title: The Impact of a Teaching or Singing Career on the Female Vocal Quality at the Mean Age of 67 Years: A Pilot Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to measure the objective and subjective vocal quality in women aged between 60 and 75 years. Secondly, the impact of a teaching or singing career on the vocal quality was investigated by comparing the vocal quality of retired women with different careers.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three retired women between 60 and 75 years (mean age: 67 years, standard deviation: 4.49) participated in the study and were divided into three groups: women with a teaching career (n = 21), choir singers with a singing career (n = 12), and women with a non-vocal career (n = 40). All subjects underwent the same assessment protocol consisting of objective (aerodynamic, maximum performance, vocal range, acoustic measurements, and the Dysphonia Severity Index) and subjective (the Voice Handicap Index, auditory-perceptual evaluations by three listeners) voice measurements.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In all three groups, objective and perceptual voice analysis showed a mild dysphonia. No differences in the Dysphonia Severity Index were found between the three groups. The voices of choir singers with a singing career were perceived significantly less rough than voices of the women with a non-vocal career. Additionally, the lowest frequency of the frequency range was significantly lower in the retired teachers and choir singers than in the controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this study prudently suggest that a singing or a teaching career compared with a non-vocal career has a positive impact on the vocal frequency range, and that singing has a positive impact on the perceptual vocal quality of the older female voice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium. Electronic address: Evelien.Dhaeseleer@ugent.be.
authors.forename: Evelien
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: D'haeseleer
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sofie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Claeys
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bettens
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leemans
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ann-Sophie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Van Calster
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Van Damme
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Zoë
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Thijs
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Daelman
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leyns
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium; Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
authors.forename: Kristiane
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Lierde
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010865:Pilot Projects; D063346:Singing; D014833:Voice Quality
keywords: Aging; Careers; Singing; Teaching; Voice