Laryngeal physiology and terminology in CCM singing. A thesis investigating research on the underlying laryngeal physiology of CCM singing techniques, and experiences of teaching CCM genres to adolescents.

English: As a singing teacher, one may find that thorough and consistent descriptions of the laryngeal physiology underlying various CCM singing techniques are hard to come by. Books, blogs and magazines concerned with such issues seldom include exhaustive accounts of how the laryngeal structures and muscles are used on a detailed level, and the applied terminology regarding various types of voice production varies greatly. The two research questions of this study focus on the terminology and laryngeal physiology of healthy and stylistically correct CCM singing techniques, and on how to teach such CCM singing techniques to adolescents, respectively. The former question is explored through a thorough document analysis of peer-reviewed articles and books on the topic. The latter is investigated through semi-structured qualitative interviews with four singing teachers sharing their experiences of teaching CCM singing techniques to 15- to 20-year-olds. The findings include descriptions of how the laryngeal musculature and other structures engage in various types of voice production, with a particular emphasis on the issue of voice registers. Due to the inconsistent use of terminology in the field, specific guidelines regarding English terms are suggested, and two Norwegian terms are proposed (randmiks and fullmiks). Aspects specifically relevant to the teaching of 15- to 20-year-olds are presented in the interview findings, which highlight issues such as basic technique and vocal health. The findings in this thesis may be employed as a basis for further development of our understanding of CCM voice production