Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Healthy Voice and a Healthy You!

Healthy Voice and a Healthy You
As a singer, your body is your instrument, so it is important to take care of yourself.  In the winter months, many people work hard to not get sick and need to learn when and when not to sing.  Your voice is a delicate instrument you use everyday – take care of it and it takes care of you by allowing you to do what YOU want as a singer and artist.
Proper hygiene is only one of the ways to make sure you can sing well throughout the year. Here is a list of things to remember about your vocal health:
10 Things to Remember 
1.        Hygiene
-          Regularly wash your hands and minimize touching your face
2.       Hydration
-          Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day
-          Avoid or minimize caffeine, it dries you out!
3.       Rest
-          Get at least 8 hours of sleep a night!
4.       Avoid Unnecessary Medication
-          Decongestants, Cold Medications, Inhalers are drying agents.
Avoid them unless absolutely necessary- Use Nasal Saline Spray!
5.       Stay Physically Fit
-          Exercise often (3-5 times weekly)
-          Walking, swimming, running, yoga, and pilates are all excellent for singing!
6.       Sing Well
-          Good posture, breath support, correct range and appropriate repertoire
7.       Speak Well
-          Support your speech as you would your singing
-          Avoid talking too much
-          Don’t yell or talk over loud noise!
8.       Moderation of Singing and Speaking
-          Try not to talk too fast, too slow, too high or too low in pitch
9.       Don’t sing if you are ill!! Test yourself.  (See next article)
10.   Make time for a little relaxation and de-stressing time!
**  Above all take care of yourself and pay attention to your body signals!  If it doesn’t feel good, don’t do it!

What do you do when you are not feeling 100% and need to sing?

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