Effects of Varied Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercises on Acoustic and Perceptual Measures of Music Theatre Singers: A Pilot Study

ABSTRACT

Recent investigations of semi-occluded vocal tract exercises (SOVTEs) have indicated possible benefits for voice therapy and for choral and classical singing. Few researchers have investigated SOVTEs with contemporary commercial music (CCM) singers. The current study examined perceptual and acoustic effects of five sung conditions:/m/, lip trill, drinking straw phonation (6 mm diameter), stirring straw phonation (2.5 mm diameter), and unoccluded/a/(control). Six participants sang a music theatre solo excerpt prior to and after using one of the SOVTEs, which were randomized with the control condition over five days. Acoustic analyses of the final note and singer self reports of vocal effort provided data for analysis. Results indicated some trends toward improvements in acoustic measures of the SOVTEs compared to the/a/condition, though no particular exercise emerged as most effective. Singers reported potential benefits for all the exercises, with stirring straw rated as having the lowest posttest effort and lip trill rated as having the most robust across-the-board effect. Other results were largely idiosyncratic. These results suggest there may be benefits for SOVTEs in music theatre singing, but it may take some sleuthing for voice teachers to help each student discover which exercise is most individually beneficial.

KEYWORDS:

• Singing
• ccm
• music theatre
• sovte
• straw phonation
• lip trill

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brian Manternach

Brian Manternach, DM, is an Assistant Professor (Clinical) in the University of Utah Department of Theatre and a Research Associate at the National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS). He has given presentations for the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the Pan American Vocology Association, the Voice Foundation, the Summer Vocology Institute, and VASTA. He is an Associate Editor for the Journal of Singing, a Columnist for Classical Singer, and contributed a chapter to the Voice Teacher’s Cookbook (Meredith Music). He is an active singer in both classical and music theatre genres.

Lynn Maxfield

Lynn Maxfield, PhD, is the Associate Director of the National Center for Voice and Speech at the University of Utah. He holds a PhD in voice pedagogy and an MA in voice performance from the University of Iowa. Prior to joining the NCVS, he taught voice and voice science/pedagogy at Eastern Connecticut State University, Knox College, Monmouth College, and Carl Sandburg College. He is also an Assistant Professor in the School of Music at the University of Utah and maintains a private voice studio.

Jeremy N. Manternach

Jeremy N. Manternach, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Vocal/Choral Music Education at the University of Iowa, where he teaches undergraduate and graduate choral pedagogy, music education, and research courses. Dr. Manternach is a frequent guest clinician and conductor at the state, conference, and local levels. His research on vocal/choral pedagogy and acoustics has appeared in such venues as the Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME), the Journal of Voice, and the International Journal for Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS). He currently serves on the editorial board of the JRME and IJRCS.