Do Age-Related Changes to the Mature Female Voice have a Detrimental Effect on Respiratory Functionality?
Objective
Age-related changes to respiratory function can lead to problems in regulating sub-glottic pressure and inefficiency in initiating effective vibratory movement of the vocal folds. Hence in studying the longevity and functionality of the mature voice it is a crucial area of examination.
Method
This research involved 34 amateur choral singers, 10 professional singers and 10 self-proclaimed non-singers. A baseline comparison was drawn from all 3 groups and a longitudinal analysis was drawn from the main cohort who were tested annually over 4 years. They were asked to perform a ‘Mesa di Voce’ exercise over 20 beats. This required the singer to crescendo and decrescendo with skilled control of both breath flow and pressure.
The speed of this exercise was set with a metronome. The task was repeated several times, each repetition was at a slower speed. The task was concluded when the singer was no longer able to complete the task in one breath. The slowest speed at which the singer executed the task was noted.
The data were displayed in a column chart which reflected the individual results of each volunteer at all four data collection points. Secondly, a box and whisker chart was created to visualise the distribution of the results and the extent of any outliers. Finally, the data set was analysed using JASP statistics software (Version 0.16.3).
Results
The baseline comparison showed that all volunteers were able to perform the test without difficulty. The non-singers were not able to match the performance of either the amateur singers or the professional singers.
The professional singers produced better results than either the non-singers or the first data collection of the main cohort. However, comparison between the professionals and the fourth data collection of the amateurs showed very little difference.
The longitudinal data of the main cohort showed statistically significant results indicating that over time, respiratory function could be maintained or improved.
Conclusions
Despite age-related changes it is possible for a singer to maintain or improve their respiratory function.
Author
Dr. Rebecca Moseley-Morgan
PhD, MA (mus), BA (hons), ARCM(hons), FISM
Chair of Education British Voice Association
Specialist voice teacher for the mature voice
Author and researcher