ABSTRACT
Musicians playing wind instruments have to generate very high air pressures to play high loud notes. The soft palate acts like a valve at the back of the throat to prevent air spilling through the nose. If this system fails, the musician notices a snorting or whistling noise, and performance is effected, a condition known as velopharyngeal incompetence. Musicians who have trained for years may suddenly develop this condition due to infection, trauma, weight loss, fatigue or other reasons. Initially the treatment of the underlying condition is all that is required, but persistent problems may require specialized training exercises, perhaps enforced by biofeedback techniques, or surgical correction if detailed assessment shows there to be a defect of the palate and the pharynx.
