Looking after your voice when performing

Working in the performing arts industry, everyone talks about how important it is to eat healthily and exercise right.

But we use our voices every day and yet many performers forget to look after their voice, something that you can’t perform without.

The demands of using your voice and performing in different ways can take a toll on your vocal cords.

If you notice any change in your voice it’s important you take it seriously and address the problem.

Do you know how to look after your voice? 

Follow these tips to make sure you keep your voice healthy!

Healthy lifestyle and diet

Everything in your body is connected so if you’re unwell or unhealthy, your voice will feel this way too. 

• Smoking: Avoid smoking and if you can, avoid second-hand smoking as this can irritate your vocal cords.
• Drinks: Avoid alcohol and large amounts of caffeine as these can cause the body to lose water and dry out your throat. You should aim to drink 6-8 glasses of room temperature water every day. Make sure you sip water often throughout the day to avoid your throat getting dry.
• Your diet: Avoid eating spicy foods as these can cause stomach acids to move into the throat. You should eat plenty of fruit and vegetables because these provide you with vitamins that keep the body and throat healthy. 
• Wash your hands often: Washing your hands regularly helps to avoid the chance of getting a cold/flu that can affect the throat. If you use public transport, consider bringing a small hand sanitiser with you for cleanliness on the go.
• Exercise: keeping fit and active increases your stamina and helps to provide you with good breathing, which helps you to speak properly. 
• Sleep: Getting enough sleep is important in staying healthy and resting your voice. If you find yourself constantly tired, this is your body telling you to rest.

Using your voice carefully

• Don’t overuse your voice: Of course, you need to practise your performance to make sure you’re ready to go on stage but avoid singing/speaking when you don’t have too. If your throat starts to hurt or you feel a strain on your voice, make sure you rest it.

• Avoid screaming/whispering: Changing your voice to make loud/quiet sounds can put pressure on your voice and make it work harder. If you must do this for a performance, make sure you warm your voice up before and avoid over-practising.

• Practise breathing techniques: Just like you would warm your body up before performing, make sure you warm your voice up too. Similarly, at the end of the day you need to warm your voice down. Do this by performing vocal exercises, starting at the bottom of your range and slowly increasing the pitch.

• Rest your voice when you’re ill: It can be easy to try and work through illness but using your voice when you’re ill puts pressure on you and can make it worse. Make sure you rest to recover your voice and rest it in-between shows when you can to avoid the chances of you getting ill.