Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2020, Music

The Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) degree has been the terminal degree in music performance, composition, and conducting in North America since the early 1950s. Originally met with criticism, some of which continues to this day, the DMA continues to serve as the gateway for applied music-makers that wish to join the academy. This document investigates and echoes these criticisms surrounding the necessity and design of the DMA in Voice Performance, while submitting new criticisms based in curriculum theory, learning science (pedagogy), and educational psychology. A comparative look at DMA in Voice Performance programs at 57 American universities and conservatories provides context and inspiration for a much-needed consensus on the desired outcomes of this terminal degree in singing. This document responds to this need by proposing a new, revised, and ideal course of study that encourages the singing community to reconsider the limitless possibilities that exist for artist-teachers in the pursuit of a DMA. In so doing, it serves as a mindful guide that institutions may use to tailor their doctoral programs to their strengths, while following best practices that uplift, validate, and ensure the existence of such a degree.

Committee: Scott McCoy DMA (Advisor); Edward Bak MM (Committee Member); Christin Ray PhD (Committee Member); Loretta Robinson MM (Committee Member) Subjects: Curricula; Curriculum Development; Education; Educational Psychology; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Music; Music Education; Pedagogy; Performing Arts; Teacher Education; Teaching

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2022, Speech Pathology and Audiology

Teachers are at a high risk of developing a voice disorder, and music educators are at a higher risk than general education majors. Existing research examines indirect vocal intervention (i.e., vocal hygiene seminars) for teachers, however, these studies do not explicitly incorporate best learning strategies or investigate students' learning preferences. This study examines the response of 10 undergraduate music education majors to three online educational vocal health videos. In a pre- and post-surveys, the students were queried about their current voice care and interest in learning about vocal health. Quizzes were included after each video to assess learning. Mean response accuracy was 89% for quiz one, 92% for quiz two, and 97% for quiz three. When comparing the pre- and post- survey, there was an increase in average self-perceived frequency of vocal abuse and overuse, and self-reported motivation to practice good vocal hygiene. From the post-survey, the mean informativeness level was ranked at a 4.2 out 5, 89% of participants agreed the speaking pace was appropriate, and 100% of the participants reported the videos were an appropriate length. This data suggests that future studies should consider using these elements (length, speaking rate, and content) in vocal health educational videos.

Committee: Susan Brehm (Advisor); Sarah Heimkreiter (Committee Member); Renee Gottliebson (Committee Member) Subjects: Music Education; Speech Therapy

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2022, Musicology

Many of today's vocal techniques and ideas about vocality originate at the turn of the previous century. Over the course of the nineteenth century, science and aesthetics, theory and practice, the medical and the musical came together. Arthur Chervin exemplifies the nineteenth-century impulse toward blending theory and practice in his journal La Voix Parlee et Chantee, published from 1890 through the end of 1903 in Paris. From 1848 onward, doctors and medical practitioners in France began to infiltrate many aspects of politics, social life, and art. As an acknowledged expert in stuttering and a state-appointed physician and the Paris Opera, Chervin was well positioned to facilitate a multi-disciplinary publication that merged medical perspectives with those of performers and pedagogues. His journal is unique in its interdisciplinarity and its wide-ranging arguments about vocal health and aesthetics. A close reading of La Voix enables an exploration of the many sociological, cultural, and artistic implications of voice, health, and pathology in 1890s France. In the early chapters of this dissertation, I show how physicians' interventions into the bodies of ailing singers both constricted the timbres available for expressive singing and contributed to the idea that vocal anatomy determines vocal sound. And, moving beyond the physical, I investigate the relationship between mental interiority (sanity, trustworthiness, identity, etc.) and vocality, showing that contributors to La Voix believed they could evaluate an individual's innermost feelings by listening to the sound of their voice. Later chapters examine pedagogies designed to shape children's voices, and finally an exploration of timbral practices in three distinct groups of voice users—amateur choristers, professional orators, and singers/actors. Throughout, I synthesize contents from La Voix and other period sources, as well as from contemporary scholarship on vocality, contemplating how fin-de-siecle vocal (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Francesca Brittan (Advisor); David Rothenberg (Committee Member); Peter Bennett (Committee Member); Andrea Rager (Committee Member) Subjects: Medicine; Music

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, Music

This document examines vocal health and pedagogy as they relate to the adolescent singing voice in the 21st century, and based on the understanding gained, it develops strategies to prevent vocal injuries in adolescence, carrying good vocal hygiene into adulthood. Music educators working with adolescent singing voices can use this document as a guide to lead their students to adopt healthy vocal habits and come to an awareness of their instrument, helping to prevent vocal injury. The author begins by reviewing literature on the topics of vocal health, hygiene and pedagogy concerning both adult and adolescent singers, and focuses on literature specifically relating to the adolescent singing voice. A healthy voice stems largely from sensible and hygienic vocal habits. The cultivation of good vocal habits seems to be more difficult to achieve as our world becomes louder and busier. Adolescence is the time when most vocal habits form establishing into a unique voice. Thus, music educators working with adolescents must seize the opportunity to replace unhealthy vocal habits with healthy ones in these young singers. The review of literature illuminates the importance of not just vocal health in young singers but also respiratory health, hearing health and health of other kinds. Since a singer's body is his or her instrument, the whole body, not simply the larynx, must be healthy. With regard to adolescent vocal pedagogy, even after decades the works of John Cooksey, Lynne Gackle and Kenneth Phillips remain staples of the field. Others, including Robert Edwin, have contributed significantly to current understanding of demands on today's adolescent singer. No singer wants to suffer a vocal injury, but it is sometimes a reality, even for young, resilient voices. Common adolescent vocal injuries, pathologies and their causes are discussed in this document as well. The author provides prevention strategies for music educators to help guard the 21st century adolescent vo (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robin Rice (Advisor); Kristina MacMullen (Committee Member); Julia Shaw (Committee Member) Subjects: Education; Health Education; Music; Pedagogy

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2014, Leadership and Change

The purpose of this study was to explore the personal singing and vocal journey of music therapists who are also trained as vocal psychotherapists with the Austin model of vocal psychotherapy. I was interested in learning how singing has been a healing influence for change and transformation in their lives. It is my hope that this research will offer music therapists new perspectives and information about how singing is important in healing for their own change and transformation, and for that of their clients. This research also may have implications for leaders of change as well as those who engage in vocal and singing groups, choirs and projects. Foundational literature relates to topics such as vocal improvisation, vocal psychotherapy, therapeutic singing lessons, sound healing, and singing for health and wellness, but no research exists that specifically explores the healing influence of singing as experienced by music/vocal psychotherapists nor the full spectrum of healing domains (energetic, emotional, physiological, etc.). I gathered data by recorded in-person or Skype interviews with five Canadian music/vocal psychotherapists, and analyzed the data from the interviews using portraiture. Five MP3 audio files are embedded within and are attached to the dissertation. A video recorded MP4 author introduction is included. The electronic version of this dissertation is at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/ and OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Committee: Carolyn Kenny PhD (Committee Chair); Jon Wergin PhD (Committee Member); Sanne Storm PhD (Committee Member); Randi Rolvsjord PhD (Other) Subjects: Aesthetics; Energy; Health; Health Care; Music; Spirituality; Therapy

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2011, Music

Each year, promising students graduate from universities with degree in hand and sights set on a career in the arts but without the necessary information to achieve this goal. In a demanding, competitive field such as vocal performance, additional preparation and knowledge can make the difference between success and missed opportunities. Bridging the Gap is intended to provide information, teach necessary skills, and act as a resource for talented students transitioning into the professional world. It draws from information learned in academia and integrates it with information necessary for a career in the music industry. By accumulating past experience, advice from professionals in the field, and common expectations, students can use this information to better prepare themselves and gain an edge for a professional career in the arts. Although intended specifically for vocal performance majors in classical voice, many of the topics in this document are applicable to other instruments or fields in the realm of music. This information can serve as a graduate level class text on preparatory career information for students entering a professional career in voice, or can be useful to an individual looking to further his/her own development.

Committee: Robin Rice DMA (Advisor); Joseph Duchi MM (Committee Member); Jere Forsythe DMA (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2012, Speech Pathology and Audiology

The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of vocal pathology and reported vocal habits in the population of collegiate level vocal performers, specifically within the area of musical theater. Additionally, this study gathered information to develop a greater understanding of vocal health and practice patterns of collegiate musical theater performers. Results of a questionnaire and screening videostroboscopic examination were obtained from all incoming freshman musical theater students at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. One hundred eighty-eight participants (female = 90) (male = 98) with an average age of 18.28 years (SD = 0.726) were included. Results indicated that a majority of the students presented with abnormal laryngeal findings. Specific results on prevalence of laryngeal pathology are presented. Results specifying vocal training and practice habits, vocal health and hygiene practices, and current vocal symptoms or contributing factors to potential voice problems are provided. 


Committee: Susan Brehm PhD (Advisor); Barbara Weinrich PhD (Committee Member); Wendy LeBorgne PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Performing Arts; Speech Therapy