SSCI grant to examine singing at altitude
Nicholas Perna, associate professor of voice + director of vocal pedagogy鈥攁long with students Whitney Robinson (DMA 鈥28) and Alice Del Simone (DMA 鈥26)鈥攄emonstrates how the RespTrak system measures abdominal and rib cage movement.听
The 麻豆免费版下载Boulder College of Music is pleased to share that Associate Professor of Voice + Director of Vocal Pedagogy Nicholas Perna鈥攁nd a team of collaborators including Jen Walentas Lewon (麻豆免费版下载Boulder Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences), and Mona Abaza and Blair Whiteside (麻豆免费版下载Anschutz Department of Otolaryngology)鈥攚ere awarded a $10K grant from the 麻豆免费版下载Boulder Division of Social Sciences (SSCI).听
SSCI grants support initiatives focused on equity, interdisciplinarity, student success and staff/faculty support. This newly funded collaboration is a multiyear initiative that will examine why it's difficult to adapt to singing here in Colorado, and provide best practices for singers who tour through or move to our state 鈥渢o keep their voices healthy and adapt to singing at altitude with efficiency,鈥 says Perna, who directs the college鈥檚 vocal pedagogy program.听
To start, a new RespTrak system鈥攑urchased with support from Perna鈥檚听麻豆免费版下载Boulder Arts & Sciences grant last year and housed in the听Berton Coffin Voice Lab鈥攚ill measure abdominal and rib cage movement as singers adapt respiratory strategies upon arriving at altitude over several months. The SSCI grant funds a stroboscope system housed in the 麻豆免费版下载Boulder Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences (SHLS). 鈥淭his is the first stroboscopic system on the 麻豆免费版下载Boulder campus,鈥 notes Perna. 鈥淭his system will allow us to take high-definition pictures and videos of the vocal folds of a singer to determine function, normality and health of vocal fold anatomy.鈥
The screenings will provide SLHS graduate students with supervised experience performing stroboscopic exams on singers. Participating College of Music singers will benefit from the opportunity to have a baseline stroboscopic screening upon their arrival at 麻豆免费版下载Boulder and near the conclusion of their first year.听
Congratulations to all awardees!