When having regular singing lessons it’s really important to keep healthy and keep your voice strong so that you don’t miss classes. Missing singing lessons interrupts your learning and progress and when this happens in consecutive weeks you can really fall behind and hinder your progress. Here a few tips on how to maintain a healthy voice.
Avoiding Common Colds
Common colds can be a singer’s worst nightmare. They can linger for weeks at a time and cause havoc with your rehearsal schedule and overall development. Common colds are very easy to catch and often there is not quick cure. Antibiotics don’t work and you are often left to battle through the cold with tissues, cough mixture and nasal decongestants.
The best way to deal with common colds is to not catch one at all. Now this is easier said than done, but there are a few steps you can take to prevent getting sick which is always best.
- Always keep warm, especially when going out doors. Wear a scarf and avoid breathing in cold air.
- Keep up your immunity. Garlic tablet are great for when I’m feeling like I’m about to get sick. I simply take two of them and the cold does not seem to set in.
- Avoid contact with anyone who is sick at all costs and wash your hands before touching your face to stop the spreading of germs.
- Visit local alternative therapy providers to help keep you healthy and give you a treatment plan that works for you if a cold should set in.
Stay away from Air Conditioning
During the summer months not many people can survive the high temperatures without a cooling or air conditioning system. Being in a cold room and breathing in the cold air from an air conditioning system can be quite harmful for the voice. It often dries out the voice and if you catch a chill you will certainly have a sore throat and cold on its way the next day. Best way to avoid this is to stay away from cooling systems as much as possible and if you cannot, try and keep yourself warm by wearing a scarf and jacket within reason.
Do not abuse your voice
You might find the concept of abusing your voice a little strange but it’s really important that you care for your voice at all times when it is part of what you do on a daily basis. The voice is a very intricate part of the human body and many things can affect it. Speaking over loud music or noisy machinery can strain the voice if you’re not supporting your speech and cause you to lose your voice. Screaming is also quite harmful on the voice and a common problem for young girls who are learning to sing. Often their voices are tired after school because they’ve been screaming in the yard and this in turn affects their singing lessons and they cannot perform in class.
Constantly clearing your throat and coughing also adds strain to the voice and can cause a horse sound to the voice. When you feel this it is important to completely rest the voice from all activity. No speaking and no whispering. Believe it or not even whispering can strain your voice.
When you have been sick or your voice has been overworked the best medicine is simply to rest it. Breathing steam in the shower or over a bowl is very good and keeps your voice healthy. Try and avoid lozenges that have aesthetic in them because they can cause you to believe your voice is recovered and ready for use when it still needs rest. Generally rest is the usually the best medicine.
Hopefully this has given you a few tips on caring for your voice while you’re having singing lessons. If you’re ever unsure about something to do with your voice ask your singing teacher and your doctor. And most importantly if your voice ever have an airy sounding tone or your voice feels strange or you feel like you’ve been unable to speak or sing properly for a while, it is really important that you go and see your doctor and explain what you’re feeling. It is really good to make sure that your voice is healthy and there aren’t any underlying issues.
