Survival Tips For Choral Singers

Teresa A. Radomski, M.M. Aside from singing in the shower, choral groups offer abundant performance opportunities for the amateur vocalist. Whether one participates in a church choir, more competitive community chorus, or in the company of a local musical theater production, the following guidelines should help to get the most out of the experience. WARM UP, ENERGIZE! Most choral singers arrive at evening rehearsals exhausted after a long day's work, so it's important to begin with an overall physical warm up. Stretching, "loosening" exercises and calisthenics "wake up" the body, while "yawning" and relaxed humming gradually get the voice going before more extensive vocalizing. Warming up should begin in the car, en route to the rehearsal. THINK POSTURE! A "collapsed" posture limits breathing capacity and puts stress on laryngeal muscles. Most choral singers rehearse sitting down, with music in hand -- a position that often becomes inefficient, through "slumping" back in the chair, crossing the legs, etc. "Sitting up" may seem to require effort, but in fact, an erect, wellbalanced sitting posture is less tiring in the long run. A good concept is to imagine the head "floating" directly above the pelvis, and the rib cage expanded. The music should be raised to eye level, however the shoulders must remain relaxed. Both feet should be "flat on the floor". When standing during a performance, be careful not to "lock" the legs. Always wear comfortable shoes -- no high heels! A rigid stance, combined with nervous tension and inadequate ventilation can cause choir members to feel faint, and occasionally lose consciousness! BREATHE! This may seem obvious, but many choral singers simply do not allow themselves an adequate breath, and instead, "gasp" for air in order to stay with the conductor's beat. Admittedly, breath management can be challenging in group singing. Good choral directors are aware of this, and endeavor to indicate breathing with their conduction gestures. Ultimately, however, it is the singer's own responsibility to maintain efficient breath support. SING THE RIGHT PART! Singers may be incorrectly classified in order to accommodate the needs of the choral group. Tenors are often scarce, so baritones may be induced to sing the tenor part, which can strain the voice. It is possible to use certain vocal techniques, such as singing falsetto in the upper register, to render the voice more versatile. If you are uncomfortable singing in the required range, and suspect that you are "mis-placed", request a change of part or help with vocal technique. It is hoped that choral conductors will guide singers in the best possible use of their voice. DON'T OVER-SING! Singing loudly in order to hear oneself over other singers usually stresses the voice. "Showing off" one's voice is inappropriate in group singing -- it doesn't contribute well to a choral "blend," and it is usually resented by fellow singers! If you need to check the accuracy of your pitch, simply put a finger in one ear. Even when fortissimo singing is required, it is wise not to push the voice -- always sing on the "interest," not the "principal"!

ARTICULATE WISELY! Discomfort in singing is often caused by tension in the articulation of consonants and vowels. Choral singers are generally encouraged to enunciate clearly, but care should be taken that the jaw, tongue, and lips remain as relaxed as possible. Furthermore, it is necessary to modify pronunciation for efficiency and ease of vocal production; for example, sopranos need to "open" vowels on high notes. PREPARE YOUR MUSIC! Whenever possible, try to learn your part before coming to the rehearsal. If you are insecure about pitch, it is unlikely that you will sing well. Hesitation impedes good vocal technique! AVOID TALKING! Not only is chatting disruptive to others (especially the conductor!), but it tires the voice. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! Being a choir member is the same as being a member of an athletic team, and you have a responsibility to safeguard your health. Avoid smoke and alcohol -- partying should be postponed until after the final performance! Get plenty of sleep and aerobic exercise. "Hydrate" -- drink plenty of fluids in order to reduce irritating phlegm. Use common sense when you're sick -- if possible, miss a rehearsal rather then sing over a cold or flu, and avoid exposing other choir members to your germs! TAKE VOICE LESSONS! If you really want to maximize your enjoyment of choral singing, a few voice lessons can provide valuable insight. Ideally, your teacher should understand and appreciate both choral and solo singing techniques. Teresa Radomski, MM, is an accomplished soprano soloist and Associate Professor of Voice and Theatrical Singing at Wake Forest University. In addition, Ms. Radomski is a consultant for the Center for Voice Disorders, and a contributing editor of the Voice Center newsletter. Her column, "A Singer's Notes" is a regular feature of THE VISIBLE VOICE. Ed.

What can you do to look after your voice? Well warm-up your voice before you start to sing is very important. So many singers, just get out there and start belting. You wouldnt see an athlete tearing around the track without warming up their body first, so offer your voice the same consideration. It doesnt take much effort. Start with a few deep, controlled breaths, followed by some humming. Hum your favourite song, if scales are not your thing.

Use your voice to make a squeaky door being opened sound (use the ee sound to slide up and down your vocal range).

 Move onto singing some of your gentler songs, before you start tackling the belters. Also know your limits. Dont try to sing too high, or too low until you are warmed up enough. Start at a comfortable range and extend from there. Vocal Hydration Vocal hydration is extremely important. Our cords are delicate membranes, which dry out very easily (especially in dry, smoky atmospheres). So drink plenty of water. Most people dont realise that when we drink, that liquid doesnt actually wash over our vocal cords. When we swallow, a flap comes over the windpipe to prevent food and liquid from going down into our lungs. So you need to be drinking plenty of water many hours before you start to sing, so that it is absorbed by the body and distributed to where it is needed. There are a number of sprays on the market, which if sprayed when breathing in, can help lubricate your cords. Also steam inhalation is good at getting moisture onto your cords. Drinking (alcohol). Weve all needed Dutch Courage at some point, but alcohol can lead to damage of your cords. Huh? I hear you say. Alcohol numbs our nervous system, and helps lose our inhibitions. For example, you might have accepted a gig and feel a little nervous so you have a stiff drink before you go on stage. Normally, when youve not had a drink, you know when your voice is tired or when you have pushed your voice too far because you will feel discomfort in your throat. But, since youve had your drink your throat is numb. Your buzz of the gig is pushing your voice past its usual boundaries (this may take the form of singing too loud, too high, too low, or simply for too long a time period) and you cant feel those warning signs. You wake up in the morning, with a sore head and no voice for several days (or in some cases several weeks!) Smoking.

There are no health benefits to smoking, so either cut down or stop completely. Smoking affects your lung capacity, so you will struggle to hold onto those long notes. Also smoking irritates the membranes in the windpipe, resulting excessive mucus and a cough, which can inflame the vocal cords, as well as all the other health problems associated with smoking. That leads me onto recreational drugs if drinking and smoking are bad drugs are even worse. Dont go there! Avoid abusing your voice throughout the day. Dont talk for long periods of time you will find your voice will get hoarse. Avoid whisper- ing. This is stressful to your voice and will cause vocal fatigue. Do not shout over loud noises, such as machinery or concerts. Ive know a few who have yelled at rock concerts, etc, and havent been able to sing for months afterwards. Its just not worth it! Ive had lots of questions about what to do if youve lost your voice due to colds, hoarseness and voice loss. Im not a doctor, and I always recommend you seek professional advice, but I can provide a few tips: 1. REST!! 2. Drink plenty of Water. 3. Avoid Tea, Coffee, Cream & Alcohol

4. Take Vitamin C tablets or eat fruits/ vegetables rich in Vitamin C to aid your bodys natural defences. Hot Lemon & Honey or Blackcurrant both contain vitamin C and anti-viral properties and fresh ginger has natural anti-inflammatory properties grate a little ginger and add it to hot water, sweeten with honey if required. 5. Severe, violent coughing can injure the vocal cords. Cough Syrup, Throat Sprays and Lozenges can help. These are good for temporary relief of symptoms, but they are not going to treat the cause.

6. Hot Water Steam Inhalation, with or without a few drops of Eucalyptus, Peppermint or other Essential Oil helps to clear the sinuses, and get moisture onto the vocal cords 7. Do NOT attempt to Sing and avoid Talking until you feel better to allow the inflammation an opportunity to reduce. This may be even take several weeks 8. On recovery start with some gentle humming for 5-10 minutes at a time and slowly build up to a few vocal exercises in your mid- range gradually expanding the range over several days. The rate of recovery will depend on the severity of illness and how experienced a singer you are. Any recurrence of hoarseness stop and rest the voice for another couple of days.

Eating and Drinking before singing Drink lots of water before your performance, so that your vocal cords are well lubricated. Also keep water close by when you do perform but just remember, if you are performing and you got a full bladder, you have to wait until youve finished. Dont get caught short and make sure you visit the loo before you go on stage! Eat lightly before a performance. full stomach. Abdominal breathing is uncomfortable on a

Cold things may constrict your vocal cords. Hot things may loosen then too much, so try to eat and drink things at a room temperature Milky drinks and dairy products may cause your body to produce too much mucous and will clog up your vocal cords. If youre prone to this, avoid dairy products before you sing Lozenges or Gum are good at helping to produce saliva, which helps lubricate your throat.

If symptoms continue, seek advice from your own Doctor.

Practice Makes Perfect I must have said to everyone I have taught Practice. The truth is that the more you practice the better you get. If you have a problem with a particular phrase in a song, just concentrate on that phrase until it flows naturally, then move on to another problem and work on that. Depending on how serious you are about singing, you should keep about 12 hour practice on most days. This helps your breathing and strengthens your vocal cords, without over- working them. Think of your vocal workout like building yourself up in the gym. The more you do the stronger you get. The same goes for your voice. Dont sing to the point of hoarseness. You will run the risk of damaging your vocal cords. Constantly overworking your voice can cause nodules on your vocal cords, which can affect your voice. Whatever you are worst at, practice the most. It is pointless practicing songs you already sing well. Practice the songs or parts that you struggle with the most, until these become easy for you. Just run over the ones you sing well once a week or so, so that you dont slip into any bad habits. Use a tape recorder or some means to record yourself when your practice. You will hear what you sound like and find out how you are doing, where you are going wrong, give you ideas on how to change something, etc. You will find this a very useful learning tool And Most Importantly Take time out. We all need to have a break. You need a complete rest from singing at least once a week and I mean a complete rest. No practice, no singing along to your favourite records, no singing in the

bath etc. Also if you done a hard or long gig, then give your voice a rest the following day. I know that vocal health is easier said than done, especially when an important gig is due. However, please weigh up the importance of the booking against the potential damage to your voice, especially if your voice is below par.

For singers, this means careful attention to the following recommendations for good laryngeal health and the prevention of serious vocal problems:

General rules of good health for the entire body Voice training and exercise Proper speaking techniques Good vocal habits (avoidance of yelling, throat clearing, etc.) Attention to allergies and hormone balance Prompt and professional care for respiratory infection and laryngitis

1 Joseph C. Stemple, Clinical Voice Pathology, (Columbus, Ohio, 1984), p. 158. 2 Friedrich S. Brodnitz, Keep Your Voice Healthy, (New York, 1953), p. 88. 3 Stemple, p. 158. 4 Richard Luchsinger, M.D. and Godfrey E. Arnold, M.D., VoiceSpeech-Language, (Belmont, California, 1965), p. 157. 5 Brodnitz, p. 94. 6 Dalia Sataloff and Robert T. Sataloff, M.D., "Obesity and the Professional Singers," The NATS Bulletin, Vol. 44, No. 5 (May/June 1988), pp. 26-27. 7 Ibid. 8 Meribeth Bunch, Dynamics of the Singing Voice, (New York, 1982), pp. 110-111. 9 Ibid, p. 111. 10 Van L. Lawrence, M.D., "U.R.I.'s," The NATS Bulletin, Vol. 37, No. 4 (March/April 1981), p. 41.

11 Ibid, p. 42. 12 Ibid. 13 Van L. Lawence, M.D., "Sermon on Hydration (The Evils of Dry)," The NATS Journal, Vol. 42, No. 4 (March/April 1986), p. 23. 14 Rosalie Loeding, Loeding's Ten Commandments For Vocal Health, "Vocal Stress," workshop presented at Delta Omicron 1987 Triennial Conference, Jefferson City, Tennessee, August 1, 1987. 15 Lawrence, p. 23. 16 Joseph C. Stemple, Clinical Voice Pathology, (Columbus, Ohio, 1984), p. 159. 17 Van L. Lawrence, M.D., "Post-Nasal Drip,' The NATS Bulletin, Vol. 39, No. 1 (September/October 1982), p. 27. 18 Meribeth Bunch, Dynamics of the Singing Voice, (New York, 1982), p. 112. 19 Robert T. Sataloff, M.D., "A 'First Aid Kit' For Singers," The NATS Journal, Vol. 43, No. 1 (September/October 1986), p. 22. 20 Robert T. Sataloff, M.D., "Ten More Good Ways to Abuse Your Voice: A Singer's Guide to a Short Career (Part II)," The NATS Journal, Vol. 43, No. 1 (September/October 1986), p. 22. 21 Van L. Lawrence, M.D., "Cigareets and Whiskey and Wild, Wild Women," The NATS Bulletin, Vol. 38, No. 3 (January/February 1982), p. 27. 22 Sataloff, p. 23. 23 Van L. Lawrence, M.D., "Marihuana and Cocaine," The NATS Journal, Vol. 43, No. 2 (November/December 1986), p. 27. 24 Frank B. Wilson, Ph.D., Speech course presented when visiting professor, North Texas State University, Denton, Texas, Spring, 1985. 25 Sataloff, p. 23. 26 Bunch, p. 117. 27 Sataloff, p. 23. 28 Lawrence, p. 27. 29 Ibid. 30 Van L. Lawrence, M.D., "Handy Household Hints: To Sing or Not to Sing," The NATS Bulletin, Vol. 37, No. 3 (January/February 1981), p. 25. 31 Ibid.

32 Johan Sundberg, The Science of the Singing Voice, (DeKalb, Illinois, 1987), p. 185. 33 Manuel Garcia, Hints on Singing, (New York, 1894, 1982), p. 18. 34 Berton Coffin, Coffin's Sounds of Singing, 2nd ed., (Metuchen, New Jersey, 1987), p. 220. 35 Richard Luchsinger, M.D. and Godfrey E. Arnold, M.D., VoiceSpeech-Language, (Belmont, California, 1965), p. 157. 36 Robert T. Sataloff, M.D., "Ten Good Ways to Abuse Your Voice: A Singer's Guide to a Short Career (Part I)," The NATS Journal, Vol. 42, No. 1 (September/October 1985), p. 24. 37 Robert T. Sataloff, M.D. and Barbara-Ruth Roberts, "Stress in Singers," The NATS Journal, Vol. 42, No. 3 (January/February 1986), p. 26. 38 Harvey M. Tucker, M.D., The Larynx, (New York, 1987), p. 156. 39 Daniel R. Boone, The Voice and Voice Therapy, (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1983), p. 206. 40 Morton Cooper, Ph.D., "Be Good to Your Voice," Prevention, (May, 1979), pp. 142-144. 41 Rosalie Loeding's, Loeding's Ten Commandments For Vocal Health, "Vocal Stress", workshop presented at Delta Omicron 1987 Triennial Conference, Jefferson City, Tennessee, August 1, 1987. 42 Alan R. Reich, Ph.D., "Evaluating and Preventing Dysphonia in the Vocal Artist/Athlete," Short Course presented at Annual Convention of American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Toronto, November, 1982, pp. 9-10. 43 George Antolik III, "The Prevention of Vocal Hyperfunction in Singers," Doctoral Dissertation, Louisiana State University, School of Music, August, 1978, p. 88. 44 Manuel Garcia, Hints on Singing, (New York, 1894, 1982), pp. 17-19 and editor's note, p. 18. 45 Meribeth Bunch, Dynamics of the Singing Voice, (New York, 1982), p. 116. 46 Ibid, pp. 113-116. 47 Johan Sundberg, The Science of the Singing Voice, (Dekalb, Illinois, 1987), p. 193. 48 Ibid, p. 194.

49 Richard Luchsinger, M.D. and Godfrey E. Arnold, M.D., VoiceSpeech-Language, (Belmont, California, 1965), p. 156. (c) 2003 by Barbara Mathis
SOME BASIC TIPS for

VOCAL HEALTH

PROBABLY THE MOST DIFFICULT PART OF TEACHING MUSIC FOR THE NON-MUSIC SPECIALIST IS VOCAL HEALTH. THE FOLLOWING TIPS WILL HELP INSURE THAT YOUR STUDENTS ARE NOT INJURING THEIR VOICES IN YOUR MUSIC LESSONS. These exercises are also excellent for all teachers. We teachers use our voices far more rigourously than most. Learning these simple guidelines will help you protect your voice as well!

The single most important thing you can do for you students vocal health is to start off any singing activity with vocal wearm-ups. Putting your music lesson at the beginning of the day can really be a big plus for your students' health! However these are beneficial exercises whenever you choose to use them. These Warm-ups have 3 basic principles behind them: 1. Good Posture 2. Proper Breathing 3. Be gentle with your voice and Warm-up before intensive use. Try the following vocal exercises with your class:

WARM-UPS Good posture is very important if you want to get the best out of your and your students' voices. When you are going to sing, watch that the students are in a position of minimum tension and maximum flexibility with ears directly over shoulders, shoulders over your hips. Ask them to

check that they can still see their shoulders out of their peripheral vision. 1. GOOD POSTURE - An exercise for practising is to have students pretend they are all puppets dangling on a single string attached to the top of their heads. Be conscious of how you and your students breathe. Deep breathing is essential for safe, healthy, effective voice production. When you breathe in, aim to feel as if you take in air as low down in your body as possible without your shoulders having to rise. Allow tummy muscles to relax outwards as you breathe in. 2. PROPER BREATHING - Begin your singing with exercices that focus on proper breathing. Panting like a dog or holding hands on the diaphram to feel it expanding outward while breathing in deeply are two such exercises. After that it's time for a gentle vocal warm-up. 3. VOCAL WARM-UP - First, ask students to massage their faces, lips, and throat to relax tension. Have the class hum an "m" sound gently up and down their voice range to to start the vocal warm-up. Then, sing a series of round open vowels such as "Mmmeee-MmmayMmmah-Mmmoe-Mmmoo" on one note and then repeating moving up and down the scale. Check breathing - relax your tummy muscles outwards as you take a breath in. These exercises will insure properly warmed-up voices. you will be amazed how these simple exercises will make voices (including your own!) sound alive and free.

Other vocal health hints for both you and your students: - Be sure you keep your vocal folds moist and well lubricated. You can do this by drinking plenty of liquids throughout the day. Be sure your

students do this as well. - Keep tea and coffee consumption to a minimum though, as the caffeine in these drinks dries out the vocal folds and can make the voice sound raspy and scratchy. Alcohol is also bad for the voice, as it dehydrates the body and therefore the vocal folds. - Take time to take a relaxed, deep breath when you need to before you start to sing or speak. It will make you and your students feel calmer and more confident. - Don't do all the talking in class - getting others to participate by challenging your listeners, asking them questions and stimulating discussion not only is good teaching practise, it is also important for your health to give your voice a restnow and again! - After speaking for a long time, warm-down by drinking some tepid water. Yawn and then breathe deeply. A yawn is a good exercise for your kids singing as well. - To nurse your voice through a cold or a throat infection, steam it - put some hot water in a basin, lean over it gently with a towel over your head and inhale the steam. Be careful not to scald yourself! For the best results, do this several times a day for approximately 10 minutes at a time. - Look after your voice. Don't strain it. Eliminate background noise before you try to speak loudly over it. If you have to project your voice, always use breath support. - Watch that you and your students DO NOT push your voices from the throat. When you speak, your navel should move towards your backbone. If this doesn't happen, you won't get the best from your voice and you may even damage your voice without realising it. Look for this in the breathing exercises above. This page partly adapted from CONRAD VOICE CONSULTANCY site in England