Breathing for singers: a comparative analysis of body type and breathing tendencies is a scientific study that’s purpose is to determine whether a correlation exists between inexperienced young singers’ body types and their breathing tendencies. A group of twelve students were used for the study and underwent three groups of measurements.
First their body types were determined by the method of somatotyping. This method placed them in one of three body type categories, endomorph (relative fatness), mesomorph (relative musco-skeletal) and ectomorph (relative linearity). There were four subjects placed in each group. Second, the subjects’ lung function was measured by use of a spirometer to rule out any lung function problems. Finally, the participants’ torsos were videotaped from a side view. The data was then uploaded onto a computer where the breath measurements of each subject were measured frame by frame in three places; chest, umbilicus and rib cage. After all of the measurements were taken they were compared to one of three common breathing techniques the appoggio, the costal and the pancostal. Once the data was complete a comparison was made to see whether the singers’ body types correlated with one of the three stated breathing techniques.
