About

Brian Manternach is an Associate Professor Clinical in the Department of Theatre at the University of Utah. He is listed among the faculty on the university's theatre department webpage, which highlights his role within the department. His position as an Associate Professor Clinical indicates his involvement in teaching and possibly practical or applied aspects of theatre education. The webpage does not provide specific details about his research focus, background, or key contributions, but his title suggests a focus on clinical or practical theatre training within the department's academic programs.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Acoustics
• Medicine
• Pedagogy
• Social Science
• Mathematics education
• Speech recognition
• Applied psychology
• Communication
• Audiology
• Medical education
• Physics
• Mechanics

Selected publications

• The Benefits and Downsides of Vocal Modeling

  Journal of Singing · 2026-02-03

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: Vocal modeling is a common practice in the voice studio. Just as a picture can be worth a thousand words, an accurate demonstration provided by a teacher may be more effective at times than lengthy technical descriptions. However, there can be downsides to vocal modeling that teachers may want to consider. This article explores when vocal modeling may be most and least useful. It highlights the potential negative effects of vocal modeling and provides suggestions for how teachers can ensure their demonstrations have the desired impact on student learning.

  PublisherDOI

• Reducing the Stigma of Voice Injury: More Work to Do

  Journal of Singing · 2025-10-16

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: Broadway star Megan Hilty’s announcement that she must temporarily step away from her Tony-nominated role in Death Becomes Her has once again brought the issue of vocal injuries and the stigma that sometimes accompanies them into the public eye. This article highlights other prominent performers and voice teachers who have publicly discussed their voice injuries. The author then provides the details of his own voice injury before ending with a plea that those of us in the voice community bolster our efforts to educate both our students and the general public about the reality of voice injuries.

  PublisherDOI

• Voices of Influence

  Bloomsbury Publishing Plc eBooks · 2025-01-01

  book1st authorCorresponding

  <JATS1:p>Brian Manternach examines the dynamic relationship of influence between teacher and student in the voice studio. Relating personal stories and formative experiences, the book is part pedagogical guide, part memoir, and part exploration of how vocal philosophies and practices evolve as they are passed from teacher to student.</JATS1:p> <JATS1:p>Part One introduces readers to noted voice professor Robert J. Harrison, exploring biographical elements that have formed how he thinks, what he believes, and how that has informed his life as an artist and as a teacher. Part Two examines Harrison’s teaching approaches, including tactics he used in the voice studio to address aspects of respiration, phonation, resonance, registration, and articulation. It also discusses how Harrison taught artistry, from how he defines his own musical tastes and sensibilities to how he taught communicative singing. Part Three presents the complicated idea of “legacy,” considering how we might remember teachers and their influence once their formal instruction has concluded. Manternach also considers how to contextualize the work of teachers from previous generations to fairly assess their contributions.</JATS1:p> <JATS1:p>Along the way, Manternach describes how he has been influenced by Harrison now that he is a teacher himself. He outlines areas of pedagogical agreement as well as disagreement and indicates how—through the educational chain of succession—some of Harrison’s practices are passed on practically verbatim while others have necessarily evolved in order to serve the current generation of students.</JATS1:p>

  PublisherDOI

• Talk Less, Smile More: Adjusting Feedback in the Voice Studio

  Journal of Singing · 2025-12-07

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: This article explores how teacher feedback during voice lessons impacts student learning. By examining the literature on the subject and incorporating an understanding of the three stages of motor learning, the author identifies times when students may benefit as teacher feedback is adjusted, temporarily withheld, or halted altogether.

  PublisherDOI

• Practice Saying “No” in the Voice Studio

  Journal of Singing · 2025-04-07

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: Any skill we intend to develop, whether inside or outside the voice studio, must be practiced. In this article, the author presents a tactic used in earthquake drills designed to help ensure that individuals are able to protect themselves during a natural disaster. The author then presents an exercise that may be used in the studio to help students protect their autonomy: Practicing saying “No.”

  PublisherDOI

• Culturally Responsive Repertoire Categories in the Voice Studio

  Journal of Singing · 2025-12-07

  articleSenior author

  Abstract: Repertoire selection in the voice studio plays a vital role in student learning. In a culturally responsive classroom, expanding repertoire categories beyond the binary division of culturally non-specific and culturally specific helps foster a more conscious and thoughtful approach to repertoire choices. Introducing categories such as culturally stereotypical, culturally representative, and culturally sensitive encourages a deeper, more informed understanding of repertoire. When introducing these categories in the voice studio, teachers can strengthen communication with their students while also promoting a collaborative student-teacher model.

  PublisherDOI

• Time Spent: The Benefit of Ten-Minute "Practice Snacks"

  Journal of Singing · 2024-12-09

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: In this additional installment of the "Time Spent" series, the author explores the benefits of shorter sessions of distributed vocal practice compared to longer sessions of massed practice. He presents how ten-minute "practice snacks" may lead to greater learning alongside lower levels of vocal fatigue.

  PublisherDOI

• Master of None: Challenging the Master-Apprentice Model

  Journal of Singing · 2024-02-23 · 2 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: A 2006 research study sought to identify specific characteristics that make for outstanding studio instruction by recording, observing, and analyzing three renowned artist-teachers. Some of the practices of the observed teachers seemed to embody a “master-apprentice” or “teacher-centered” model of teaching, which is increasingly falling out of favor among modern pedagogues. This article identifies the specific elements from the study that were most indicative of a master-apprentice approach. It outlines potential problems with these practices and presents alternative approaches that are intended to reflect a more student-centered pedagogy.

  PublisherDOI

• Using Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises as a Vocal Tract "Reset"

  Journal of Singing · 2024-04-23

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: For decades, the benefits of semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTEs) in voice training and rehabilitation have been extolled, most especially how SOVTEs impact phonation. However, a second important, yet neglected aspect of SOVTEs identified in numerous research studies is how they affect the shape of the vocal tract. This article highlights how SOVTEs can passively expand the airway, alleviating unintended constrictions, freeing singers from attempting to "open the throat" through direct muscular activation. This expansion can serve as a vocal tract "reset," allowing singers to selectively shape the vocal tract, facilitatating the wide-narrow contrasts needed for singing in a variety of musical genres.

  PublisherDOI

• Applying Elements of Spoken Prosody to Sung Expression

  Journal of Singing · 2024-01-01 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract: Conscientious composers often work to set text in ways that facilitate expression and communication. Sometimes, however, a composer and a poet or lyricist seem to disagree on where the emphasis of a certain word or phrase should lie. In order to facilitate interpretive decisions in these cases, singers can utilize elements of prosody. Specifically, they can identify syllabic stress and prominence along with their associated acoustic cues: pitch, intensity, and duration. These tools can help singers more effectively bring their intended meaning across to audiences.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Lynn Maxfield

  University of Utah

  6 shared

• Jeremy N. Manternach

  University of Iowa

  3 shared

• Anil Palaparthi

  University of Utah

  3 shared

• Ingo R. Titze

  2 shared

• Karin Titze Cox

  2 shared

• Brian Horne

  1 shared

• Ingo R. Titze

  University of Utah

  1 shared

• Megan Lee

  Yale University

  1 shared

Education

• Doctor of Music, Jacobs School of Music

  Indiana University

• Bachelor of Arts, Music Department

  Saint John's University/College of Saint Benedict

• Master of Music, Peck School of the Arts

  University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Awards & honors

• 2024 Teacher of the Year Award from the Cal-Western Region o…
• 2024 NATS Clifton Ware Group-Voice Pedagogy Award
• 2021 Faculty Excellence in Research Award from the Universit…
• 2016 NATS Foundation Voice Pedagogy Award
• Forum Article of the Year Award from the Voice and Speech Re…