The Quantitative Analysis and Exploration of Vocal Training

In the realm of voice lessons, vocal exercises are utilized to improve a singer’s pitch, tone, and overall vocal quality. But can these improvements be measured in a quantitative fashion? This project investigated the objective impact of vocal exercises on a singer’s vocal quality and aimed to develop a replicable method of analysis. Six participants with varying musical experience recorded themselves singing three vocal exercises targeting different aspects of vocal skill. Two versions of the exercises were then compared: a version where participants sang with no instruction, and a version with participants being coached through the vocal exercise. These two versions were analyzed using the Fourier Transform and an Estimated Frequency function and then displayed graphically. Statistical measures of mean, variance, range, and standard deviation were utilized to draw conclusions. The quantitative characteristics of each singer were analyzed,  and it was found that each singer reacted differently to each exercise. There were no strong patterns between groups of trained or untrained singers. Exercises 1 and 3 did not produce strong quantitative improvement, but Exercise 2 did for a majority of the participants. A clear method was produced for the data collection and analysis, but further research would need to be conducted in a more controlled environment with a larger sample size to begin drawing specific conclusions about the effectiveness of utilizing these three vocal exercises.