Vocal Health For Singers
Why Proper Vocal Health For Singers Is Important
Many individuals are not fully aware just how important vocal health for singers really is. Even some people that have been in the business for a long time do not properly take care of their voice and unfortunately, many new singers are never educated on the topic. Even neglecting to warm up your voice just once can cause vocal damage that is irreversible. Like professional athletes needing to know how to properly train their bodies, it is just as important that you are aware of vocal health for singers to avoid injuries.
Muscle Tension Dysphonia
If you do not abide by guidelines, muscle tension dysphonia can result. Individuals with this condition will suffer from vocal fatigue, hot or achy pain in the voice box and poor endurance. This is due to overusing your neck muscles to help support voice box muscles that have weakened. When this happens, you will be unable to yell or offer a properly pitched falsetto.
The cricothyroid muscle creates the most high-pitched sounds. Because it has a different nerve supply than the voice box muscle, it will often stay healthy even when other injury is present. If you have a loose vocal chord, the cricothyroid muscle will often help tighten the vocal chord to at least provide a voice but ultimately it is making the voice less functioning.
A program such as “Vocal Release” can really help if you traditionally sing a lot of high and low notes. This will instruct you how to transition properly without causing injury to your voice.
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Non-Organic Dysphonia
If you do not engage in proper vocal health for singers, non-organic dysphonia is another result that can occur. The underlying vocal folds work well but the upper voice box has been treated inappropriately. It is due to a learned behavior that causes the injury that needs to be corrected.
A good example would be if you had laryngitis where your vocal chords are stiff and swollen. In order to offer any voice you have to squeeze quite hard to cause the vocal chords to vibrate. While the sickness goes away, the vocal problems remain. Strains such as these can occur quite easy if you do not follow vocal health for singers.
Consider Your Environment
Many people assume that breathing and warming up properly are the only important elements to consider when it comes to vocal health however, this is not the case. Your practice environment needs to be considerate to your voice as well. How is the humidity level in the room? Are filters and vents clean and free of dust and mold? Is your area acoustically inviting or will you be tempted to over-sing to fill the space?
For these reasons, many singers prefer using a program such as “Singorama” because they can practice at home, in an environment that they trust. While going to a teacher’s studio may be great in theory, you can never be sure that there won’t be environmental influences that will negatively affect your voice. Practicing in overly large rooms all of the time can do a lot of damage if you are not properly trained on how to control your voice.
Physical and Mental Health
Vocal health for singers actually includes your physical and mental well-being as well. If you are sick, you should know that antihistamines will dry your vocal folds so you should never sing on them. Also, if you are contagious, you must never sing around other people.
Stress and tension can be damaging to your vocal health as well. Outside factors will affect your vocal production and cause tension in your singing muscles. Tension in your throat and jaw will cause you to strain and damage your voice. Therefore, you really need to always be aware of your mood and when it is not a good idea to practice so you can prevent potential damage.
And remember to always warm up before practising or performing. Some tips on warming up can be found here.