It Sounds like It Feels: Preliminary Exploration of an Aeroacoustic Diagnostic Protocol for Singers

Abstract

To date, no established protocol exists for measuring functional voice changes in singers with subclinical singing-voice complaints. Hence, these may go undiagnosed until they progress into greater severity. This exploratory study sought to (1) determine which scale items in the self-perceptual Evaluation of Ability to Sing Easily (EASE) are associated with instrumental voice measures, and (2) construct as proof-of-concept an instrumental index related to singers’ perceptions of their vocal function and health status. Eighteen classical singers were acoustically recorded in a controlled environment singing an /a/ vowel using soft phonation. Aerodynamic data were collected during a softly sung /papapapapapapa/ task with the KayPENTAX Phonatory Aerodynamic System. Using multi and univariate linear regression techniques, CPPS, vibrato jitter, vibrato shimmer, and an efficiency ratio (SPL/PSub) were included in a significant model (p < 0.001) explaining 62.4% of variance in participants’ composite scores of three scale items related to vocal fatigue. The instrumental index showed a significant association (p = 0.001) with the EASE vocal fatigue subscale overall. Findings illustrate that an aeroacoustic instrumental index may be useful for monitoring functional changes in the singing voice as part of a multidimensional diagnostic approach to preventative and rehabilitative voice healthcare for professional singing-voice users.

Population characteristics and self-assessment of speaking and singing voice in Polish contemporary commercial music singers—an exploratory, cross-sectional study

“…Being exposed to a wide range of risk factors places singers at an increased risk of laryngeal pathologies and symptoms associated with vocal effort and vocal fatigue ( 22 ). Deterioration in voice production may significantly impact the quality of life when a singer’s voice is affected by organic or functional disorders ( 23 ).…”

“…Deterioration in voice production can be debilitating, physically and psychologically ( 21 ), and can significantly impact the quality of life when a singer’s voice is affected by organic or functional disorders ( 23 ). Despite a great number of risk factors related to singing and CCM singers’ tendency toward voice problems, these voice professionals rarely seek medical help for a voice disorder until it progresses into a severe pathology ( 48 ).…”