Kazoo feel the love tonight?

I hope Sir Elton would approve of, for this post, the mangling of his music and Tim Rice's words. They're in the interest of art, science, and of - Wisconsin!

The chairman of my CSD department gave up the chair, when I was beginning the second year of my master's program. My classmates and I had debated his effectiveness, and had even held a forum with faculty re: the direction of the department. We were polite radicals. When the decision about the chair change had come down, we nevertheless decided to do something for department morale.

We were prepared along the first floor staircase of old George Hall, so that when the former chair came to work the day following the announcement....an impromptu KAZOO band formed of master's students serenaded him with a rousing "On, Wisconsin!" (his post prior to coming to our University). The guy was characteristically nonplussed at the reception - like he had heard an impromptu kazoo band at Ole Miss every week! But that is the indomitable will of this instrument; - it is sassy and it makes a lasting impression with very little effort. That is why I have kazoo love.

The use of the kazoo in speech therapy? Besides serenading the illustrious people in our field, I have found the kazoo to be an uncomplicated, off-the-shelf, easily trained and fun method to help persons served train their expiratory airflow. Having the ability to increase your airflow when exhaling may pay off, in your ability to voluntarily cough during PO intake, and in your ability to sustain a functional speaking voice for most daily settings. What does kazoo playing contribute to that process? 

Through my own clinical trials, I have found that the ideal candidate for kazoo use in treatment:
* speaks with insufficient loudness and quality in every day settings*
* may have weak reflexive and volitional cough during eating and drinking*
* has so little fun in her/his life*

You would expect then, goals for this most unconventional treatment method might include:
* produce a tone, by HUMMING with lips closed about the larger opening of the kazoo*
* demonstrate a single tone (pitch) of various durations with stable quality*
* demonstrate productions of multiple tones (pitches) by adjusting lip tension during kazoo play*
* demonstrate mastery of a simple song ("Happy Birthday", "Twinkle, Twinkle), that is understood by a listener without need for repeating

Those SLP clinicians who were not fortunate enough to play musical instruments in school (trumpet and french horn here), can easily learn the basics from reading:
https://kazoos.com/pages/how-to-play-kazoo.

Those persons served who have found success with kazoo playing, as part of their SLP clinical programs, may demonstrate improved diaphragmatic/abdominal breathing; increased cough strength in the reflexive and volitional conditions; and increased conversational voice endurance for all daily settings. How to be sure? Try it and see.