Book review from 'Communicating Voice'
Reviewed by: Katherine Behenna, Specialist Speech and Language Therapist/ Voice Teacher
The Accent Method: A Rational Voice Therapy in Theory and
Practice
Thyme-Frokjaer and Frokjaer-Jensen.
Speechmark Publishing, 2001
This practical book and accompanying CD of exercises will be welcomed by all
practitioners of the Accent Method. Produced by the renowned Kirsten Thyme-Frokjaer
and her husband, the book provides a clear explanation of the theory and
clinical application of Svend Smidt's method of pulsed voice exercises while the
graded exercises on CD promote confidence and proficiency in the practical
nuances of the technique.
The book provides comprehensive but nonetheless accessible sections on the
processes of respiration and phonation before then considering the applications
of the method to voice disorders. Finally, the reader is invited to participate
in a series of increasingly detailed and specific voice exercises. The exercises
on CD describe complex variations in detail and give ample chance for practice.
Overall, the text is easy to read, quirkily illustrated in parts to make
breathing exercises accessible and fulfils its aim of teaching a practical
method, although readers are nevertheless still encouraged to attend a training
course if possible. I would recommend it to all those voice practitioners who
have attended an Accent method course and would welcome a refresher, or to those
who would like an introduction before attending a full course.