VOCALS
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION | Sheri Gould
Remember the old saying, ‘an ounce of idea, but doing it for an extended period of BACK TO BACK REHEARSALS OR PERFORMANCES
prevention is worth a pound of cure’? Or how time will exacerbate the damage. Do your best Holiday seasons and special performances can
about ‘a stitch in time saves nine’? Well nothing to limit your speaking as much as possible, bring on extended rehearsals, often draining
could be truer when it comes to your voice. become a great listener! Don’t clear your throat, singers before the performances even start! Try
cough, raise your voice and seriously limit your to prepare ahead of time as you know when
We often find ourselves in situations that are laughing. I know that may sound crazy, but these are scheduled. Rest your voice as much
not going to be healthy for our voices. Some laughing can be very hard on the vocal cords. If as you can leading up to these strenuous
examples of this could be: singing or talking in you are in a prolonged period of overuse, try to times. Refrain from talking and other stressful
unhealthy (or freezing cold) air, singing or talking eliminate these things and it will help preserve activities already mentioned, but do not refrain
for extended periods of time, unrealistic vocal your voice as much as possible. from singing, warming up daily and doing
expectations put upon us, having to sing or vocal stretches and exercises to keep you
speak while sick, back-to-back rehearsals or conditioned and to build vocal endurance.
performances, loud environments, etc… While
the best prevention is avoiding the situation
We often find
do to help you through those situations.
NASTY AIR
If you find yourself somewhere that the air is not
good, short of wearing a mask, make sure you
breathe through your nose. Your nose is a filter
that will help clean, warm and moisten the air
you are breathing. Suck on a pectin drop (like
Hall’s Breezers), not a mentholated drop and
that will help you to keep your mouth closed.
It will also aid in stimulating the salivary glands
Stay super hydrated (avoid caffeine). Always
ourselves in
be armed with that Throat Coat Tea and those
situations that
are not going to
be healthy for
air as often as you can and limit the time spent
there to the best of your ability. If you know
ahead of time and can prepare, bring along a
cup of fresh brewed Throat Coat tea and sip
on that. Avoid breathing freezing cold air if at all
possible. If you must sing outside wear a scarf
to keep your neck warm and follow the above
instructions.
OVERUSE
There are times in life that just require us
to overuse our vocal cords. During these
occasions, there are still things you can do to
help. Make sure that you use a speaking voice
or singing voice that is healthy. Speaking or
as often as you can. Sing lightly (or in a high
register) if you have extended rehearsal times.
It’s tempting to “give it your all”, but best to
save that for when it’s really needed.
YOU’RE SICK
You should not sing if you’re sick but likely
above instructions except for this: do not speak
at all. Save your voice for singing. In addition,
warm up very gently, on an “N” hum only. Again,
UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Sometimes we are asked to do things vocally
that are really quite stressful and not at all
healthy. Often, we are asked to do this by
people in charge who, unfortunately are not as
aware of healthy vocal practices as they could
be. I want to encourage you to take care of you
in these situations. You don’t have to be loud
and vocal about it or necessarily draw attention
to it, but just do what you have to do. Don’t
belt out notes that are uncomfortable for you,
regardless of who asks you to. Don’t sing for
prolonged periods at the extreme ends of your
range. Don’t talk during breaks so your cords
can rest. If your voice starts to hurt, stop.
singing in an unhealthy manner is never a good
94
pectin lozenges. Use Throat Saver spray
you will anyway. If you do, please follow all the
our voices.
to keep you moisturized. As always, keep your
water bottle handy and stay hydrated. Get fresh
as possible vocally in between rehearsals.
Talking is not your friend during these times!
altogether, this can’t always be managed and
I understand. So here are a few things you can
During rehearsals: don’t talk. Also rest as much
June 2019
avoid anything with caffeine. Make sure you
moisturize the air you’re breathing in as much
as it’s possible for you to do it (use a vaporizer).
Gargle with Vocal Rescue. You can find this and
Throat Saver spray on my website (use code
SG10 at checkout). Delegate any singing you
possible can and don’t push yourself vocally at
all. When you’re done singing; go home and
rest.
God bless you as you sing for Him and take
care of your voice!
Sheri Gould
Sheri is an internationally acclaimed vocal coach.
She’s been helping artists and worshipers find their
voice for over 40 years. For help and resources visit
her site.
www.SheriGould.com
Subscribe for Free...