September Forum: The Impact of Body Composition and Diet on the Voice of College Singers

With Dr. Brittany Perrine, PhD., Assistant Professor, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, moderated by Nandhu Radhakrishnan

Date/Time: Sep 30, 2021, 8:00 PM EST

Many studies have been done to relate body mass index (BMI) to voice quality measures, respiration measures in speech, vocal fold length, and self-perceptual voice questionnaire scores. Other body composition measures such as lean mass and body fat mass have received less attention in the literature. This forum will first document habitual dietary intake and body composition measures in a small number of college theatre majors and classical voice majors. Then body composition measures and diet measures will be related to the scores on various vocal health questionnaires and to measures from the singing voice range profile. This work aims to shift the focus of the conversation regarding body size and diet from anecdotal to evidence-based. This work is co-authored by Dr. LesLee K. Funderburk, Ph.D., RD, CSSD, CSCS, Dr. Kimberly Monzón, DMA, and Lauren M. Weber, MFA.

Brittany Perrine, Ph.D. has been working as an assistant professor at Baylor University in Waco, TX, since graduating from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, in 2018. Brittany’s research has focused on how people take care of their voice and how external factors contribute to voice problems, such as extreme voice use and stress. She has ongoing collaborations with various researchers in music, nutrition, and business at Baylor University. Brittany teaches courses in Speech Science and Voice Pathology at Baylor University and enjoys engaging undergraduate students in her research endeavors.