Recommendations

As part of the U of A Augustana Music, Pedagogy & Wellness Hub series, Sable Chan's Speech-Language Pathology and voice therapy presentation was informative, instructive, and deeply inspirational. Articulate and dedicated to her vocation, Sable is a true and compassionate champion for the human voice. Whether in the realm of speech or in song, Sable's knowledge is profound and her creative capacity for effective and innovative approaches to care and treatment of the voice are unparalleled. As music educators strive to advocate for the wonder, power, capability, and health of the voice, we must remember to turn to Sable Chan for guidance and direction.

— Ardelle ries, Associate Professor & Director of Music, UofA Augustana Campus

I direct an un-auditioned adult community choir. Many of our singers have no prior vocal training and haven’t spent much time thinking about or being physically aware of how to sing, or how to sing in a healthy way.

This has made Sable’s two workshops with our singers (in 2014 and 2016) extremely helpful for us. Being a speech therapist, a chorister and solo artist give her a unique and impressive expertise that she warmly shares in an accessible presentation. Her sessions were thoughtful, organized, practical, interactive and engaging.

She included effective audio and visual elements that outlined a careful approach each singer, regardless of their experience, could understand and begin to apply in their own singing practice. A natural teacher, she gauged her audience’s knowledge and interest well, fielded singers’ questions with additional useful information and offered a variety of ways for all singers to learn and apply the key information and concepts.

She was professional and very approachable. I have since incorporated many things I learned in these sessions in personal and choral warm ups and rehearsals. I can highly recommend Sable and her workshops as valuable personal and professional development to all singers.

— margo nightingale, director of aurora chorealis

Sable Chan is an inspiring and very talented Speech-Language Pathologist specializing in Vocal Therapy. I was given Sable’s name by another therapist that is familiar with Sable’s work and felt that Sable could meet the needs of our Parkinson’s group. People with Parkinson’s Disease (PWP), or Parkinsonism, can develop challenges with communication due to the throat muscles weakening over time. Their voice may get quieter, breathy, or hoarse. Speech may become slurred, mumbled or expressed rapidly. Additionally the tone of the voice may become monotone, lacking the normal ups and downs of typical speech. These vocal changes may not allow the listener to clearly hear, understand and respond in an appropriate conversational pattern that allows dialogue to flow naturally. Therefore the PWP may not get their needs met and sadly they can feel more like a spectator, than a participant, in their own life. This frustration can lead to isolation, depression, anxiety, apathy, etc.

Sable Chan was able to teach our group to strengthen and project our voices using creative activities and interactive songs, which additionally enhanced our cognitive skills. She was able to show us how to reach our high and low notes, encouraging us to practice daily at home.  Sable’s voice is as beautiful as she is! She has compassion and empathy for the suffering and she has the dynamic personality and professional knowledge to keep us coming back for more! There are so many benefits to vocal strengthening for someone with Parkinsonism including: improving your swallow (avoiding aspiration and choking); opening up your lungs (therefore increasing your oxygen); building stamina (tackling fears and learning to smile again); leading to quality of life and being a key player (good-bye apathy!) in your own life!! Thank you Sable for helping us to improve our voices and the quality of our lives!!

— Cathy R, PWP

As a former professional singer, I had suffered serious issues with my vocal chords several decades ago.

Just when I was ready to give up all hope, I received a healthy dose of a new chance: since the time my chords had gone down, medical science progressed, and new surgery has become available. I felt there was not much to lose (I could hardly speak, let alone sing, anyhow). I agreed to try it. The surgery went fine, and the surgeon offered me one more ray of hope:" “see Sable”, she said. I did, and I spent some very valuable time in her office. Sable is a taskmaster and a perfectionist, just the qualities I have always admired in professionals. Now, I not only speak without any difficulties, I can even sing from time to time. Even after we were done with the prescribed series of appointments, Sable taught me how to train on my own, and the exercises she had prescribed have been working almost miraculously. My advice to all who want to have their voices heard: see Sable.

— j.M.

I’ve been a music teacher at the elementary level for more than 25 years.  It has not been uncommon to temporarily lose my voice once or twice per year, especially in September or at Christmas time.  In November, however, I had not recovered from weeks of voice issues.  A colleague of mine –who is also a music specialist and professional singer– referred me to Sable, a vocologist.  I was glad to see a voice therapist with a solid reputation.

My initial session with Sable was reassuring; I felt welcome.  The atmosphere was relaxed and supportive. While my responses to her questions provided her with details about my vocal issues, Sable did a preliminary evaluation of my speaking/singing voice.  She gave me some important homework to practice every day before I started teaching and also referred me to an ENT to rule out any other complications.

The following sessions gave me the opportunity to become more aware of my stressors and how they affect my vocal behaviour.  I also learned to listen carefully to audio recordings of myself within the context of my teaching to better identify moments when I need to reset and use my voice properly.  Sable provided me with the necessary tools to be proactive and continue to sing without causing more damage to my vocal folds.  I would certainly recommend Sable to anyone who may be having voice issues.

— Y.loiselle

I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Sable at a very difficult, uncertain and challenging time in my life. Following Laryngoscopy surgery, which involved an extensive area of my right vocal cord, my recovery was slower than usual. I met with Sable nearly 6 weeks after my surgery and with her knowledge, guidance and encouragement, I regained my voice. I believe that working with Sable was essential to my recovery because she showed me the methods and techniques I needed to practice for a successful recovery.  I’m surprised that it only took 3 sessions with her to set me on the correct path. It’s kind of like magic once you know the process. She is very competent and professional, and I trust her completely.  

— j.F.

I had come to visit Sable as kind of a last resort, with a fatiguing and chronic dry cough which had lasted for over a year. Although I had seen other specialists, no one had been able to make suggestions for reprieve. It was such a relief to feel that there was something that could be done to improve my condition. I am happy to report that I felt so empowered by her encouragement and support. With the exercises that she provided, these episodes are becoming fewer and farther apart and I am hopeful for a complete recovery!

— Elementary music school teacher

I came to Sable Chan for voice therapy at age 70, as a result of my singing voice taking on a “waxy” quality for certain notes and intervals. I was a semi-professional singer in a band with my husband, and afraid that my singing career was coming to an end, after having been a singer since childhood. An ENT said that my problem was not physical and he referred me to Sable for voice therapy. The problem was anxiety, poor singing habits and/or fatigue. I found Sable to be supportive, caring, encouraging, and knowledgeable about the voice and voice production, and after only three months of following her advice and doing voice exercises, I found I had “turned a corner” and could resume singing the songs I loved with confidence and ease. She has referred me to a singing teacher for further training as desired.

— R.S.

I had a session with Sable when I was experiencing severe vocal stress. Our session was very calm. Sable is a very good listener and asked many pertinent questions about the circumstances of my vocal condition. My body’s response to life stress is vocal stress, and Sable discussed some good strategies to help me recognize the causes of my vocal loss. We tried some very fundamental exercises to determine what steps I should take, and Sable gave me some vocal exercises to ease my strain. I was able to use these daily and within a short period of time my vocal stress lessened, and my voice returned to normal. This particularly important to note because I am a lifelong singer and Sable’s experience in this field made her the perfect choice for my situation. I would highly recommend her work as a speech pathologist.

-C.V.

I was experiencing a lot of vocal strain from teleconferencing. I found Sable to be very knowledgable, observant, and easy to talk to. Her explanations were clear. With just a few sessions, things have dramatically improved. I will always be grateful for her help and highly recommend her to anyone looking for a speech pathologist.

-P.K.

I had lost my voice, the specialist said due to a virus and then my brain tricked me to switch to my false vocal cords, so I had to learn how to use my true vocal cords once again. I couldn’t work, as I am a receptionist, and I felt lost as I love to talk.

I began sessions with Sable and loved her immediately. She is so knowledgeable and such an encourager through everything. Oh, and I must say, we had to do it all online due to COVID. I looked forward to our sessions, and loved her enthusiasm and teaching. After not having a voice since January 2020, it only took about six weeks for a full recovery, by June 24th, I had a full voice for our grandson’s graduation. I would highly recommend her to anyone needing speech therapy.

— D.D.