Clinician » Vocal Health Tips

A singer is a vocal athlete. Think like an athlete!
Everything you do with your body can have an effect on the voice.

I. General Health – take good care of the body
A. Diet
B. Sleep
C. Fitness

II. The Mucous Blanket - lining of the vocal tract
 A. The Importance of Water - Hydration
Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day (“sing wet - pee pale”)
Caffeine, alcohol, medications can dry you out
B. Body secretes 1 liter of mucus daily
Thick mucus is a symptom of insufficient water or poor technique
C. Humidity: the water vapor in the air, should ideally be 40 - 50%
Low humidity dries the mucous blanket
Use of a vaporizer overnight helps
D. Instant Help for the mucus membrane - Irrigation
Irrigation of the nose - This duplicates body salinity and PH

Mix: 1 teaspoon salt, 1 pt. water, 1 pinch baking soda

Prepare fresh daily Gargle to test: does it taste like tears? Commercial preparations (sprays) - e.g. Ocean, NaSal, Salinex etc. are available. Costly over time. Use prepared saline solution with all-rubber ear syringe: one cup per nostril Pour saline into hands and sniff 3 times per nostril Neti-pot sold in health food stores “inhale” water from a cup or glass

Steam: Breathing steam is an easy way to hydrate dry mucus membranes
Expectorants: Robitussin or Mucinex (guaifenesin) expectorant
E. Irritants to avoid-
Smoke
Allergens: Many allergies are food related – wheat, dairy, corn, soy, seafoods
Dairy products can increase mucus
Lecithin, a soy - based food texturizer, can also increase mucus

III. Voice Use and Misuse
A. Voice Use - Helpful practices
Warm Up Daily before speaking or singing
“Marking” in rehearsal - Light, breathy singing but do not whisper; in your most comfortable range (change octaves)
Change octaves
Learning Music - be quiet and listen! Train the mind and ear
Take frequent breaks

B. Misuse - Behaviors to avoid
 AVOID Speaking at an inefficient pitch
AVOID Vocal fry
AVOID Talking above noise
AVOID Singing the wrong vocal part
AVOID Excessive throat clearing
AVOID Using excessive volume
AVOID Non-stop talking or singing
AVOID Suddenly increasing your singing time

Good voice care and good vocal technique are the “insurance policy” on your voice!