How Body Image Impacts Collegiate Choral Singers

• Kalina Dolan, Music Education, University of Delaware

• Aimee Kramer, Music Education, University of Delaware

     This project focused on examining existing research on the relationship between female-identifying collegiate choral singers’ perceptions of their body image and their choral experiences. Research supports that body image directly impacts how efficiently and freely one can move and utilize their own body. It is also found that singers who are able to move with little tension and with a full range of motion are able to achieve higher quality of vocal performance. Little research exists exploring how body image and vocal performance intersect, with a larger gap existing in how it affects collegiate singers in a choral setting. This project reviewed relevant literature to further understand this issue in order to inform the design of a larger undergraduate honors thesis project that will take place in the upcoming year. Current literature supports the idea that body image affects the experience and performance of singers (particularly female-identifying) and suggests that there is more to be explored on the subject.