Adolescent voice change is a developmentally uncertain time for singers when the vocal anatomy undergoes significant growth. Female singers experience a distinctive set of symptoms. Vocal tone that was previously clear and pure becomes breathy and, at times, thick, husky, and hoarse (Ingram & Rice, 1962; Sipley, 1993; Vennard, 1967). Voice ranges that initially widen […]
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Vocal Health During the Voice Change: Recollections and Recommendations of Collegiate Male Choral Singers
The purpose of this study was to gather the textual and visual narratives of undergraduate males about their singing experiences during the adolescent voice change. Analysis explored these students’ reasons for participation (or not) in secondary choral music, their self-perceptions as singers, and of their vocal maturation process. Much current research focuses on the attrition […]
Singing Scientifically: A Content Analysis of Choral Journal and Science-Based Discussion of the Voice
The purpose of this investigation was to determine the number of voice-related articles published in Choral Journal that included scientifically researched, evidence-based knowledge. Understanding the voice directly impacts the overall vocal health of singers. A content analysis of Choral Journal, the flagship publication of the American Choral Director’s Association, yielded 159 scientifically informed, voice-related articles […]
Teaching What We Were Taught: A Survey of Choral Music Educators on Vocal Health, Anatomy, and Pedagogy
The purpose of this investigation was to assess if prior education influenced current teaching practices of choral music educators in terms of vocal health, anatomy, and pedagogy. We utilized a four-part online questionnaire to inquire about music educator’s a) personal experience in voice education and teaching/conducting practice in b) general vocal health, c) vocal anatomy […]
Advancing Vocal Health Research and Practice in Choral Singing Contexts
Studies appearing in this special collection focus broadly on vocal health in choral singing contexts. They do so from a variety of vantage points—singers in various stages of lifespan voice development, teacher-conductors, parents, and professional journal content. Such investigations interest us because choir conductor-teachers serve as the primary voice teachers and main sources of voice […]
The Impact of Manual Mimicry Gestures on the Learning of Sung German Phonemes
The integration of embodied pedagogies has a long history in music education, and especially in choral singing (Benson, 2011; Ehmann, 1968; Jaques-Dalcroze, 1921). Manual mimicry gestures are hand movements that mirror the spatiotemporal attributes of speech sounds with an analogous gesture (Rusiewicz & Rivera, 2017). The present study investigated the effects of manual mimicry gestures […]
