title: Voice Quality After a Semi-Occluded Vocal Tract Exercise With a Ventilation Mask in Contemporary Commercial Singers: Acoustic Analysis and Self-Assessments.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The current study aimed at investigating the immediate effects of a semi-occluded vocal tract exercise with a ventilation mask in a group of contemporary commercial singers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A randomized controlled study was carried out.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty professional or semi-professional singers with no voice complaints were randomly divided into two groups on recruitment: an experimental group and a control group. The same warm-up exercise was performed by the experimental group with an occluded ventilation mask placed over the nose and the mouth and by the control group without the ventilation mask. Voice was recorded before and after the exercise. Acoustic and self-assessment analysis were accomplished. The acoustic parameters of the voice samples recorded before and after training were compared, as well as the parameters' variations between the experimental and the control group. Self-assessment results of the experimental and the control group were compared too.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant changes after the warm-up exercise included jitter, shimmer, and singing power ratio (SPR) in the experimental group. No significant changes were recorded in the control group. Significant differences between the experimental and the control group were found for ΔShimmer and ΔSPR. Self-assessment analysis confirmed a significantly higher phonatory comfort and voice quality perception for the experimental group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study support the immediate advantageous effects on singing voice of a semi-occluded vocal tract exercise with a ventilation mask in terms of acoustic quality, phonatory comfort, and voice quality perception in contemporary commercial singers. Long-term effects still remain to be studied.
authors.affiliation: Otorhinolaryngology Service, San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy. Electronic address: marcofantini8811@hotmail.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fantini
authors.affiliation: Otorhinolaryngology Service, San Luigi Gonzaga Hospital, University of Turin, Orbassano, Italy.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Succo
authors.affiliation: Otorhinolaryngology Service, FPO IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crosetti
authors.affiliation: Centro de Foniatria y Logopedia, Santander, Spain.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Borragán Torre
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Demo
authors.affiliation: Audiology and Phoniatrics Unit, Azienda USL, Ravenna, Italy.
authors.forename: Franco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fussi
mesh_terms: D000162:Acoustics; D000328:Adult; D001307:Auditory Perception; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008397:Masks; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D010699:Phonation; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D063346:Singing; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014833:Voice Quality; D014834:Voice Training; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Contemporary commercial singers; SOVTE; Ventilation mask; Vocal warm-up; Voice