Amount and Characteristics of Speaking and Singing Voice Use in Vocally Healthy Female College Student Singers During a Typical Week.
Laura E Toles, Andrew J Ortiz, Katherine L Marks and 3 others
PMID 32451254WHAT IT FOUND
Vocally healthy female student singers spoke three times longer than they sang.
Singing was more physically demanding per second, but speaking accounted for most of the weekly vocal load. These findings challenge the assumption that singing is the primary risk factor for voice disorders in this group.
Key findings
01Participants spent significantly more time speaking (6.2%) than singing (2.1%), meaning 25.8% of total phonation time was singing.
02When normalized by time, singing produced higher cycle and distance doses than speech, indicating singing is more physically demanding per second.
03Speech exhibited lower H1-H2 values than singing, suggesting more abrupt glottal closure during speech, which may contribute to phonotrauma risk.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample included only female singers, so findings may not generalize to male singers. Most participants identified as non-classical singers, limiting comparisons with classical styles. The automated singing classifier had some misclassification rates, though sensitivity analysis showed results were not significantly altered. The study did not include singers with voice disorders, so it describes healthy norms but does not identify which specific measures predict pathology. Sub-genres of non-classical singing were not analyzed, potentially masking differences in vocal load between styles like musical theater and jazz.
Declared interests
Dr. Robert Hillman has a financial interest in Inno-Voyce LLC, a company developing voice-related diagnostic and treatment technologies. His interests were managed by Massachusetts General Hospital and Partners HealthCare.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that singing is safe or that speaking is the only problem. The study shows singing is more physically demanding per second, but speaking makes up the bulk of the weekly load. Both modes contribute to vocal dose, and the risk likely comes from the cumulative effect of both, particularly if speaking habits are hyperfunctional.