Hi, I'm Ralph Magliano! I’m a licensed massage therapist, speech-language pathologist and clinical vocologist. I'm also a lifelong performing musician and songwriter. At The Body And Voice Studio, I merge these disciplines to help clients release body tension restricting their voice and train the anatomy and physiology of the vocal system to efficiently resonate its most natural sound.
My journey as a bodyworker helping clients with vocal tension began when I started playing the piano at the age of six. In between formal lessons, I loved the freedom of just playing and having fun learning and making up songs. That innocence was challenged when I entered the professional performance world with the Philadelphia Boys Choir. Surrounded by a lot of talent, technical demand, and critique, I became cripplingly self-conscious of my own voice. It got so bad that I’d be onstage at The Academy of Music or performing in another country moving my mouth with the words but not making any sound. Voice is identity and when there is an issue, the source is sometimes more than just our anatomy, training, or technique.
As years passed I grew in strength, began writing songs and playing them at open mics. I got hired playing piano-bar gigs and eventually got booked playing my own shows. But as my voice evolved in phases, it seemed to resemble whatever musician I happened to be most inspired by at the time. I was clinging so hard to external influences, I hadn’t let myself feel or accept my own natural sound as reflected by my own body. Connecting with our natural voice is a product of feeling and accepting. We are all one of a kind!
With an initial interest in using music to help people regain communication after stroke, I pursued a Master’s degree to become a speech language pathologist. The anatomy and physiology of speech and voice was a large part of my studies. It was here my body-based approach to voice was planted.
After graduation I worked in skilled nursing helping patients with swallowing disorders and speech, language and cognitive goals. I also worked with patients with voice disorders stemming from a wide range of etiologies, from Parkinson's disease, TBI, and cerebellar palsy, to intubation and stroke. Around this time, fellow musicians began reaching out to me for vocal coaching.
The Summer of 2019, I was accepted into the Summer Vocology Institute at the University of Utah and studied vocal habilitation under the scholarship of some of the greatest minds in the voice field. I learned to respect the voice as an integrative body system and also a product of biomechanics and physics. When I returned home to my patients, I was able to assess, target and treat vocal disorder with a remarkably increased efficiency and effectiveness. One obstacle, however, remained: effectively addressing restrictive vocal tension. One patient I treated to increase her vocal loudness was living with Multiple Sclerosis. Her muscle tissue and movement had become so rigid that even repositioning caused her pain and her voice was restricted to barely a whisper. I remember wishing that I had the knowledge to reduce the tension affecting her posture, breath support and articulation directly through bodywork. My decision to treat the whole voice by mastering the art and science of massage therapy was born from this experience.
I located and was accepted into one of the best massage programs in the country, moved to Harrisburg, and studied bodywork at The Harrisburg Area Community College with a focus on pain, gait, and range of motion. In every class, I filtered my learning through a lens of how it may affect the voice. During the program, I created a massage protocol targeting every body system involved in vocal production and I applied it in the clinic to a voice student with symptoms of muscle tension dysphonia (a condition where muscle tension restricts the voice). Following massage therapy alone, the student experienced significant improvement in vocal range, loudness, voice quality, breath support, posture, and self-assessment.
Now at The Body And Voice Studio, I offer an integrative approach to decrease restrictive vocal tension, aid vocal recovery, and increase vocal efficiency. Whether you're a beginner or a professional, together we’ll journey to find your truest sound, uniquely yours and with an increased efficiency and decreased restriction!
If you have any questions or believe that I may support you on your vocal journey, I’d love to hear from you. Please visit my contact page and reach out anytime!
