Taking Care of the Voice

It is an unfortunate fact that many professional voice teachers do not want their students singing in choirs. Professional vocalists know how to treat the voice as the delicate instrument that it is, and they assume that many choir directors don't. While uninformed choir directors do often cause harm to their singers' voices, there is no need to be uninformed; It is not difficult to learn how to care for the voice.

Doctor Van Lawrence, a Laryngologist(voice doctor) and Leon Thurman, a professional vocal musician, wrote an informal article on good vocal health: Some Handy Household Hints for Appropriate Voice Use and Voice Hygiene for the Vocal Athlete in Training, from which this article borrows somewhat.

Good Vocal Hygiene

1. Stay in good general health. Eat right, exercise regularly.

2. Stay hydrated, especially when singing. Drink AT LEAST 7-9 glasses of water per day, more if you live in a desert. Water lubricates the vocal folds. When a person is dehydrated, they don't sing as well! Things that dehydrate you: 1) Diuretics (things that cause more liquids to leave your body than is consumed). Diuretics include caffeinated beverages, alcohol (mouthwash and cold medicines included), and chocolate. 2) Dry air. Both heat and A/C will dry the air. An ideal humidity for singing is 40-50%. In a less humid environment, a person loses body moisture simply by breathing.

3. Avoid any kind of over-the-counter anaesthetics.These desensitize the vocal folds, which increases the potential for vocal damage and decreases the likelihood of expressive singing.

Good Vocal Use

1. Don't wear your voice out by singing or speaking for excessive amounts of time. No amateur singer should rehearse for longer than 90 minutes at a time. People who use their voice for long periods of time at work should learn to speak with proper breath support and reasonance. There should be no feeling of tension in the neck or throat.

2. Avoid singing continually in the extreme top or bottom of your vocal range. Directors are better off using SAB music than forcing a competent Baritone or two to sing Tenor. Likewise, it does nothing but harm for Sister "I've always sung Soprano" to continue in that section if she's really a contralto. Listen to your singers to determine if they're singing in their ACTUAL range (ie. listen for vocal strain and fatigue), and don't be afraid to make needed adjustments.

3. Always, always do vocal warm-ups before singing. Exercises should begin with muscle stretches, and vocal exercises should proceed from less strenuous to more strenuous. Loud and high exercises are the most strenuous; softer and midrange exercises are the least strenuous. Warm up for an absolute minimum of 5 minutes (have 3-5 vocal exercises ready). 7-10 minutes is optimal.

4. Avoid shouting, screaming, loud laughter, hard coughing and sneezing, and talking over loud environments (restaurants, motor noises, sports events).

5. Don't sing with a sore throat. Avoid anything that causes vocal pain.

Trouble Signs: You've Really Overdone It If:

1. Your throat is tender to the touch after singing

2. Your voice is hoarse after singing.

3. Your throat is very dry and tickly. (Drink more water!)

4. Your voice feels raw (or, heaven forbid, you taste blood)

5. Certain pitches that normaly come out won't.

Good vocal hygeine is easy, then. Stay hydrated, always do warm-ups, and make sure everyone is singing in an appropriate range, without excess vocal tension, and with good breath support. Avoid diuretics, exercise, eat right, and obey the Word of Wisdom.

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