title: Group speech-language pathology intervention in popular singers: prospective controlled study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the benefits of a group vocal improvement program to popular singers without voice disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a quasi-experimental intervention study, carried out with 37 popular singers of both genders, with ages between 18 and 40 years and adapted vocal quality. Participants were divided into two groups: Intervention (IG) and Control (CG). The IG included 21 subjects who participated in seven weekly lectures regarding anatomy and physiology of the vocal tract, vocal hygiene care, and vocal exercises for voice improvement. The CG included 16 participants, who maintained their normal activities during this period, and did not receive any orientations regarding vocal improvement. In pre- and post-intervention, all participants answered a questionnaire about habits and demands related to the voice, and were evaluated regarding resonance, speech articulation, voice projection, pitch, loudness, maximum phonation time, and s/z ratio.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The vocal training was positive in the perception of the singers, who reported improvement in their voices. The assessment of maximum phonation time and s/z ratio did not present differences between groups (p=0.57). No modifications of behaviors potentially harmful to the vocal health were observed within 60 days after the intervention (p=0.24). There was also no considerable decrease of voice complaints (p=0.1), although the decrease percentage of complaints in the IG (22.2%) was higher than that of the CG (11.1%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Group vocal training intervention in popular singers is positive regarding the perception of the individual about his/her voice production, even though they presented adapted voice from the beginning of the process.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. bgoulart@ufrgs.br
authors.forename: Bárbara Niegia Garcia de
authors.initials: BN
authors.lastname: Goulart
authors.forename: Jaqueline Garcia da
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Brasilia Maria
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Chiari
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009146:Music; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D010699:Phonation / Q000502:physiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013067:Speech Perception / Q000502:physiology; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D014833:Voice Quality / Q000502:physiology*; D014834:Voice Training; D055815:Young Adult