One characteristic that may occur for Deaf and Hard of hearing students who voice is faulty pitch, or a pitch that is not suitable for running speech and conversation. This quality may also present as “restricted or limited pitch range."

To improve pitch, instructors first should identify a target vocal range as a goal for instruction. Baseline assessment should include pitch measurements at the phoneme (vowel), word, and phrase or sentence levels, when appropriate. Using rote prompts, like counting 1-10 or gathering a list of words/phrases the individual feels they can voice confidently, are recommended tasks. Then determine if the student can discriminate between “high vs low” pitch and show where their voice fits into those categories to pick a goal range. Using visual pitch meters, a piano, or virtual keyboard can help with this. See this approach highlighted in the following audio clips. These were selected from a student who began instruction with a voice pattern characterized by frequent pitch breaks of high magnitude:

Sample of baseline skills during conversation

Shifting from high to low pitch on problem vowels

After identifying a target pitch range, instructors should work with the student on modulating pitch starting with vowels before incorporating words, phrases or sentences. See this approach highlighted in the following audio clips:

Using low voice when producing newly established vowels in words

Using low voice when producing newly established vowels in phrases

Using low voice when reading sentences

Feedback measures may include the aforementioned visual feedback tools or tactile feedback (e.g., using their hand to feel their larynx rise and fall as they play with pitch). With one hand placed on the chest and the other lightly on the cheek, they can perhaps feel vibrations shift between their chest, neck, and face as the pitch changes.

Another topic instructors may review is how pitch alterations are contextual. Depending on the purpose of a statement, pitch in oral language contributes to “stress” to denote meaning. For instance, questions typically end with upward inflection while declarative remarks end on a slightly lower pitch than where one started. Excitement is communicated in a different pitch range than sadness or disappointment is. A student with a limited pitch range may benefit from approaching pitch modulation from this linguistic angle during instruction.

If a student settles into a goal pitch range that is sustainable for speech, instructors should ensure that this new pitch is maintained over the course of a conversation or across sessions. Mild fluctuations from word to word in a sentence is satisfactory if they do not reduce intelligibility. However, if pitch breaks within or between sentences is jarring or contributes to fatigue for the speaker, that quality should be highlighted to the student to try to mitigate. When a student is at the conversation level, choose topics that are relevant to the student’s social, academic, and vocational goals. See examples below:

Using low voice when describing picture series

Answering questions and describing events

Expressing personal feelings and ideas

Communicating with other people using new voice