If you are a singer—whether in a choir or in a rock band, onstage or in the shower—you should know how to keep your singing voice healthy. After all, the state of your vocal health can either make or break your performance. Thankfully, vocal health for singers isn’t all that complicated. Some common sense and a little insider knowledge on vocal-health tips will do the trick, so you can sing your heart out.
Warm-up – and cool down.
It is vital that you warm up your voice before singing, and there are a variety of exercises to suit all ages, vocal ranges and levels of experience. Always ease into your exercises by first warming up your facial muscles—loosen your lips and jaw muscles by blowing through your lips, sticking out your tongue as far as it will go, massaging your face and sighing musically.
Don’t be afraid to make some noise as your warm-up. Let your voice wander up and down its range. Then move onto humming, or perhaps do some gentle lip rolls or tongue trills. Only once you feel like your face, mouth and voice are loosening should you start singing actual notes. The whole process should take between 10 and 20 minutes (and don’t skimp.).
After your lesson, audition or performance is over, take time to cool down. While cooling down is often omitted from lists of vocal-health tips, it’s a really simple way to support vocal health for singers. Sigh on a descending note. Yawn, raising your soft palate and releasing any built-up tension. Do some gentle lip rolls, again allowing your voice to gently descend. Take 5 or 10 minutes to allow your voice to settle back into its normal speaking range.