I wanted to put a few things down about vocal care - whether you are a singer like me, or use your voice a lot in your work.
Over the years I have not always looked after myself or my voice as well as I could or should.
I have found when I am singing for a lot of hours - to get the most out of it - I have benefited by putting a few simple things in place.
I want to stress I am not a teacher. And though I have been asked to teach I have decided not to yet. Not because I have delusions of grandeur but I really feel I have a lot to learn still. I do however love giving advice!
So here are some of the things I do everyday:
Stretches – like many people I carry a lot of tension in my neck and shoulders and since getting into the habit of stretching my neck before singing I have found my throat is much freer and more open when I do.
Steaming – this is something my lovely vocal coach Jenny May told me to do – it’s the only way to get moisture directly onto your vocal chords and though this might sound gross – it kind of opens and clears everything out.
Warming up – I know this is obvious but nevertheless important. Throughout my singing career I have noticed that on any given day I can sing the same things but my voice may behave slightly differently. So working on different exercises before I sing is not only great for waking up my muscles, it also gives me a good indication of what my voice is capable of in terms of range, intensity and power.
Cooling down – I have discovered this is actually more important than warming up. Cooling down with the right exercises like scales on fricative sounds (e.g.: veee/zeee) allows your larynx to settle back down where it naturally sits.
Hydration - I drink water like it's going out of fashion, I don't think this is a singer thing - I really feel it is one of the elixirs of life and vocal care!
A quick word about things that are bad for our voices. Smoking, alcohol and coffee are probably the main offenders. I know some people would add dairy to that list although it doesn’t seem to affect my voice.
I am not terribly good at steering clear of “bad things” (!), but I have found the most important thing is to know how your voice works and what it likes and doesn’t like. So, for me a glass of red wine can be a relaxant, a bottle – not so much!
I would love to know what your daily practices are if you use for voice a lot or you are a singer like me - I look forward to hearing from you :)