Sex Toy Vibrators Used by Alberta Voice Coach David Ley

A voice coach in Canada is using vibrating sex toys to help pupils hit the high notes.

Drama professor David Ley swears he can improve musical performance by using vibrators to massage his students' throats.

But University of Alberta teacher Ley is not an oddball figure soon to be visited by the police, it seems.

He said sex toys are preferable to using his own fingers on students, who dislike the sensation of having hands on their necks.

Ley insisted his unconventional method does work but admitted it was challenging for some students.

He told Metro News: "I know it's a bit different. I know there's a giggle factor, but it work. It relaxes tension in the larynx, it improves range and projection.

"What I'm trying to do is to help the person hit that high note or harness their emotional energy."

Ley said he stumbled across the idea while trying to find an alternative to putting his hands on students' throats.

Massage machines failed to do the trick so he decided to browse the wares on sale in sex shops in Alberta.

"I was in the middle of the store testing it on the throat of a friend," he said. "The girl behind the counter was intrigued but she listened to every word I had to say about voice and coaching. I'm sure she's heard it all."

Canadian actress Sara Farb used the technique for her part in a stage adaptation of a rock-n-roll musical in Toronto.

"The temperature [outside] was dropping and I had a cat I may have been allergic to," she says. "I was definitely having voice issues."

"It was almost immediate," she said. "I couldn't believe it."

Perhaps the fruits of the sexual revolution are sowing the seeds for another musical revolution.