Summary
Objective
To document and quantify vocal dose and student-singers' self-assessment during rehearsals
for a contemporary musical theater production.
Methods/Design
Six student singers fastened the sensor from the KayPentax APM 3200 dosimeter to the
lower neck to capture neck vibration data during their preparation for the musical
Wonderland by Frank Wildhorn. Data were collected during 8-hour periods, at four different stages
throughout the rehearsal process: beginning (music and choreography learning phase),
middle (staging phase), and end (running the entire show/dress rehearsal phase), plus
a post-production day once the production had concluded to establish a baseline vocal
load. Students concurrently completed the EASE questionnaire
1
after each data collection day.Results
The EASE score (Appendix 1) and demographics/perceptual questionnaire (Appendix 2) revealed that all subjects (three males and three females) found the singing role
vocally and physically demanding but only two found the roles to be emotionally challenging.
The musical score demanded a higher usage of chest register (judged perceptually)
than mixed register from lead singers. All subjects’ maximum fundamental frequency
range exceeded the pitch range required by the score. The mean daily vibration dose
(distance dose, as computed with Kay Pentax Software) of the three individual female
singers' during rehearsals, 5,203 meters, was higher than the mean daily dose of the
three male singers, 3,766 meters. The subjects' self-ratings on the EASE were not
correlated with the distance dose.
Conclusions
A review of Wonderland's score and perceptual judgment of the singers’ performances revealed extensive use
of chest register, with belting and mix vocal strategies being the predominant stylistic
choices. Students described the singing roles’ vocal and physical requirements as
more challenging than the character's emotional components. This pilot study provides
information on the vocal dose for lead and ensemble singers in rehearsal for a Contemporary
Musical Theatre production. Singers and voice professionals may find dosimetry a valuable
tool for monitoring the vocal dose during rehearsals and performances.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 04, 2021
Accepted:
August 18,
2021
Publication stage
In Press Corrected ProofFootnotes
#This study was accepted to be presented at the PAMA conference and ATINER in Greece.
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
