ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Goals of voice therapy and vocal pedagogy share similar principles and therefore, therapy approaches designed to improve the disordered voice may be equally effective when used to enhance healthy voice and vice versa. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of flow phonation voice exercises on vocal characteristics of students in undergraduate vocal music training programs and examine their potential use in vocal pedagogy. METHODS: A total of 10 cis females were recruited and were randomized into two groups: an experimental group (group 1, n = 6) receiving five sessions of flow phonation intervention across 5 weeks; and a control group (group 2, n = 4) that did not receive any direct intervention other than vocal hygiene education. Participants provided data pertaining to auditory perception, subjective respiratory measures, voice-related quality of life, and vocal fatigue before and after 5 weeks. Flow phonation exercises consisted of cup bubble blowing, gargling, and stretch and flow. Wilcoxon signed ranks test was administered to compare outcomes across time points and between groups. RESULTS: Data indicate statistically significant changes in auditory perception of the singing voice, and voice-related quality of life for the group that received flow phonation exercises alone. No other measures showed statistical significance. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Overall, this study indicates that the use of flow phonation voice exercises has the potential to improve voice instruction within the voice studio. While our target enrollments were not met to achieve optimal statistical power, our hypotheses were at least partially supported. In particular, positive intervention-related changes were observed in self-perceived voice handicap, and auditory perception of singing which were not observed in the control group.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Voice disorders that result in reduced loudness may cause difficulty in communicating, socializing and participating in occupational activities. Amplification is often recommended in order to facilitate functional communication, reduce vocal load and avoid developing maladaptive compensatory behaviours. The most common microphone used with amplification systems is the electret microphone. One alternate form of microphone is the fiber optic microphone. AIMS: To examine the benefits of the fiber optic (1190S) versus the electret (M04) microphone as measured by objective and subjective parameters in the amplification of a patient's voice with reduced loudness caused by neurological and/or respiratory-based problems. METHODS & PROCEDURES: Eighteen patients with vocal fold paralysis, Parkinson's disease and/or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) participated in the study. The study contained a measurement of intensity, amplitude perturbation and signal-to-noise ratio during a sustained vowel production and a measurement of intensity during conversation with the use of the two microphones simultaneously. It also included the completion of a questionnaire indicating the patient's satisfaction with each microphone. OUTCOMES & RESULTS: The fiber optic (1190S) microphone had better objective acoustic performance (i.e. lower amplitude perturbation, higher signal-to-noise ratio and higher intensity) than the electret (M04) microphone. It also had better patient subjective satisfaction (i.e. less conspicuousness, more voice clarity, less acoustic feedback, more loudness and more utilization) than the electret microphone. CONCLUSIONS & IMPLICATIONS: Patients with neurological and/or respiratory-based voice problems may more confidently and frequently use the fiber optic microphone to communicate, socialize and participate in occupational activities more easily. Speech-language pathologists may more confidently use or recommend the fiber optic microphone with amplification systems.
