@article{Smallwood_2022, title={Vocal difficulties for mid-career classical singers: A preliminary quantitative analysis}, url={https://ojs.nbu.bg/index.php/YSMDF/article/view/614}, abstractNote={<p>In the penultimate chapter of her book Sängerische Begabung, the soprano and pedagog Kathrin Graf refers to a classical singer ending his or her solo career as a „taboo topic”, commenting that: „Just as in life, one seldom speaks of death, even though it awaits us all…the topic of how someone ends his singing career is hardly ever spoken about among singers”. So in the interest of full disclosure I would like describe my own vocal „near death experience”. I hope through my research to develop a better understanding of this very difficult period in the professional  development of many singers. Why do so many professional singers seem to experience these crises, and what strategies can we use to deal with them? At the very least, this should provide valuable information for performers and teachers alike, even if the attrition rate amongst professional singers remains so high.</p>}, number={15}, journal={Young Scientific Music and Dance Forum : Conference with international participation}, author={Smallwood, Michael}, year={2022}, month={Jan.}, pages={147–155} }