Jamea Sale, PhD

Dr. Jamea J. Sale, PhD
Director, Institute for Healthy Singing and Voice Research
Executive Associate Director, The Choral Foundation

Dr. Jamea J. Sale is a voice scientist, vocal pedagogue, and arts health advocate whose work explores the transformative intersections between music, neuroscience, and well-being. She serves as Director of the Institute for Healthy Singing and Voice Research (IHS&VR) and Executive Associate Director of the Choral Foundation, leading multidisciplinary programs that integrate voice science with education, community wellness, and global outreach.

Dr. Sale’s research centers on the developmental arc of the human voice—particularly the female adolescent voice—and its physiological, emotional, and expressive dimensions. Her current projects include a longitudinal study tracking vocal changes in adolescent girls, in collaboration with partners in the U.S. and China. She is also validating a self-assessment tool, the Female Adolescent Voice Change Singing Status Index (FAVC-SSI), designed to support singers and educators in understanding the voice through transition.

In 2022, she established a partnership with MidAmerica Nazarene University to offer graduate-level continuing education courses in voice science and pedagogy, expanding access to evidence-based professional development for music educators, speech professionals, and performers. She also leads the IHS&VR Vocology Lab, which collaborates with voice specialists at Ascentist Healthcare to provide preventative care and voice habilitation services to individuals suffering from vocal fatigue, range loss, hoarseness, or chronic tension.

Dr. Sale’s work extends internationally. Since 2023, she has led outreach efforts in rural Kenya, building sustainable music education programs that promote both artistic development and community wellness through the power of singing. Her workshops emphasize healthy vocal production, emotional expression, and the cognitive and social benefits of ensemble music-making.

Her private studio, JameaSale.com, is grounded in developmentally informed, health-focused voice training. She works with singers and speakers across the lifespan, including those recovering from voice injury, and champions music as a tool for neurobiological resilience, emotional regulation, and connection.

A frequent presenter at national and international conferences, Dr. Sale is a longtime member of the American Choral Directors Association, The Voice Foundation, Pan-American Vocology Association, the International Society of Music Education, and the National Association of Teachers of Singing.