This study examined the effects of vocal hygiene and behavior modification instruction on self-reported behaviors of music teachers. Subjects (N = 76) reported daily behaviors for eight weeks: water consumption, warm-up, talking over music/noise, vocal rest, non-verbal commands, and vocal problems. Subjects were in experimental group 1 or 2, or the control group. Both experimental groups received vocal hygiene instruction. Experimental group 2 also received behavior modification information designed to help teachers individually identify and correct their vocal problems. Results showed experimental group 2 significantly increased vocal rest and significantly decreased reports of vocal problems in the weeks closest to treatment. Although differences provide limited information, the indications stress the importance of behavior modification's inclusion in vocal hygiene programs. Individual variance implies some subjects have difficulty managing vocal hygiene routines. Additional study of effects of multiple, varied treatment sessions may clarify the impact of treatments over extended periods of time. Key words changing habits, professional voice user, voice care, vocal restThe music teaching profession requires an enormous amount of communication through speaking and singing. Although teachers are encouraged to develop healthy vocal habits, teaching schedules and large classes in many public schools throughout the world can make such a task difficult. Gaining more knowledge about vocal hygiene (care of the voice) and including it in teacher education programs has been a recurring theme in literature.This study sought to answer the following research questions:1. Will scores on a vocal hygiene instruction session post-test be significantly higher than scores on the pre-test, and how will subjects rate the effectiveness of treatment sessions?2. Will there be any significant changes in self-reported behaviors after experimental subjects attend a vocal hygiene instruction session? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MUSIC EDUCATION

The primary focus of the present study was to investigate the effect participants' (N = 100) knowledge of a text translation may have on their perceived musical tension while listening to a piece of choral music sung in another language. When examining the graphs that show the group mean responses of the participants, control (without text translation) versus experimental (with text translation), it is clear that there are many similarities between the groups. Any differences that may be attributable to an understanding of the text while tracking tension in this musical selection are minimal and most likely individualized by participant. A secondary goal of the study was to observe the impact of having half the participants begin recording their responses with the dial pointer of the Continuous Response Digital Interface (CRDI) positioned either at the left of the tension curve-continuum or positioned at middial. Group data for participants' who started with their dials on the left, versus those who started with dials in the middle, also showed similarities sufficient to call into the question the idea that starting at a different place on this scale would affect recording of perceptions significantly.

The voice is an important teaching tool in the music classroom. Music teachers use their voices in a variety of ways for long periods of time. Therefore, voice disorders can be a common problem. A teacher may take his or her vocal health for granted, giving no thought to prevention, until a problem surfaces (Martin & Darnley, 2004). If prevention is to work, ideas about maintaining a healthy voice may need to take root during the years of teacher preparation.Before attempting to develop a vocal hygiene education curriculum for music education majors, it might be prudent to first find out what students already know or believe about the subject. This study sought to answer the following questions: (1) What perceptions do preservice teachers have about how they will use their voices in the classroom? (2) Do preservice teachers believe the teaching profession is at high risk for voice disorders, and do they believe voice problems might affect their career? (3) Are preservice teachers familiar with the term vocal hygiene, and what beliefs do they have about caring for the voice? (4) What teaching activities do preservice teachers believe are most harmful to the voice? (5) Do instrumental majors differ from vocal majors in their opinions on vocal hygiene? Review of LiteratureResearch has recognized teaching as an occupation at high risk for voice disorders (Herrington-

If I only knew then what I know now" is a phrase that many of us have uttered at one time or another. If only we could go back in time to talk to our younger selves about any number of issues, both professional and personal. Of course, the next best thing is to be able to learn from the experiences of others. Teachers and mentors take on the task of trying to share with enthusiastic, idealistic neophytes as much as they can about the world before the strictest teacher, reality, steps in. Related LiteratureWhen asked why some teachers are better than others, Ryan ( 2003) responded that a teacher does not merely pass on information about a specific subject; rather, the teacher interacts with another human being. "We should expect our teachers to be more than just competent in their fields. They must be warm, success-oriented people who have the social skills to work with students and share the wonder and excitement of learning" (p. 10). Students in teacher education programs may underestimate the weight of such a task and focus primarily on developing skills in their specific subject matter. Once they begin their first teaching job, their focus may shift as they encounter unexpected challenges.The characteristics of and differences between novice, experienced, and expert music teachers have been compared in numerous studies. The most effective teachers tend to have specific teaching characteristics in common, such as fast-paced rehearsals, lots of nonverbal instruction, and short teaching segments (

The purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of vocal hygiene at different levels of music teaching experience. The following survey information from 659 music teachers with various levels of teaching experience forms the basis of the analysis: voice use in teaching, perceived risk of voice disorders in teaching, ratings of vocal behaviors, personal voice problems, and ratings of perceived vocal stress in teaching activities. The teachers are grouped according to level of experience: late career, early career, or preservice. Majorities in all groups believe (a) teaching equals high voice disorder risk, (b) vocal problems affect the career, and (c) career change to preserve voices would be unlikely. Using Likert-type scales, the teachers rated the healthiness of selected vocal behaviors and perceived vocal stress in selected teaching activities. Overall, they rate drinking water the healthiest behavior and smoking the unhealthiest. For teaching activities, they rate speaking over noisy classroom conditions highest for causing vocal stress, and they rate demonstration singing the lowest. Significant differences emerge in ratings from the three groups of teachers for four behaviors (speaking in noisy environments, drinking water, clearing throat, and consuming alcohol) and four teaching activities (opening remarks, vocal instruction while students sing, speaking over noisy classroom conditions, and lunchroom duty).