"Vocal fatigue is a recurring problem, particularly prevalent within females when speaking for long periods of time for their professions. This increased risk of vocal fatigue in females seems to have connection to speech breathing and breath support, possibly because of the smaller lung capacity that females typically have when compared to males along with other physiological differences. Due to this possible connection, the following research question was presented: Will strengthening the pulmonary system show a decrease in the occurrence of vocal fatigue? It was hypothesized that after expiratory training exercises, vocal fatigue rate will be reduced within female participants. In addition, it was hypothesized that the breathing training could serve as a preventative measure in vocal fatigue with continued use. To test this hypothesis, data was collected from ten women of a shorter than average body height and weight range to enhance the possible smaller lung effect. The participants completed a preliminary data collection, a month-long breathing intervention with an expiratory muscle strength training device, and a post intervention data collection. Results indicated that both participant self-perceived vocal fatigue rating decreased and standard deviation of fundamental frequency increased after intervention. These results can indicate a trend of decreased vocal fatigue symptoms within participants after use with an expiratory muscle strength trainer."--Page ii.
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