Healthy and Efficient Voice Use Awareness in Amateur Group Singers: A Multi-Sensory Self-Assessment Protocol Trial

ABSTRACT

Group singing is beneficial for health and well-being but many new clients presenting in the singing teaching studio come from choir backgrounds and with established voice problems. Amateur group singers do not usually receive individual feedback on their singing efforts, so there is a need to establish a self-monitoring procedure. This qualitative inquiry involved purposive sampling of 18 amateur choir singers trialing a self-assessment (SA) protocol for three weeks. A pre-trial and post-trial online questionnaire was completed to assess the impact of the SA protocol on singing behaviors. Three follow up online interviews were conducted to further interrogate the processes experienced by participants. Post-trial results revealed an increased awareness of healthy and unhealthy singing habits evidenced by changes in thinking and mental attitude, and in behavior and practice improvement. Visual and aural self-assessment were easiest for participants to employ with kinesthetic self-assessment being the most difficult. Choir leaders need to continue to educate the singers in their care concerning vocal health and efficiency and encourage self-assessment during singing and speaking acts. Individual singers in an amateur setting must be encouraged to become independent learners, taking responsibility for their vocal health through self-monitoring procedures.

KEYWORDS:

• Amateur singer
• health
• wellbeing
• self-assessment
• multi-sensory
• choir
• voice

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tara Leiper

Tara Leiper, EdD, taught in Further Education for 13 years and since then works freelance as an accompanist, voice teacher and conductor and runs a busy teaching practice in the northeast of Scotland. She is an examiner with London College of Music and an adjudicator for the British and International Federation of Festivals and is a passionate advocate for community and amateur music making, specializing in singing and voice use. She is music director of Banchory Singers community choir.