title: Immediate effects of the semi-occluded vocal tract exercise with LaxVox® tube in singers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to analyze the immediate effects of the semi-occluded vocal tract exercise (SOVTE) using the LaxVox® tube in singers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 23 singers, classical singing students, aged 18 to 47 years (mean age = 27.2 years). First, data was collected through the application of a demographic questionnaire and the recording of sustained emission - vowel /ε/, counting 1-10, and a music section from the participants' current repertoire. After that, the participants were instructed and performed the SOVTE using the LaxVox® tube for three minutes. Finally, the same vocal samples were collected immediately after SOVTE performance and the singers responded to a questionnaire on their perception regarding vocal changes after the exercise. The vocal samples were analyzed by referees (speech-language pathologists and singing teachers) and by means of acoustic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most of the singers reported improved voice post-exercise in both tasks - speech and singing. Regarding the perceptual assessment (sustained vowel, speech, and singing), the referees found no difference between pre- and post-exercise emissions. The acoustic analysis of the sustained vowel showed increased Fundamental Frequency (F0) and reduction of the Glottal to Noise Excitation (GNE) ratio post-exercise.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The semi-occluded vocal tract exercise with LaxVox® tube promotes immediate positive effects on the self-assessment and acoustic analysis of voice in professional singers without vocal complains. No immediate significant changes were observed with respect to auditory-perceptual evaluation of speech and singing.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná - UTP - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Congeta Bruniere Xavier
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Fadel
authors.affiliation: Universidade Estadual do Centro-Oeste - UNICENTRO - Irati (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Ana Paula
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Dassie-Leite
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná - UTP - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Rosane Sampaio
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná - UTP - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Celso Gonçalves Dos
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Universidade Tuiuti do Paraná - UTP - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Cláudio Antônio Sorondo
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.affiliation: Escola de Música e Belas Artes do Paraná, Universidade Estadual do Paraná - UNESPAR - Curitiba (PR), Brasil.
authors.forename: Denise Jussara
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Sartori
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009146:Music; D012647:Self-Assessment; D063346:Singing; D013061:Speech Acoustics; D014831:Voice / Q000502:physiology*; D014833:Voice Quality; D014834:Voice Training; D055815:Young Adult