Voice Training Program Research Articles

The Effectiveness of a Voice Training Program for Telemarketers

To use a randomized design to evaluate the effectiveness of voice training programs for telemarketers via multidimensional analysis. Forty-eight telemarketers were randomly assigned to two groups: voice training group (n=14) who underwent training over an 8-week period and a nontraining control group (n=34). Before and after training, recordings of the sustained vowel /ɛ/ and connected were collected for acoustic and perceptual analyses. Based on pre- and posttraining comparisons, the voice training group presented with a significant reduction in percent jitter (P=0.044). No other significant differences were observed, and inter-rater reliability varied from poor to fair. These findings suggest that voice training improved a single acoustic dimension, but do not change perceptual dimension of telemarketers' voices.

Voice Training in Teacher Education: The Effect of Adding an Individualized Microteaching Session of 30 Minutes to the Regular 6-Hour Voice Training Program

In a previous study, we investigated the effect of a twofold voice-training module in student teachers. In the present study, the original training module of 3 hours of indirect and 3 hours of direct group training was expanded with a 30-minute individual counseling session for each participant. The main focus was on the effects of this threefold training paradigm on the voice of the participants. The subjects were 81 students at the academic teaching program at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The trained group (n=51) received the entire voice-training program, whereas the control group (n=30) received no voice training at all. A multidimensional test battery consisting of subjective evaluation and objective measurements was applied to both the groups at the study onset and again 4 months later to assess training results. Other than an improvement in the parameter strain, no significant change was observed for the subjective judgments. Several of the objective parameters did however improve in the trained group only, most significantly in female subjects. The impact of the 30-minute individual counseling session was small and differed for males and females. However, the results support the effectiveness of this training module and favor its introduction in the education of student teachers.

Effectiveness of voice training for professional voice users with voice disorders

To explore the effectiveness of voice training on professional voice users with voice disorders. Thirty one professional voice users suffering from voice symptoms without organic disorder were treated with a four-week voice training program, including vocal hygiene education, respiratory training and resonant therapy. Voice handicap index, maximum phonation time, noise to harmonic ratio, jitter and shimmer were compared before and after the training. The voice handicap index (x(-) ± s) decreased from 33.7 ± 19.2 to 18.8 ± 18.4 after the training and the difference was significant (t = 6.14, P < 0.05). Maximum phonation time (x(-) ± s) increased significantly from (15.5 ± 5.8) s to (18.6 ± 6.0) s (t = -3.43, P < 0.05). jitter (M [P(25); P(75)]) decreased significantly after the training from 0.42% [0.36%; 0.62%] to 0.35% [0.29%; 0.47%] (Z = -2.51, P < 0.05), while there was no significant change in shimmer and noise to harmonic ratio. Voice training can effectively reduce the vocal symptoms in professional voice users, decrease the handicap degree and increase the respiratory support during phonation, thus improve the voice quality.

The efficacy of a voice training program: a case–control study in China

The objective of this study was to design a voice training program for Chinese speakers, and to evaluate its efficacy. It was a prospective, randomized, case-control study practiced in three middle schools in Beijing, China. Teachers in the treatment group received voice training for 4 weeks, whereas the control group subjects received no treatment. The voice training program, which was adapted for Chinese, contained vocal hygiene education and group voice training. The outcome was assessed by voice handicap index (VHI), maximum phonation time (MPT) and acoustic analysis parameters including, noise to harmonic ratio (NHR), jitter and shimmer. The results showed that at the onset of the study, no significant differences were found between the subjects in two groups for VHI, MPT and NHR. VHI of treatment group subjects who received voice training decreased significantly, whereas VHI of control group subjects showed no significant change. Treatment group MPT was significantly increased after training, whereas the control group one presented no significant change during the same period. NHR in treatment group decreased significantly after training, whereas the one in control group showed no significant change. There were no significant changes for jitter and shimmer in both groups before and after the study. So we conclude that the voice training program is suitable to treat voice diseases, particularly for middle school teachers. This result provided reliable evidence for carrying out further voice training in China.

Körper und Stimme - Erfolgsinstrumente in der Kommunikation

Music and language, speaking and singing have common roots both from a phylogenetic but more from an ontogenetic view. In language acquisition these appear in particular by initial including of simple melodic and rhythmic expressions, which increasingly differentiate in the further process as consciously integrated prosodic features during speaking. Prosodic features contribute to a clear structure of the information communicated. Beyond that they obtain substantial information about emotional conditions and intentions of the communicator. In voice training prosodic features like speech melody, speech rhythm, dynamics and tone quality prove to be good tools for the speaking voice. With a voice training program, which can be accomplished in group formation, students learn to consciously apply variable gesture and prosody as well to let the voice become equally durable and expressive.

Analysis and Evaluation of a Voice-Training Program in Future Professional Voice Users

The goal of this study is to analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of a voice-training program. Twenty-three professional voice users received voice training for 2 years and vocal hygiene education for 1 year. The voice-training program consisted of lectures, technical workshops, and vocal coaching. The European Laryngological Society (ELS) protocol, including the Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and the Voice Handicap Index (VHI), was applied before and after, respectively, 9 and 18 months of voice training. A questionnaire on daily habits was presented at study onset and after 18 months. The DSI improvement is more significant after 9 months (P=0.005) than it is after 18 months (P=0.2). On the other hand, the perceptual evaluation remained unchanged after 9 months, whereas it improved significantly after 18 months. The results of the daily habit questionnaire are disturbing: the prevalence of smoking, vocal abuse, stress, and late meals were not influenced by the lectures and remained high. This study emphasizes the need for a well-organized voice-training program that is most effective after 9 months. Regarding the low effectiveness of the vocal hygiene program, the concept needs revision.

Training Outcome in Future Professional Voice Users after 18 Months of Voice Training

The goal of this study is to define the long-term influence of vocal hygiene education and the effectiveness of voice training in 46 students. Half of the subjects, called the trained group (n = 23), received vocal hygiene education during 1 school year and voice training during 2 school years (18 months). The other half, also 23 subjects, received neither vocal hygiene education nor voice training as such (called the untrained group). The voice training is made up of technical workshops (30 h a year in groups of 5–8 subjects) and vocal coaching in the radio and drama projects (30 h whole class). In the lectures (30 h) a theoretical background on breathing, articulation, voicing and vocal hygiene was discussed. A multidimensional test battery containing the GRBAS scale, videolaryngostroboscopy, maximum phonation time, jitter, lowest intensity, highest frequency, Dysphonia Severity Index (DSI) and Voice Handicap Index (VHI) was applied before and after 18 months to evaluate the effect of voice training over time. A questionnaire on daily habits was presented before the lectures, and after 18 months to detect the long-term effect of the lectures. The objectively measured voice quality (DSI) of the trained group improved significantly over time (p < 0.001) due to training (p = 0.008), which was not the case in the untrained group. The self-assessed VHI, on the other hand, changed over time (p < 0.001) in both groups. For the trained group the VHI changed from 18.4 to 14.4 and in the untrained group from 20.1 to 15.3. It is important to note that the VHI scores of both groups remained high. The interpretation of the results of the daily habit questionnaire is disturbing: the initial high degree of smoking, vocal abuse, stress and late meals was not influenced by the lectures or training and remained high. This study proves the positive outcome and emphasizes the need for a well-organized voice training program in future professional voice users. However, the lectures and training on vocal hygiene failed to improve voice-conserving habits.

PH Monitoring in Patients with Benign Voice Disorders

The aim of this study was to compare oesophageal pH-metry with laryngeal signs and symptoms in patients suspected of laryngeal reflux disease. A total of 60 patients with voice disorders, who were suspected of laryngeal reflux, were tested by single probe oesophageal pH monitoring. Thirty-two suffered from reflux laryngitis. A comparison of symptoms in patients with proven reflux with patients with no reflux was made. The symptoms were more frequent in the patients in the reflux group than in the non-reflux group. There was a significant difference between the groups with regard to dysphonia, sore throat, thick mucus and heartburn. Clinical signs appeared more frequently in the reflux group than in the non-reflux group. A significant difference was found between the groups regarding oedema of the vocal cords and hyperaemia and oedema of the posterior commisure, contact granuloma, posterior wall granulation and increased muscle tension. The patients in the reflux group were given medical treatment using omeprazole, and 76% logopedic voice training program. More than 50% of the laryngeal reflux patients were treated for more than 4 months before their voice problems had resolved. It is important to realize that signs of reflux laryngitis are not confined to the posterior commisure.

Analysis of the fundamental frequency of the human voice and its frequency distribution before and after a voice training program.

Three groups of test Ss, 1 with professional voices, 1 with normal, healthy voices, & 1 with more or less pronounced phonastenic voices (N unspecified) took part in an intensive 5-day voice trainin ...

A voice training program for high school sophomores

A voice training program for high school sophomores