Specialized training in English diction for singers became increasingly prevalent in the twentieth century. Along with this growth, a small but significant literature on the subject developed. There are divergent practices recommended for American singers, displayed by nine authors in ten books published between 1900 and 1971. A comparative study yields pedagogies of vowel and consonant production. Issues of sounds in context, including proper linkage and stress, adjustments from speech to song, and practices dictated by musical style, are paramount. The literature demonstrates an increased use of International Phonetic Alphabet symbols as a pedagogical tool. The areas of kinesiology and acoustical research are suggested for further study.

The purpose was to investigate attitudes of successful full-time performing classical singer-actors toward career concerns of the music profession. Five research problems were formulated to: (1) describe attitudes toward control of work conditions; (2) describe attitudes toward entrapment; (3) describe attitudes toward dependency; (4) report attitudes concerning current practices of training the solo singer; and (5) identify commonalities among the subjects regarding demographic, the attitudes described in problems one through four, and demeanor during the interviews.

Deon van der Walt was, at the height of his career, considered the leading lyric tenor of his generation. In a career that spanned more than 25 years he performed in the great opera houses of the world and sang for the leading conductors of the time, sharing the stage with the best singers in the world. He was the first male South African to accomplish the so-called “grand slam” of opera, having sung in the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden (London), Wiener Staatsoper (Vienna), La Scala (Milan) and the Metropolitan Opera House (New York). He was also a prolific oratorio and lieder singer, collaborating with the best artists the musical world had to offer. In addition he left a large recorded legacy, both published and unpublished. His untimely death on 29 November 2005 was extensively reported on both locally and abroad - a fact which again highlighted the importance of his personal and professional contribution to the international opera world.The Deon van der Walt Collection is the single most important key to unlocking the life and career of one of the most successful South African opera singers of all time. It was bequeathed to the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) Library the Deon van der Walt Trust in 2007. The collection is made up of an arbitrary assortment of books, documents, sound and video recordings that were left in van der Walt’s Zürich accommodations at the time of his death in 2005. It is housed in separate section on the lower level of the South Campus Library of the NMMU. The collection has been partially catalogued by the NMMU Library but left largely unattended for the last 6 years. The compiling of an annotated catalogue of this collection is the vital first step in connecting the dots of an extraordinary musical career that was hailed as one of the greatest of his time.

This dissertation is a study wrapped in a metaphor of voices, figurative and literal. It is a story of four singers over the course of 12 weeks and weaves through individuals in a group singing class. As a study, it used integral inquiry and emphasized action and narrative research. It explored one overarching research question, which naturally led to several sub-questions: In what ways might Mindfulness Awareness Practices (MAPS) and contemplative teaching and learning practices affect singers’ experiences of their own vocal and personal growth? (Sub-questions: What practices are reported as being successful?; How do participants experience growth?; How might singers and teachers shift to a mindset of process and progress throughout practicing and performing?; How do we create a space of mutuality and trust to foster self-reflection?; How do we balance instruction, offering feedback when needed and wanted while fostering self-trust and independence? While singing is a wholistic endeavor requiring an intricate balance of physical and mental processes, we rarely discuss how teaching singing could consciously incorporate the mental and emotional into a voice studio. Learning to sing in a way that incorporates intentional mindful and contemplative practices into a more traditional vocal pedagogy might foster growth for singers both personally and artistically. Over the course of 12 weeks, four singers and I met weekly for a two-hour class over Zoom that integrated contemplative learning and teaching practices into a singing class. We followed a format based in contemplative education and social and emotional literature for each class: (a) Centering and Check-In, (b) Third Thing, (c) Singing using contemplative and mindful language and concepts, (d) Optimistic Closure. Additionally, there were a total of three unstructured interviews (two individual, before and after the classes, and one final group interview at the conclusion of the classes), and participants engaged in practice journals and mindfulness practice outside of class time. Data was examined using a framework of non-hierarchical rhizomatic learning, based on the work of Deleuze and Guattari. Participants’ stories were ripe with explorations of themselves, life circumstances that contributed to their relationships with their voices and vocal technique and musing on society and professional pressures. Primary discoveries include participants’ self-attributed growth in self-awareness, including self-efficacy and an increased growth mentality. Incorporating deliberate vocal technique using non-judgmental noticing, kinder self-talk, open-ended feedback, and the use of third thing discussions similarly enhanced participants’ self-defined growth and emphasized the importance of self-reflection within a group setting. The discussion concludes with an exploration of additional factors affecting participants’ growth, such as gender and race, and potential considerations for implementing continued work with singers, contemplative education, and mindfulness.

Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is currently one of the most prevalent conditions associated with voice disorders being treated in voice care centers worldwide. Many singers experience voice related disturbances but are unaware that these disturbances may be the result of LPR. The purpose of this study was to quantify the perceptual symptoms and objective measures of LPR in a population of singers in order to understand the relationship between perceived symptoms, laryngeal findings, and evidence of acid exposure to the larynx. The Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Reflux Finding Score (RFS), and the Dx-pH monitoring system were used to quantify participant symptoms, endoscopic findings, and pH levels in the oropharynx. The population included 12 semi-professional and professional singers. Significant correlations were found between the RFS, RSI and pH mild and moderate pH levels. This indicates that singers are sensitive to even small deviations of pH and this should be taken into consideration when evaluating a singers who have suspected LPR. Due to the variety of etiologies that can produce the symptoms and physical findings mentioned in this study, it is imperative that more objective data be obtained to confirm the presence of reflux in the oropharynx. As such, endoscopic findings and symptoms alone are not a good indication of reflux exposure and more objective data, like an oropharyngeal pH measurement system, should be implemented to quantify reflux in the oropharynx. The RSI and the RFS are valid tools for qualifying perceptions and physical findings however they are not without flaws.

林萬儀. / 論文(哲學碩士) -- 香港中文大學硏究院音樂學部, 1996. / 參考文献 : leaves 116-127. / Lin Wanyi. / 目錄 --- p.i / 撮要 --- p.iii / Chapter 第1章 --- 導論 --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- 「粤曲女伶」的槪念 / Chapter 1.2 --- 粤曲女伶的硏究槪況 / Chapter 1.3 --- 硏究範圍 / Chapter 1.4 --- 考查工作及資料 / Chapter 1.5 --- 硏究目的 / Chapter 第2章 --- 粤曲女伶的出現及發展 --- p.10 / Chapter 2.1 --- 第一階段：出現及初期發展(1862-1923) / Chapter 2.2 --- 第二階段：二、三十年代的發展(1923-1937) / Chapter 2.3 --- 第三階段：戰時的發展(1937-1945) / Chapter 2.4 --- 第四階段：戰後十五年內的發展(1945-1959) / Chapter 2.5 --- 第五階段：六十年代的發展(1960-1969) / Chapter 2.6 --- 第六階段：七十及八十年代前半期的發展(1970-1985) / Chapter 2.7 --- 第七階段：近十年的發展(1986-1996) / Chapter 第3章 --- 香港當代粤曲女伶槪述 --- p.34 / Chapter 3.1 --- 人數與活躍程度 / Chapter 3.2 --- 年齡與年資 / Chapter 3.3 --- 演唱粤曲以外的有關事業 / Chapter 3.4 --- 組織及聯繫 / Chapter 第4章 --- 女伶的演出場合 --- p.52 / Chapter 4.1 --- 歌壇 / Chapter 4.2 --- 地檔 / Chapter 4.3 --- 會堂 / Chapter 4.4 --- 宴會 / Chapter 4.5 --- 歌台 / Chapter 第5章 --- 女伶的演出 --- p.66 / Chapter 5.1 --- 演出的準備及過程 / Chapter 5.2 --- 演出所用的曲本 / Chapter 5.3 --- 觀眾的參與及影響 / Chapter 5.4 --- 演唱與侍奉：女伶的雙重角色 / Chapter 第6章 --- 女伶的唱腔風格及流派 --- p.90 / Chapter 6.1 --- 唱腔及唱腔流派的含意 / Chapter 6.2 --- 粤劇、粤曲的唱腔流派 / Chapter 6.3 --- 當代女伶所屬唱腔流派 / Chapter 6.4 --- 「女伶腔」的繼承及槪念的演變 / Chapter 第7章 --- 結論 --- p.105 / Chapter 7.1 --- 總結 / Chapter 7.2 --- 粤曲女伶與中國優伶文化 / Chapter 7.3 --- 粤曲女伶與中國樂妓文化 / Chapter 7.4 --- 女伶現象與香港文化 / Chapter 7.5 --- 未來硏究的方向：音樂與性別 / 參考著作目錄 --- p.116

Mental imagery is a common theme in research that clarifies how musical thought relates to musical performance. Unfortunately, minimal information exists regarding mental imagery and singers. The purpose of this study was to probe the role, if any, mental imagery plays in the conceptualization of pitch and vowel. By interviewing singers at differing levels of expertise, basic information was obtained about the mental processes used by singers. Through evaluations of the singers' mental processes, it was concluded that 95% of the singers in the study employed mental imagery. All singers described using kinesthetic imagery, while the majority implemented sensory and auditory imagery. Viso-spatial imagery was implemented among the more experienced singers. The majority of singers also reported: imaging pitch and vowel interactively; imaging from an internal perspective; and utilizing mental rehearsal. Less than half of the singers described using methods other than mental imagery to conceptualize pitch and vowel.

The efficacy of aural modeling in music education at the primary and secondary levels is well documented, and anecdotal evidence among university studio voice teachers abounds. However, this topic has not previously been explored with undergraduate level singers using acoustic analysis of the singing voice. This investigation utilized a survey on listening behaviors to examine undergraduate voice students’ use of recorded aural models. In addition, an empirical study measured the effect of repeated exposure to recorded aural models on participants’ vocal production. Research was conducted at Southwestern University, a private liberal arts institution in Georgetown, Texas. Study participants were divided into two groups. The control group performed a newly-composed melody after a recorded aural model of the melody was played a single time. The experimental group completed 10-minute listening assignments once a day for a five-day period before performing the same melody. Data between the non-listening and listening groups was compared. Using a second newly composed melody, the control group then completed a five-day listening assignment and performed the second melody. Pre- and post-listening data from this group of subjects was compared. Listening assignments were adapted from a speech pathology remediation technique known as auditory bombardment. They involved listening to multiple repetitions of the recorded aural model without attempting to practice singing the melody. The study measured four acoustic parameters: musical accuracy (pitch and rhythm), vowel/consonant articulation, use of vibrato, and ratio of power between overtones above and below 2 kHz. The listening behavior survey revealed that most students use recorded aural models in their practice time. However, results indicated that students would benefit from professional quality aural models and specific information about appropriate time parameters for listening activities. Results of the empirical study revealed a statistically significant 20-30% improvement in vocal production in both the experimental listening group and the control group post-listening. These data demonstrate that focused periods of listening to an aural model are effective in improving vocal production, even within a short period of time. The results of this study support the inclusion of aural modeling in the applied voice studio. / text

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Abstract svenska Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur sångundervisning idag tar sig an interpretation, med inriktning på musikergymnasium. Idag känner många sångelever till begreppet och har varit i kontakt med det i sin undervisning, men då jag själv utbildades var så inte fallet. Denna studie undersöker därför om och hur utveckling skett på området. Interpretation är även ett bekant begrepp för den som ägnar sig åt exempelvis musikal, eller opera, men det är inte lika vanligt att man talar om begreppet inom jazzvärlden, således har jag valt att inrikta mig på att undersöka de afro- amerikanska genrerna, och med det avses för det mesta pop, soul, jazz, visa, blues. Studien använder sig av intervjuer, deltagande observationer, samtal och litteratur. Jag har närvarat vid två musikgymnasium, och informanterna i studien är sångerskor och sångpedagoger inom afro-genren. Analysen visar att inom litteraturen på området rör det sig främst om metodik för musikal och/eller opera, dock är dessa metoder även anammade inom de afro- amerikanska genrerna för det mesta. De måste dock modifieras och användas annorlunda då sångare inom afro- genren oftast icke har så givna scenarion att förhålla sig till som inom opera och musikal, vilket jag upptäckt under mina deltagande observationer vid två musikergymnasium. Detsamma framgår i de intervjuer jag genomfört.  Undervisningen i interpretation blir således ett verktyg för att utveckla sin förmåga till uttrycksfullhet.   Nyckelord: sångare, interpretation, jazz, utbildning, musikal, opera, sång. / Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate how teaching song deals with interpretation, especially in the afro- american genre and with focus on music-profiled high schools in Sweden. A lot of younger students of music and song today are familiar with the concept, but so that was not the case when I was a student, so I wanted to examine what methods are used, and how. The literature mostly revolves around interpretation in relation to opera and musicals, so I wanted to examine what methods are used in the afro- American genres, such as pop, soul, folk, jazz and so on. The difference being that in those genres you don’t have the same elaborate story or scene to relate to as you do in opera and musical. I went about the study in several ways, all informants involved are singers and/or song- teachers, and I have interviewed, and observed, and discussed and read literature in order to find out just how interpretation is integrated with the song- education of young singers of today.   The analysis shows that often the same methods are used as in dealing with opera and musical, but the expectations on how you use these methods vary, and it is often more used as a technique to develop your skills of how to be express full in your singing, than to how you should act on stage. What you lose in the afro- american genres is the given scenario that often opera and musical- students have to take into consideration.   Key- words: singers, interpretation, jazz, education, musical, opera, song