Vocal Fold Pathologies Among Undergraduate Singing Students In Three Different Genres

Abstract

ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare the prevalence and incidence of vocal fold pathologies among undergraduate classical, musical theatre, and contemporary commercial music (CCM) students over two‐time points.MethodsThis study is part of a longitudinal investigation. Videostroboscopic examinations were rated, with consensus among three of four expert blinded raters confirming the presence of pathology. Association between genre of singer and the presence of pathology, interrater reliability, and intra‐rater reliability were calculated. Prevalence and incidence of pathologies were compared across genres.ResultsDuring first‐year evaluations, 32% of musical theatre, 18% of CCM, and 0% of classical students had vocal pathologies. The prevalence at third‐year evaluations showed 22% of classical, 39% of musical theatre, and 27% of CCM participants having vocal fold pathologies. The incidence of pathologies was 67% of musical theatre students compared to 22% of classical students and 27% of CCM students. The four raters demonstrated fair to moderate interrater agreement. Singing Voice Handicap Index‐10 scores were normal for CCM singers at both time points but elevated for musical theatre and classical singers.ConclusionNo classical singers were found to have pathology during first‐year evaluations, although CCM and musical theatre singers showed evidence of vocal fold pathologies. At third‐year evaluations, all three genres had an apparent increase in prevalence of pathologies. Implications of this study suggest that more time in the field and intense voice usage may lead to a greater risk of pathology for all singers, regardless of genre.Level of Evidence2 Laryngoscope, 133:2317–2324, 2023

Voice Disorder Prevalence and Vocal Health Characteristics in Adolescents

“…55 Similarly, adolescents with chronic problems were twice as likely to sing rock music as those with acute problems, suggesting that genre of singing may be associated with vocal behaviors and risk for laryngeal pathology. [56][57][58] Future research may determine what vocal biomechanics underlie this finding and whether these relationships are causal.…”

“…Those involved in musical theater were more than twice as likely to report a voice problem, likely reflecting the high physical demands of concurrent acting, singing, and dance . Similarly, adolescents with chronic problems were twice as likely to sing rock music as those with acute problems, suggesting that genre of singing may be associated with vocal behaviors and risk for laryngeal pathology . Future research may determine what vocal biomechanics underlie this finding and whether these relationships are causal.…”