Hypertonic Aerosols Hydrate Airways Longer and Reduce Acidification Risk with Nonpermeating Cation and Permeating Anion Salts.

Hyperosmolar aerosols appear to promote or suppress upper airway dysfunction caused by dehydration in a composition-dependent manner. We sought to explore this composition dependence experimentally, in an interventional human clinical study, and theoretically, by numerical analysis of upper airway ion and water transport. In a double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical study, phonation threshold pressure (PTP) was measured prenasal and postnasal inhalation of hypertonic aerosols of NaCl, KCl, CaCl, and MgCl in seven human subjects.

Vocal Dose and Vocal Demands in Contemporary Musical Theatre.

Objective: To document and quantify vocal dose and student-singers' self-assessment during rehearsals for a contemporary musical theater production.

Methods/design: Six student singers fastened the sensor from the KayPentax APM 3200 dosimeter to the lower neck to capture neck vibration data during their preparation for the musical Wonderland by Frank Wildhorn. Data were collected during 8-hour periods, at four different stages throughout the rehearsal process: beginning (music and choreography learning phase), middle (staging phase), and end (running the entire show/dress rehearsal phase), plus a post-production day once the production had concluded to establish a baseline vocal load.

Independence of Vocal Load From Vocal Pathology Across Singing Genres.

Objective: To investigate the extent to which vocal load is associated with previous diagnosis of a vocal pathology among four major genres of singers (primarily classical, primarily musical theatre (MT), classical and MT combined, and contemporary commercial music only).

Study Design: Cross sectional survey.

Methods/design: An anonymous online survey was sent out to about 1000 professional singers through convenience sampling to touring companies, opera companies, MT companies, agents, directors and musical directors.

Associations of Education and Training with Perceived Singing Voice Function Among Professional Singers.

Background: The educational backgrounds of professional singers vary greatly and span from no formal training to advanced degrees in music or theater. Consequently, professional singers have a wide range of knowledge regarding basic voice care. The objective of this study was to examine associations between singers' educational backgrounds, specifically their knowledge of vocal pedagogy and awareness of vocal health, and their perceptions of their current vocal function associated with singing.

The Role of Observation and Mentorship in Voice Pedagogy Training.

Background: Voice teachers are seeking increasing amounts of pedagogical instructions in the form of observerships, coursework, and clinical experiences. Yet to date there has been no formalized attempt to categorize or set guidelines for these educational experiences.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate (a) the number of hours of observations required or electively completed during pedagogical training (voice lessons, masterclasses) and clinical observations; (b) the number of hours of mentorship (critical observation of a student by a mentor) during pedagogical training; and (c) differences in the training backgrounds of voice teachers based on the level of training, position, and genre.