Hello musical friend,

This season can be especially tough on us singers. There is a real reason why we wear scarves and sip tea all winter long.

Here are 10 tips to keep your voice happy and healthy this Winter season:          

Your Vocal Health Checklist 

with Voice Coach Jessica Neighbor

Learn how to protect your voice with these 10 proven tips. Your vocal health checklist will help you sustain and protect your voice:

1. Listen to your body cues: Your physical voice will start “talking” to you if you over use it. Listen to the areas related to your voice: Your vocal cords, jaw, throat, neck, lungs, and abdominal muscles. Your physical body should feel good when you sing and should never hurt. Learn healthy vocal technique so you can avoid strain and injury. Here are a few vocal strain warning signs:

• Constant sore throat.
• Constant hoarse voice 
• Excessive throat clearing.
• Constant dry throat.
• Leakage (No sound on certain notes/extra breathy).
• Your voice feels chronically tired to sing or speak in general.
• If you are experiencing acute or ongoing vocal pain, you should seek out medical advice from an ENT (Ear, Nose & Throat Specialist) or a Medical Speech Pathologist.

2. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate! Your voice and entire body will thank you for drinking enough water. The daily recommended water intake is 8 cups of water a day, (8 ounces per cup). Try these H20 tips to make sure you stay hydrated:

1. Fill up a large water bottle that can hold 64 ounces (8 cups) and sip away, one and done.
2. Drink one glass of water when you wake up, and one glass with your 3 meals, and you are halfway there!
3. Tea and drinks with electrolytes count, the less sugar the better, and fruits and veggies hydrate as well.
4. Squirt a little lemon or lime in your water for more flavor.

3. Use Proper Vocal Technique: Learn good vocal technique including good posture, full breath support, and basic vocal anatomy so you understand the mechanics of your voice.  

4. Sleep: Your vocal instrument needs daily rest, so when you feel tired, your voice will feel tired too. Try to sleep 7-9 hours each night and maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Sleep is especially important as you become a more active performer and/or speaker.

5. Pace & recharge your voice: You can wear out your voice by belting, yelling, even excessive talking. Think of your voice like a battery, it only holds so much charge before you should rest and recharge every day. This is why professional singers and speakers learn tricks to pace their voices like:

1. Only sing or speak as long as you feel good. Once your voice fatigues, you should stop if possible. 
2. If you are rehearsing and you have to continue singing or speaking, you can “mark” your song or speech instead of using your full voice every run through. 
3. Give yourself quiet rest times every day.
4. Balance your day with some calming von-verbal activities like drawing, reading, or crafts.

6. Avoid singing or speaking with a sore throat: If you are sick and have a sore throat, avoid singing and speaking until your acute soreness goes away. Singing and speaking with a light head cold can work as long as you go easy and hydrate because colds dehydrate our vocal cords.

7. Avoid Irritants: Everybody is different, so notice what bothers your particular voice, but many singers react to these following things:

1. Smoking of any kind.
2. Alcohol
3. Antihistamines 
4. Antidiarrhetics
5. Citrus
6. Dairy
7. Chocolate

 8. Give yourself a monthly vocal steam treatment: I learned this simple steam treatment from a Speech Pathologist and it’s the best steam treatments I’ve ever had, and it’s so simple:

1. Boil a cup of water and pour the water into a teacup.
2. Place a large dish towel over the crown of your head, and then lean forward directly over the teacup, creating a funnel for the steam.
3. Breathe in the steam through your mouth slowly, inhaling for several counts. Go through 5-10 breath cycles and you should start to feel the steam soothe your throat.

9. Practice Positive Thinking & Mindfulness: Feeling stressed can impact your voice and even make you more prone to vocal injury. Try different ways to be mindful so that you can stay relaxed. To develop your mindfulness, try a few minutes of meditation or deep breathing each day. Yoga, exercise, stretching, dancing, and martial arts are also excellent ways to practice mindfulness. Strengthen positive thinking with positive affirmations, a gratitude journal, and a “Good Vibe” music playlist.

 10. “Make checking in a Habit ”: Get into a consistent habit of vocal practice by having a regular time of day and place where you can sing. When you make vocal practice part of your regular routine, you give yourself a greater chance to check-in with yourself and know how you feel. You will build a stronger and clearer voice a little at a time with consistency. Well done!

You can download your own copy of this Vocal Health Checklist by 12/13 HERE

Want more vocal health advice? 

Visit 

www.impactvocalcoaching.com

Happy Singing,

Coach Jessica

P.S. If you or someone you know, ages 12-18, wants to get vocal training, you can still audition now thru 12/10/22 for a space in our next vocal hybrid semester that starts this January. We are nearly full!

Next vocal semester runs this January- May. Singers meet privately with me for your online voice lessons, and perform together in monthly group vocal workshops and in our vocal showcase. If you are an active performer, this is the training for you!

Audition NOW for the January vocal coaching semester HERE