Preliminary study on the ability of trained singers to control the intrinsic and extrinsic laryngeal musculature

Little literature is available on professional musical theater female singe rs, a population that regularly uses a wide variety of vocal qualities. Thi s study tested the hypothesis that different vocal qualities cause observab le specific configurations of muscular movements and structural changes of the larynx, hypopharynx, oral pharynx, and oral cavity for individual singe rs. Fiberoptic rigid and flexible endoscopic observation were used to deter mine visual analysis of such configurations. This study documents observabl e physiologic changes that were made by professional musical theater female singers in specific vocal qualities.