Th. doct.-ing.--Électron.--Grenoble--I.N.P., 1983. N°: D.I. 326.

Th. doct.-ing--Grenoble, I.N.P., 1980. N°: DI 139.

Th. doct.-ing.--Électronique--Grenoble--I.N.P.G., 1981. N°: DI 246.

abstract: Zwischen in the German language means `between,' and over the past century, as operatic voices have evolved in both range and size, the voice classification of Zwischenfach has become much more relevant - particularly to the female voice. Identifying whether nineteenth century composers recognized the growing opportunities for vocal drama, size, and range in singers and therefore wrote roles for `between' singers; or conversely whether, singers began to challenge and develop their voices to sing the new influx of romantic, verismo and grand repertoire is difficult to determine. Whichever the case, teachers and students should not be surprised about the existence of this nebulous Fach. A clear and concise definition of the word Fach for the purpose of this paper is as follows: a specific voice classification. Zwischenfach is an important topic because young singers are often confused and over-eager to self-label due to the discipline's excessive labeling of Fachs. Rushing to categorize a young voice ultimately leads to misperceptions. To address some of the confusion, this paper briefly explores surveys of the pedagogy and history of the Fach system. To gain insights into the relevance of Zwischenfach in today's marketplace, I developed with my advisors, colleagues and students a set of subjects willing to fill out questionnaires. This paper incorporates current interviews from two casting directors of national and international opera houses, an emerging American mezzo-soprano, a mid-career working European mezzo-soprano, an operatic stage director, an education director for opera houses and a composer. These interviews, along with modern examples of zwischenfach voices are analyzed and discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2012

To understand how speech is produced by individual human beings, it is fundamentally important to be able to determine exactly the three-dimensional shape of the vocal tract. The vocal tract is inaccessible so its exact form is difficult to determine with live subjects. There is a wide variety of methods that provide information on the vocal tract shape. The technique of Electropalatography (EPG) is cheap, relatively simple, non-invasive and highly informative. Using EPG on its own, it is possible to deduce information about the shape, movement and position of tongue-palate contact during continuous speech. However, data provided by EPG is in the form of a two-dimensional representation in which all absolute positional information is lost. This thesis describe the development of an enhanced Electropalatography (eEPG) system, which retains most of the advantages of EPG while overcoming some of the disadvantages by representing the three-dimensional (3D) shape of the palate. The eEPG system uses digitised palate shape data to display the tongue-palate contact pattern in 3D. The 3D palate shape is displayed on a Silicon Graphics workstation as a surface made up of polygons represented by a quadrilateral mesh. EPG contact patterns are superimposed onto the 3D palate shape by displaying the relevant polygons in a different colour. By using this system, differences in shape between individual palates, apparent on visual inspection of the actual palates, are also apparent in the image on screen. The contact patterns can be related more easily to articulatory features such as the alveolar ridge since the ridge is visible on the 3D display. Further, methods have been devised for computing absolute distances along paths lying on the palate surface. Combining this with calibrated palate shape data allows measurements accurate to 1 mm to be made between contact locations on the palate shape. These have been validated with manual measurements. The sampling rate for EPG is 100Hz and the data rate is equivalent to 62 bits per 10ms. In the past few years, some coding (parameterization) methods have been introduced to try to reduce the amount of data while retaining the important aspects. Feature coding methods are proposed here and several parameters are investigated, expressed in terms of both conventional measures such as row number, and in absolute measures of distance and area (i.e. mm and mm2). Features studied include location of constriction and degree of constriction. Finally, in order to reduce the amount of data while retaining the spatial information, composite frames that represent a series of EPG frames are computed. Measures of goodness of the composite frames that do and do not use 3D data are described. Some example are given in which fricative data has been processed by generating a composite frame for the entire fricative, and computing an area estimate for each row of the composite frame using the assumption of a flat tongue. This thesis demonstrates the current capability and inherent flexibility of the enhanced electropalatography system. In the future, the eEPG system can be extended to compute volume estimates again using a flat tongue model. By incorporating information on the tongue surface provided by other imaging methods such as ultrasound, more accurate area and volume estimates can be obtained.

Verbal operant training is a typical intervention for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Response Interruption and Redirection (RIRD) is a highly effective intervention for problem behavior and various forms of stereotypy. In this study verbal operant training was combined with RIRD to see if there was a bigger impact in decreasing vocal stereotypy. The participant was a 9-year old male, and the intervention was done across settings. The results showed that combined with intraverbal training and RIRD, vocal stereotypy decreased significantly in all settings. The results also indicate this is a highly effective treatment for vocal stereotypy when the function is non-social automatic reinforcement (i.e. self-stimulation). Key words: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Intraverbal, Response Interruption and Redirection, RIRD, Verbal Operants, Vocal Stereotypy

No description available.

Purpose The purpose of this document is threefold: (a) review the uses of the terms “vocal fatigue,” “vocal effort,” “vocal load,” and “vocal loading” (as found in the literature) in order to track the occurrence and the related evolution of research; (b) present a “linguistically modeled” definition of the same from the review of literature on the terms; and (c) propose conceptualized definitions of the concepts. Method A comprehensive literature search was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scientific Electronic Library Online. Four terms (“vocal fatigue,” “vocal effort,” “vocal load,” and “vocal loading”), as well as possible variants, were included in the search, and their usages were compiled into conceptual definitions. Finally, a focus group of eight experts in the field (current authors) worked together to make conceptual connections and proposed consensus definitions. Results The occurrence and frequency of “vocal load,” “vocal loading,” “vocal effort,” and “vocal fatigue” in the literature are presented, and summary definitions are developed. The results indicate that these terms appear to be often interchanged with blurred distinctions. Therefore, the focus group proposes the use of two new terms, “vocal demand” and “vocal demand response,” in place of the terms “vocal load” and “vocal loading.” We also propose standardized definitions for all four concepts. Conclusion Through a comprehensive literature search, the terms “vocal fatigue,” “vocal effort,” “vocal load,” and “vocal loading” were explored, new terms were proposed, and standardized definitions were presented. Future work should refine these proposed definitions as research continues to address vocal health concerns.

No description available.

The aim of this study was to investigate the content, organisation and outcomes of undergraduate vocal pedagogy modules. Goals and objectives guide outcomes which in turn will facilitate the delineation of the content or scope of the moduls. The organisation of content will involve the sequencing of study units appropriate for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels of undergraduate vocal pedagogy studies. A qualitative research method was chosen to direct the empirical investigation. Primary data collection was conducted through semi-structured interviews. Certain participants opted to reply in writing and similarly structured open-ended questionnaires were sent electronically to them. Purposive sampling was used to select South African respondents by virtue of their knowledge and expertise in the field of vocal pedagogy. A degree of snowballing also followed and valuable data was collected from participants in Canada and the USA. The investigation regarding the restructuring of vocal pedagogy modules was viewed from a multi-disciplinary and holistic perspective. Establishing the underlying principles that direct the goals, objectives, scope and sequencing of undergraduate vocal pedagogy modules guided the study. Goals direct the bringing together of relevant and mutually supportive disciplines essential to undergraduate vocal pedagogy modules. The demands of prospective careers for students dictate what knowledge and skills they need to be equipped with. Moreover, the judgement of lecturers based on institutional level descriptors as well as knowledge and experience of appropriate content designation for beginner, intermediate and advanced students further guides the formulation of goals and objectives. The rich and diverse body of vocal pedagogy literature provides the material that informs the scope of undergraduate modules. Sequencing of content for a vocal pedagogy offering is directed by the scientific base of knowledge, feedback from students, the tried and trusted traditions of established lecturers and authors, as well as the intuitive teaching talent of lecturers. Scaffolding (the gradually diminishing role of a lecturer as students gain independence) emerged as an important component of creating a balanced undergraduate pedagogy offering. Lecturers should have a reflective and deep knowledge of vocal pedagogy in order to successfully integrate it with vocal practice. This is the hallmark of a holistic approach that will effectively equip students for a career after tertiary training. From the information received from participants it can be concluded that a vital requirement for organising content is that learning and therefore also teaching should be a gradual and ongoing process. The basic building blocks of vocal pedagogy (posture, breathing, phonation, resonance and articulation) should be supplemented by auxiliary disciplines (historical background of vocal pedagogy, psychology and ethics, comparative pedagogies, and elements of performance) that support and further inform vocal pedagogy studies. / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Music / unrestricted