to fit their identity. Students who wish to participate do not need health insurance compatible with the CSU Health Network.

“We talk about the various vocal characteristics that lead to the listener perceiving the voice as more feminine or masculine, or in such a gender-neutral range, and then break it down into its parts. That is (i.e.) learning about the difference between average pitch and pitch variation, the different prosodic and intonation patterns that make a voice perceived as more masculine or feminine.” – Annie Schubert, Clinical Director and Speech Pathologist, Center for Speech and Language Stimulation

Maggie Hendrickson is the director of the Pride Resource Center and a member of the Transgender Health Team.

“We don’t want people to think they have to be like hormones, or like they’re in the middle of a transition, or some other precursor to attending a workshop,” Hendrickson said. “It’s just another way for people to feel more comfortable in their bodies. Many people think of transition as something like hormones and surgery, but it’s a social and cultural shift.” It’s really for people who are interested in voice training or who are experiencing any type of discomfort that they think this will help. is for the intended audience, and this is another tool for exploring how people are accepted by their gender and others.

Annie Schubert will facilitate the workshop. She is a speech pathologist and clinical director of the Speech and Language Stimulation Center, where she has been treating transgender and non-binary patients for six years. Schubert said many voice services for transgender and nonbinary people are often not covered by insurance, so he promotes these workshops to better serve these communities. It says there is

“We talk about different vocal characteristics that lead to the listener perceiving the voice as more feminine or masculine, or in such a gender-neutral range, and then break it down into its parts,” says Schubert. “That is[that is]learning about the difference between average pitch and pitch variation, and the different prosodic and intonation patterns that make a voice perceived as more masculine or feminine.”

The workshop will give participants advice on how to start the program at home and practice making their voices more like the ones they want.

“We also focus on vocal hygiene and some basic healthy vocal principles,” Schubert said. , especially when you’re trying to change your voice, so that participants can learn how to do it in a safe way, without getting nervous or hurting their voice.”

Other gender-verification resources available on campus include the Pride Resource Center, which hosts a lavender cabinet with several gender-verification care items, and the CSU Health Network, which assists students interested in transitioning medically. Includes a transgender health team.

Reach Burnaby Atwood news@collegian.com or on twitter @ Barnaby Atwood.