5 tips for good vocal health

How to keep your voice in good shape?

5 secrets so that your voice can always be prepared for any challenge in your day-to-day, both for singing and speaking.

Vocal maintenance and vocal warm-up are not the same thing.

There are certain practices that help us a lot to maintain our vocal sanity. Vocal warm-up, both for singing and speaking, requires targeted and specific vocal care for the vocal function in question.

Throughout my professional career, I have come across this issue many times, and I always had the feeling that if I didn't do vocal warm-ups every day, I wouldn't have the expected results for the challenges I faced.

I often come across students or colleagues who carry out exhausting vocal practices without any other type of care, and which result in extreme vocal fatigue. On the other hand, others who do nothing but use their voice for the intended job without any kind of preparation or maintenance, sometimes reflecting in more or less complex vocal pathologies.

There are other types of practices that help us a lot to maintain our voice and here I leave you 5 of my main daily practices that contribute a lot to the quality of my voice

Tip n.º 1 - The contact with nature

I have the happiness of living close to the beach and the woods of the national stadium and they are places that I visit daily

Contact with nature and physical exercise purifies and refreshes our organism, maintains our physical and emotional balance and is a good source of creative and vocal inspiration.

Tip n.º 2 - Drink water

Hydration is fundamental for our organism and for our voice.

In addition to the water that we should drink throughout the day, which we can also alternate with juices or infusions, there are foods that hydrate us, such as vegetables and fruits. as well as alcohol, soft drinks and caffeinated drinks, as these not only do not help us but also harm us, as they dehydrate our body a lot and in everything it is reflected in our sanity and vocal performance

"The human body depends on water to survive. All cells, tissues and organs in the body need water to function properly. The body uses water to maintain its temperature, remove waste and lubricate the joints."

Portuguese Association of Nutritionists

Dica n.º 3 - Rest

For many years I had an intense night life due to concerts, shows, performances and rehearsals. Sometimes I felt extreme fatigue and that was directly reflected in my voice. Today I have a more moderate nightlife, not least because I am a different age and even when I feel tired after my work day or before performances, a good nap or even a short one, but in a peaceful environment, solves the issue well. The hours of sleep and their respective schedules are essential to rebalance us.

Dica n.º 4 - Leisure

Leisure activities help me a lot to relax and pay attention to other factors that are also very important in life, such as a good concert, a dip in the sea, a walk, being with family and friends.

Reading and a good book are always good companions during breaks, a trip to the cinema or the theater, are also part of my moments of rest, or as the Italians say "Dolce far niente"

Dica n.º 5 - Exercise your voice

There are countless practices to exercise your voice, from humming, reading aloud, reciting a poem or prose.

The sound and vocal games with children (they love it) or even with adults, imitating the sounds that surround us, in short, an immensity of small games that, in a relaxed way, keep us vocally active and without major challenges or concerns.

In conclusion

Our voice does not depend only on vocal exercises. There are a whole series of practices that can help us to maintain our vocal sanity in an integral way.

If you show signs of vocal fatigue, do not hesitate to consult me.

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vocal greetings,

João Charepe