Menopause is a certainty in a female singer’s life; depletion of estrogens may lead to physical, mental, and vocal symptoms. To investigate the extent to which these symptoms affect singers, a systematic literature review was carried out using eight interdisciplinary bibliographic databases. Combinations of the following key words were used: menopause, climacterium, singing, singers, and choir. From 18 studies, including three doctoral dissertations and a master’s thesis, only 10 met the inclusion criteria. The heterogeneity of study designs and methods of data collection and analysis precluded the carrying out of a meta-analysis. Instead, descriptors of symptoms affecting the voice, and vocal characteristics associated with menopause ( menopause descriptors) were categorized, and their frequency of occurrence determined, according to six types of primary dataset: (1) self-reported symptoms, (2) acoustic characteristics, (3) observations of the larynx, (4) perceptual evaluations, (5) analysis of electrolaryngographic waveform characteristics, and (6) analysis of hormone concentrations. The descriptors that occurred most frequently in the literature concerned aspects of voice production, whereas those concerning vocal health, and vocal practice and performance, were less common. Of the three subsystems that comprise the vocal instrument, the vibrating vocal folds seem to be more affected than breathing and resonance. Changes in vocal range, timbre, endurance, and vocal fold mobility occur during menopause, affecting singers’ voice quality. Some singers reported that their ability to perform was compromised, mainly due to memory lapses and lack of confidence. Maintaining regular singing and practicing semi-occluded vocal tract exercises throughout the menopausal transition seem to help singers to overcome the negative impacts of menopause on vocal performance.

Singing pedagogy has increasingly adopted guide awareness through the use of meaningful real-time visual feedback. Technology typically used to study the voice can also be applied in a singing lesson, aiming at facilitating students’ awareness of the three subsystems involved in voice production—breathing, oscillatory and resonatory—and their underlying physiological, aerodynamical and acoustical mechanisms. Given the variety of real-time visual feedback tools, this article provides a comprehensive overview of such tools and their current and future pedagogical applications in the voice studio. The rationale for using real-time visual feedback is discussed, including both the theoretical and practical applications of visualizing physiological, aerodynamical and acoustical aspects of voice production. The monitorization of breathing patterns is presented, displaying lung volume as the sum of abdominal and ribcage movements signals. In addition, estimates of subglottal pressure are visually displayed using a subglottal pressure meter to assist with the shaping of musical phrases in singing. As to what concerns vibratory patterns of the vocal folds and phonatory airflow, the use of electroglottography and inverse filters is applied to monitor the phonation types, voice breaks, pitch and intensity range of singers of different music genres. These vocal features, together with intentional voice distortions and intonation adjustments, are also displayed using spectrographs. As the voice is invisible to the eye, the use of real-time visual feedback is proposed as a key pedagogical approach in current and future singing lessons. The use of such an approach corroborates the current trend of developing evidence-based practices in voice education.

This investigation aimed at developing and validating a scale measuring perceived self-efficacy in singing with respect to voice function, the Singing Voice Function Self-Efficacy Scale ( Singing-VoSES). Voice experts validated an 18-item scale, subsequently administered online, targeting specifically professional and semi-professional female singers. These inclusion criteria were met by a total of 439 participants. Results of both exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis suggest that Singing-VoSES is a valid scale, with items grouped into three self-efficacy dimensions: Higher Range and Transitions, Middle Range and Lower Range. Middle Range and Lower Range dimensions were both significantly higher than Higher Range and Transitions. Singing high notes and notes within transitional vocal ranges require a refined neuromotor control of the voice, and thus may be particularly challenging. Comparisons between pre and postmenopausal singers were made, as menopause has been associated with changes in voice function. Significantly lower self-efficacies for Higher Range and Transitions and Middle Range were found in post as compared to premenopausal singers. This result, together with the possible lack of coping strategies, may contribute to negative impacts on singers’ performances and, ultimately, lead to premature retirement from public performances. Thus, monitoring self-efficacy with respect to voice function seems relevant, particularly when assisting singers experiencing menopause-related voice difficulties.

Distorções vocais intencionais são efeitos sonoros que se assemelham a sons ásperos, roucos ou mesmo rosnados e são utilizadas por cantores de diversos gêneros musicais como formas de expressividade ou por questões estéticas. Cantores diferentes produzem e sentem os sons de formas diferentes e, consequentemente, nomeiam esses ajustes da maneira que acreditam ser as mais adequadas. Esta pesquisa verificou como cantores, professores de canto e pesquisadores nomeiam os ajustes de distorção vocal intencional. Foi aplicado questionário online em cantores sobre os termos adotados para denominar os diferentes tipos de distorções vocais. Como resultado, 121 cantores responderam a enquete e mencionaram 78 nomes para os sons distorcidos que produzem. A falta de consenso sobre como esses ajustes vocais são chamados dificulta a comunicação entre músicos e demais profissionais da voz. Os termos mais vezes mencionados foram: drive, growl, gutural, creaky, voz rasgada e scream.

No abstract