Recent Research in Singing

Abstract

The following list of recent research in singing is a brief sampling of articles and dissertations published during the last few years. It is by no means comprehensive and reflects only a small fraction of the available documents.If you have published recent research in singing, voice pedagogy, voice science, vocal repertoire, pedagogic methodology, or other topics of interest to the membership of NATS, please send citations and abstracts to Donald Simonson at drs@iastate.edu for review and possible inclusion in future columns.Donahue, Erin, Wendy D. LeBorgne, Susan Baker Brehm, and Barbara D. Weinrich. Reported Habits of First-Year Undergraduate Musical Theater Majors in a Preprofessional Training Program: A 10-Year Retrospective Study. Journal of Voice 28, no. 3 (May 2014): 316-323.Over a period of 10 consecutive years, incoming freshman music theater students were asked to complete a survey on their perceptions of their voices and voice use. They were also screened by an experienced voice pathologist and were given a stroboscopic screening exam reviewed by a board-certified otolaryngologist. Of the 188 participants, the average age was 18.28 years; there were 90 female and 98 male subjects. The survey focused on self-reported training and practice habits, vocal health and hygiene practices, and current negative voice symptoms that might contribute to voice problems. The collected data revealed many potential risks to voice use in the study group. Over half of the group reported at least one current negative vocal symptom at the time of the study. The vast majority engaged in warm-ups, but very few performed cool-downs. Many reported behaviors that might put them at higher risk of developing acid reflux or experiencing symptoms similar to those caused by acid reflux. Additionally, the group reported generally poor hydration habits. The findings suggest that as a group, these students exhibited a lack of self-awareness, denial of problems, and a lack of knowledge that may impact future voice use. It is hoped that the collected data will provide impetus to further develop strategies to educate this group of singers, and thus to instill lifelong habits and awareness that will promote injury prevention, continuing education, and overall vocal longevity.Green, Kathryn, Warren Freeman, Matthew Edwards, and David Meyer. Trends in Musical Theatre Voice: An Analysis of Audition Requirements for Singers. Journal of Voice 28, no. 3 (May 2014): 324-327.Examining 1,238 professional music theater audition listings over a six-month period, the authors identified four main genres of expected performance capability. Legit, pop/rock, contemporary music theater, and traditional music theater were the main genres listed, with over 50% in the pop/rock and contemporary listings. Specifics regarding the characteristics for each type are included.Based on the study's results, it is clear that today's music theater performer needs a flexible approach to singing in various styles and genres; that over half of the listed jobs require techniques beyond those associated with legit or classical voice performance makes this very clear. Additionally, belt voice ability was requested in three of the four main genres identified, highlighting the need for its inclusion as a substantial part of music theater voice training.Guzman, Marco, Anne-Maria Laukkanen, Petr Krupa, Jaromir Horacek, Jan G. Svec, and Ahmed Geneid. Vocal Tract and Glottal Function During and After Exercising with Resonance Tube and Straw. Journal of Voice 27, no. 4 (July 2013): 523.e19-523.e34.This study was designed to evaluate vocal tract and glottal function during and after phonation into a tube and a stirring straw. A classically trained male singer was examined with computerized tomography (CT) while (1) phonating a sustained [a:], (2) phonating a sustained vowel-like sound into a resonance tube (27 cm long and 9mm inner diameter) for 15 minutes, and immediately after that (3) produce another sustained [a:] without the resonating tube. …