Muscles & music compose a master’s degree research medley

It was an unlikely collaboration of three departments – physical therapy, music, and communication sciences and disorders – to explore the question of how to better rehabilitate abdominal muscles for vocal control following surgery.

It’s also an example of how master’s degree students contribute to the creation of new knowledge.

The project was completed this past spring in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Physical Therapy degree by Chris Huravitch of Williston, Nyle Relay of White Bear Lake, Minn., and Kristine Shulte of Fargo.

In the study, 11 individuals with choral experience were recruited from the community. Electrodes were placed on the left side of their abdomens, over the motor points of three muscles. The researchers compared contractions in these muscles during three intensities of singing.

Supervising the work was Royce Blackburn, assistant professor of music, and Susan Jeno, assistant professor of physical therapy. Wayne Swisher, chair of the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, consulted on the protocol.

The study documented significant differences in abdominal muscular activity when singing at three different intensities. These findings are likely to lead to more research to fully understand the relationship between vocalization and abdominal musculature.

The potential benefits are obvious: possible new techniques for physical therapists, speech pathologists, and other professionals in helping patients with vocal deficits or injuries.

At his studio on the western side of the campus, Blackburn said the project was a learning experience for him, and used a musical metaphor to describe his brush with medical research.

"In scientific study, you have to whittle things down to one measure at a time," he explained.