As a singer, you’ll always want to thrill your audience with your mellifluous voice while basking in the euphoria of compliments. However, for you to perform without any hiccup whatsoever, you’ll need to figure out how to keep your singing voice healthy.
Whether you are a self-acclaimed singer who often showcases their skill in musical classes at college or one who identifies with a rock band in Philadelphia, keeping your singing voice healthy is key to thrilling your audience.
Lucky for you, we have highlighted a few tested and trusted ways to keep your singing voice healthy and sweet-sounding. The best part? None of the tips involves surgery.
- Always practice vocal warmups
Before climbing on stage to sing, teach, or even give a speech, engage in a little exercise to warm up your pipes. By doing so, you give your vocal cords a chance to loosen up and relax, thus reducing your chances of injuring your voice.
Common vocal warming exercises are:
- Neck and shoulder stretches
- Practicing scales
- Improving your tongue-soft palate coordination
- Repeating tongue and lip trills
- Jaw loosening exercises
You can also consider gliding from low to high tones using different vowel sounds. After singing or a long speech, ensure you relax.
- Maintain a healthy diet
What you eat and drink has the potential to improve or damage your voice. Basically, as a singer, you want to consume meals and liquids that hydrate your voice and not dehydrate it. You also want to steer clear of lifestyle habits that put your throat or vocal cord at risk.
Smoking, for instance, can irritate your vocal cords and dry their mucosa. It can also lead to inflammation on the vocal cords, causing cough.
In addition to smoking, another habit you should be looking to address is excessive consumption of alcohol and caffeine. Expert advice that you stay away from alcohol and caffeine before and after a performance, as their dehydrating effects are harmful to your vocal folds.
Here is a list of foods/ drinks to avoid for a healthy singing voice:
- Dairy products: Leaves mucus in your throat. Common examples of dairy products to avoid are cheese, milk, yogurt, cream, and excess butter.
- Fatty foods: Cause the buildup of mucus in your throat
- Caffeine and alcohol: Dehydrate your body and dry out your vocal cord.
Replace the meals/ drinks above with these:
- Water (enough of it)
- Meals rich In water like pineapple, oranges, celery, strawberries, melons, etc.
- Toasted bread or unsalted crackers
- Cantaloupe
- Apple juice
- Use vocal steamer and humidifiers to maintain moisture
Another effective way to improve your singing voice is by using vocal steam and humidifiers to hydrate your vocal cords. A vocal steamer is a device that helps moisturize the vocal cords. On the other hand, humidifiers give a liquid lining to your vocal cords and improve their flexibility and elasticity.
Remember, you don’t have to feel thirsty to use these devices. Even if you feel hydrated, the chances are that your vocal cords are begging for moisture to perform optimally. It’s best to use a humidifier when you have a dry throat. Vocal steamers can come in handy when you want to perform for a long period.
- Consider vocal training classes
If you feel that you have the potential to sing like Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion, or one of Philadelphia’s best, Pink, but need help to manifest your hidden potential, you should consider training your vocal. Applying for vocal training in Philadelphia is an excellent way to make your voice more powerful, kill the accent, and improve the overall quality of your speaking. Vocal training is run by voice coaches who can also help you develop the range, depth, and clarity you want in your voice.
- Learn diaphragmatic breathing
Of course, you may have heard of the diaphragm, a major muscle of respiration. But what do you know about diaphragmatic breathing?
Diaphragmatic breathing is a common exercise used by singers to improve their singing. What this type of breathing does is that it helps remove the air stored up and create a clearer and sweeter sound. The more air you have stored in your lung, the louder the sound will be.
So how do you do diaphragmatic breathing?
Simple!
Place one hand on your upper chest and the other below your rib cage, then breathe slowly through your nose, so your stomach moves out against your hand. Ensure that the hand on your chest is as still as possible.
Conclusion
Your vocal cords are quite sensitive and should be treated with care. When you care for your singing voice with the tips above, you’ll experience significant improvement in how you sing; plus, you’ll improve the health of your voice.
