Open wide!

While the children had Anatomy 101 last week, today was Anatomy 301 for me.

This is a picture of my vocal folds (aka vocal chords). Our apprenticeship team went to the voice and swallowing clinic today and some of us got scoped -- the therapist first anesthetized my nose with a spray, then strung a tube into my nose and down into my pharynx. I sang, I laughed, I cleared my throat, I yodeled, I whispered, all the time watching the movements of my vocal folds, the base of my tongue, larynx, epiglottis, and all the rest. Fascinating!

The red arrows point to the actual folds. When you vocalize, they vibrate together (and when you clear your throat, they slam together! not good).

There's a good video online here if you're curious what it looks like in motion.