Zuim Ana Flavia, Lloyd Adam T, Gerhard Julia, Rosow David, Lundy Donna
New York University, Steinhardt School, Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions, New York City, New York.
University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology, Miami, Florida.
J Voice. 2021 May;35(3):500.e17-500.e24. doi: 10.1016/j.jvoice.2019.10.003. Epub 2019 Oct 31.
The educational backgrounds of professional singers vary greatly and span from no formal training to advanced degrees in music or theater. Consequently, professional singers have a wide range of knowledge regarding basic voice care. The objective of this study was to examine associations between singers' educational backgrounds, specifically their knowledge of vocal pedagogy and awareness of vocal health, and their perceptions of their current vocal function associated with singing.
Cross sectional survey.
An online survey was distributed nationwide to over 1,000 self-identifying as a professional singer working full time as a performer. The survey included 54 questions about their background education, performance history, years of professional experience, affiliation to a professional union, general health and wellness, and the Evaluation of the Ability to Sing Easily (EASE), a 20-item scale to assess singers' perceptions of the current status of their vocal function.
A total of 396 amateur and professional singers completed the survey yielding a 40% response rate. Of 396 surveys received, 154 were excluded because the respondent was not a professional singer and/or the survey was incomplete and four were excluded because the respondent was <19 years old (396-158 = 238). Of 238, 199 completed the EASE (included in this analysis sample). The respondents identified their primary singing genre(s) as follows: 29% classical, 22% musical theatre, 45% both classical and musical theatre, and 5% other contemporary styles. Overall mean (SD, range) Rasch converted EASE score was 19.9 units (9.0, 0-50). Mean EASE score was 19.6 for primary classical, 22.7 for primary musical theatre, 18.4 for both classical and musical theatre, and 23.3 for other contemporary styles (P = 0.03). Participants who were older, had more years of singing training, had a college degree or higher in music, studied classical singing in an academic or private setting, and those who received education in vocal health had significantly lower (better) EASE scores (P-values <0.05).
Professional singers' perception of their current vocal function differed according to their singing genre, age, extent and type of vocal training and vocal health education. Singing teachers, speech-language pathologists, and physicians could use these results to tailor voice education messages to professional singers. This knowledge could help voice care professionals to educate and treat this elite group of voice users to avoid long-term sequelae from suboptimal voice care.
职业歌手的教育背景差异很大，涵盖从没有接受过正规训练到拥有音乐或戏剧高级学位。因此，职业歌手在基本嗓音护理方面有着广泛的知识。本研究的目的是探讨歌手的教育背景，特别是他们的声乐教学知识和嗓音健康意识，与他们对当前与歌唱相关的嗓音功能的认知之间的关联。
横断面调查。
在全国范围内向1000多名自称全职从事表演工作的职业歌手发放了一份在线调查问卷。该调查包括54个问题，涉及他们的背景教育、表演经历、专业经验年限、所属专业工会、总体健康状况以及轻松歌唱能力评估（EASE），这是一个包含20个条目的量表，用于评估歌手对其嗓音功能当前状态的认知。
共有396名业余和职业歌手完成了调查，回复率为40%。在收到的396份调查问卷中，154份被排除，因为受访者不是职业歌手和/或调查问卷不完整，4份被排除，因为受访者年龄小于19岁（396 - 158 = 238）。在238名受访者中，199人完成了EASE（纳入本分析样本）。受访者将他们的主要歌唱类型确定如下：29%为古典音乐，22%为音乐戏剧，45%为古典音乐和音乐戏剧两者，5%为其他当代风格。总体平均（标准差，范围）Rasch转换后的EASE分数为19.9分（9.0，0 - 50）。主要演唱古典音乐的受访者的平均EASE分数为19.6分，主要演唱音乐戏剧的为22.7分，两者皆唱的为18.4分，其他当代风格的为23.3分（P = 0.03）。年龄较大、有更多年歌唱训练、拥有音乐专业本科或更高学位、在学术或私人环境中学习古典歌唱以及接受过嗓音健康教育的参与者的EASE分数显著更低（更好）（P值<0.05）。
职业歌手对其当前嗓音功能的认知因歌唱类型、年龄、嗓音训练的程度和类型以及嗓音健康教育的不同而有所差异。歌唱教师、言语病理学家和医生可以利用这些结果为职业歌手量身定制嗓音教育信息。这些知识可以帮助嗓音护理专业人员对这一精英嗓音使用者群体进行教育和治疗，以避免因嗓音护理不佳而产生的长期后遗症。
