Self-reported changes in the professional singing voice after surgical intervention treatment for breast cancer: a survey pilot study of female professional singers.

Background: The effects of breast cancer surgical treatment on the professional singing voice are unknown.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to discover whether there are self-perceived changes in the quality and/or process of singing experienced by professional female singers who have undergone surgical intervention for the treatment of diagnosed breast cancer-including any changes perceived from the use of radiation, chemotherapy, and other drug treatments related to those surgeries.

Methods: A voluntary subject pool comprised female professional singers who have undergone surgery for breast cancer was recruited from professional singing networks.

The teaching performer: a survey of assets versus choices in voice use.

Despite fine instructional texts in voice hygiene such as those of Sataloff (2005), McCoy (2004), and Bunch Dayme (2009), giant strides in diagnostic assessment of vocal risk factors, and compelling vocal dose studies of Titze (2000-2005) and others, challenges continue to persist for singing voice teachers who are also active performers, or "Teaching Performers." The purpose of this study was to investigate the voice hygiene and voice use practices of Teaching Performers in and out of performance periods, and to assess the readiness of these individuals to consider hygienic changes in their vocal routines. Volunteers from the National Association of Teachers of Singing (N=727) were recruited to participate in an anonymous online survey.

Current attitudes toward voice studio teaching technology: a bicoastal survey of classical singing pedagogues.

In recent years, the availability of studio teaching technology tools for the classical singing studio has developed exponentially. Nevertheless, the integration of voice analysis technology and other computer-based technology into a traditional classical singing studio can be a daunting task for many teachers, despite fine instructional texts such as those of Garyth Nair (1999) and Scott McCoy (2004). For this reason, The Texas Tech Voice Alliance developed and assessed a bicoastal online survey of classical singing pedagogues in the United States about their perceptions of, and attitudes toward, the use of studio teaching technology.

Pedagogical efficiency of melodic contour mapping technology as it relates to vocal timbre in singers of classical music repertoire.

The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain the pedagogical viability of computer-generated melodic contour mapping systems in the classical singing studio, as perceived by their resulting effect (if any) on vocal timbre when a singer's head and neck remained in a normal singing posture. The evaluation of data gathered during the course of the study indicates that the development of consistent vocal timbre produced by the classical singing student may be enhanced through visual/kinesthetic response to melodic contour inversion mapping, as it balances the singer's perception of melodic intervals in standard musical notation. Unexpectedly, it was discovered that the system, in its natural melodic contour mode, may also be useful for teaching a student to sing a consistent legato line.

The visual/kinesthetic effects of melodic contour in musical notation as it affects vocal timbre in singers of classical and music theater repertoire.

The purpose of this investigation was to obtain information from professional singers active in performing of both classical and music theater repertoire with regard to the visual/kinesthetic effect of melodic contour in musical notation as it affects vocal timbre. The evaluation of data gathered during the study indicates that there is reason to investigate the resulting postural shifts of the head and neck because they are guided by visual maps of melodic contour and its inversion. Significantly, it was discovered that the tone quality produced when a singer's head and neck postures followed the natural melodic contour of the melody was in no case considered to be the most pleasing of the conditions studied and that, in many cases, the tone quality produced when a singer's head and neck postures followed a map of the inversion of the melodic contour was judged to be much improved.

The singing power ratio as an objective measure of singing voice quality in untrained talented and nontalented singers.

A growing body of contemporary research has investigated differences between trained and untrained singing voices. However, few studies have separated untrained singers into those who do and do not express abilities related to singing talent, including accurate pitch control and production of a pleasant timbre (voice quality). This investigation studied measures of the singing power ratio (SPR), which is a quantitative measure of the resonant quality of the singing voice.

Potential factors related to untrained singing talent: a survey of singing pedagogues.

A national survey was conducted to identify factors associated with untrained singing talent based on perceptions obtained from a homogeneous group of professional singing pedagogues. Survey items included questions related to the perception of singing talent, factors associated with untrained singing talent, and physiological variables that distinguished untrained singing talented individuals from those without obvious singing talent. The survey data suggested that intonation, timbre, and musicality were rated the most important factors associated with the perception of singing talent in an untrained individual.

Pitch matching accuracy of trained singers, untrained subjects with talented singing voices, and untrained subjects with nontalented singing voices in conditions of varying feedback.

At a physiological level, the act of singing involves control and coordination of several systems involved in the production of sound, including respiration, phonation, resonance, and afferent systems used to monitor production. The ability to produce a melodious singing voice (eg, in tune with accurate pitch) is dependent on control over these motor and sensory systems. To test this position, trained singers and untrained subjects with and without expressed singing talent were asked to match pitches of target pure tones.