The Effect of Pilates Respiration-Based Classical Vocal Technique on Student’s Vocal Performance: A Single Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Pilates Respiration-Based Classical Vocal Technique (PRBC) on student vocal performance. The participant was a university student trained in contemporary and classical singing. The single-case (AB) design was employed in this study to examine the data between baseline session (A) and intervention session (B). The Classical Voice Rubrics Assessment was used to measure vocal performance outcomes, with findings presented by visual inspection. The results revealed that during baseline sessions, the participant was found to be not breathing sufficiently and not engaging his muscle supports during singing, which caused improper delivery of voice tones. His vocal performances showed some progress during the second and third intervention sessions, then continuous improvement in respiration and vocalization from the third and fourth sessions, until the last intervention session, when significant results were sustained. Regarding PRBC, the participant demonstrated improvement in the tonal quality of his singing, as well as; 1) Breathing management, 2) Phrase duration, 3) Intonation/ Pitch, and 4) Tonal quality/ Interpretation. Thus, the results of this study present that PRBC enhanced the classical voice performance of the participant.