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What can I do for a sore throat? How can I protect and care for my voice?
Here are some suggestions for throat therapy from members of the
[Worship] email discussion group:
- Make sure to drink lots of decaffeinated liquid daily. Hydration is
very important and caffeine has a drying effect.
- Identify possible negative, vocal behaviors such as excessive throat
clearing, coughing, loud talking, whispering, yelling, singing beyond
your range, and hard vocal attack, (forced voicing). These are abusive
to your voice. Try to swallow instead of throat clear. Avoid talking
in the presence of noise. Talk in a quiet voice, but do not whisper.
- Watch for neck stain. Use good posture, a relaxed jaw, and a wet and open throat.
- Use diaphragmatic breathing when singing and when speaking to support
the voice and decrease vocal strain. Aerobic exercise can be of benefit
in promoting better breath stream management and overall vocal health.
- Relaxation exercises can be of benefit. Even yawning before singing helps
to relax the muscles associated with voice use.
- If you do a lot of talking throughout the day, then set aside some time for
quiet activities.
- The "sorbees" or a similar hard candy can help with lubrication before
singing or talking. Other losanges you can try are:
- Entertainers' Secret
- Slippery Elm (found in herbal food stores)
- Zinc Lozenges
- Avoid dairy products as they are mucous producing. Limit the use of
decongestants because they are drying.
- Warm-up the voice a little before trying to reach those low and high
range extensions. Use scales or lines of a song changing keys up or down
to gradually get into these extensions.
- When you begin to get hoarse pay particular attention to your voice as not
to cause more damage. Begin immediately to conserve your voice using the
guidelines listed above. Give yourself some vocal rest. (some time out
from talking or singing)
- For those times that you are hoarse you may want to try a sterile
saline wash. This sounds terrible, but it may temporarily restore your
voice. Sniff warm salt water in through your nose and expel the solution
through your mouth several times. You can purchase saline solution or
make your own.
Where can I get information on ear training?
You can check out Ear Trainer
webpage for some information. |
