The effects of singing exercises and melodic intonation therapy (MIT) on the male-to-female transgender voice

The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of traditional voice therapy approaches in combination with singing exercises and Melodic Intonation Therapy (MIT) to aid male-to-female transgender individuals gain a more feminine sounding voice. Participants from this study were recruited from a transgender support group in Greensboro, North Carolina. Six male-to-female individuals ranging in age from 37 to 63 years volunteered to participate in the study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: Three individuals received traditional voice therapy plus feminine language structures/vocabulary and nonverbal communication (Group 1), while the remaining three received traditional voice therapy plus singing exercises and MIT (Group 2). All participants received traditional voice therapy techniques. Quantitative results suggested increased Speaking Fundamental Frequencies (SFFs) for participants in both groups, however, a slightly higher SFF was present in Group 2. Descriptive analysis of the results showed that by the study's end, all participants presented with self-voice ratings (1--7 scale) that were higher than the ratings given by the participants at the beginning of the study. Also, at the end of the study, all four judges (two first-year speech-language pathology graduate students and two random volunteers) rated the participants with voice ratings that were above the ratings at the beginning of the study.