The Effects of Shoe Heel Heights on Postural, Acoustical, and Perceptual Measures of Female Singing Performances

Amelia A. Rollings

Voice professionals hold varying opinions about whether shoe heel heights affect vocal performance, but to date no empirical study has addressed this matter. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effect, if any, of three shoe heel heights (low [ < 0.5 in.], medium [1.0 - 2.5 in.] and high [ > 2.5 in.]) on postural (head position, lumbar lordosis and knee flexion), acoustical (LTAS, formant frequency profiles), and perceptual (singer surveys) measures of prepared arias sung by individual female voice majors (N = 5) in a semi-naturalistic audition environment. Results were discussed in terms of audition clothing and accessories, opinions held by singers and voice teachers, and the direction of future research in this area.