Science & Pedagogy Articles

Singing straws have gained a lot of attention in the past few years and it makes a lot of sense, they promise to instantly improve your singing by making it easier. But does the research actually back up this claim? Let's find out.

I found myself curious how well AI would be able to cover the main ideas behind teaching a student to sing, so I asked it. For this article I am using the most well-known generative AI platform ChatGPT by OpenAi. To prompt the system, I set my expectations with the system using a few questions and answers before asking the AI to write an article on “How to teach singing”. This article contains ChatGPTs responses and my analysis,

For centuries, classical singing technique has been the cornerstone of vocal pedagogy. Its emphasis on breath control, support, resonance, and diction has produced countless celebrated voices and has been regarded as the gold standard for teaching vocalists across genres. However, an unwavering allegiance to classical techniques by some singing teachers may inadvertently introduce biases and limitations that can hinder the development of singers who aspire to excel in non-classical genres. This article delves into the bias towards classical technique and the potential dangers of this singular focus.

Ear training, also called aural skills, are often overlooked in the pursuit of vocal excellence, and is a cornerstone of a well-rounded singer's education. To sing with precision and emotion, one must have an acute awareness of pitch, harmony, and rhythm. Ear training hones these auditory skills, enabling vocalists to accurately reproduce the music they hear, improvise with confidence, and harmonize effortlessly with other musicians.

Singing warm-ups are an integral aspect of a singer's routine, pivotal for maintaining vocal health and warding off injury. These exercises are not merely about "heating up" the muscles but also about refining and aligning the singer with optimal vocal technique.It's important to demystify a common misconception about vocal warm-ups. The term itself can be misleading. The principal muscles involved in phonation, such as the thyroarytenoid, cricothyroid, lateral and inner arytenoid muscles, are always active, as they play a role in protecting the lungs by facilitating the opening and closing of the vocal folds with each breath we take.

The realm of vocalists and voice teachers is a tapestry woven with a multitude of teaching philosophies and methodologies, a fact that is as enriching as it is complex. This richness has, however, given rise to a considerable challenge: a lack of standardized terminology across disciplines, including singing teachers, speech-language pathologists, vocologists, and voice researchers. The history of singing is ancient, with the earliest formal singing techniques documented in the 13th century. It was not until the 19th century that the invention of the laryngoscope provided a window into the physiological workings of the voice, offering a scientific lens to view what had been, until then, primarily an art form passed through oral tradition.

The human voice is a remarkable instrument that requires meticulous care to stay in tune and ready for performance. Vocal health is essential not only for singers and actors but for anyone who relies on their voice for work or daily interaction. This guide will journey through the essentials of vocal care, touching on lifestyle, diet, hydration, common vocal pathologies, and the influence of medications on vocal performance.

Throughout one's life, music is a constant companion, evolving with the individual. Music has the unique ability to adapt to each person’s narrative, providing challenge and comfort when needed. The skills and joys gleaned from the experience of learning and playing an instrument are enduring, making it one of the most rewarding pursuits across the lifespan. Whether you are a child discovering the magic of your first notes, a teenager expressing your individuality, or an adult seeking a new challenge or a way to unwind, music offers a wealth of benefits that resonate through all the seasons of life.

The Voice Range Profile has been a popular, but infrequently used, diagnostic tool to measure voice function for many decades. By mapping a singers minimum and maximum sound pressure level systematically across their entire vocal range. Singers, teachers, doctors, and scientists can better identify changes in an individuals voice. The duo notes that despite the valuable information available from a voice range profile they not widely used due to a lack of standardized process, normative data, and lack of clear documentation. It is worth noting that the required duration of a full voice range profile is another limiting factor. Time is the main focus of this study looking at the efficacy of a shortened protocol.

Normative Voice Range Profile of the Young Female Voice by Andersen, Egsgaard, Ringside, Grøntved, and Printz from the July 2023 edition of the Journal of Voice. The team set out to build normative data for healthy 18 to 28-year-old female singers due to the increased stress this group’s vocal folds may experience due to a higher fundamental frequency resulting in more vocal fold collisions per second, the probability of a posterior triangular chink preventing full closure, potentially causing further compression of the vocal folds to compensate, and less hyaluronic acid in their lamina propria than male counterparts, providing less shock-absorption. Normative data exists for female singers in a more extensive age range; however, fundamental frequency usually descends as female singers mature.