Make Sure You Protect Your Singing Voice With These Strategies

If you're serious about learning how to sing, finding a teacher in your community can take you from singing into the shower to singing on stage. Commitment to singing lessons will provide you with the right techniques for projecting your voice, reaching the right notes and holding a tune. If you find that you're singing regularly, you'll need to be careful about straining your voice. Too much singing can put pressure on your vocal chords and require you to take a break until you regain your voice. Here are some simple strategies that new singers can implement to protect their voices so that you won't have to cancel an upcoming lesson.

Keep Adequately Hydrated

Spending lots of time singing can dry out your mouth and throat, so it's imperative that you make sure you're always properly hydrated. While keeping hydrated has a number of benefits to your overall health, it will also keep your mouth and throat moist. The volume of water that you should plan to drink per day depends on your gender. For women, the suggestion is nine cups of water per day; for men, this number increases to 13 cups daily.

Don't Hang Out With Smokers

It's common sense to avoid smoking if you're trying to keep your singing voice healthy, but you should also take steps to avoid spending time in smoky environments. This means avoiding hanging out with friends and family members who smoke — especially if they do so indoors. While most establishments now prohibit smoking, take care to avoid places in which smoking is common, such as restaurant patios and casinos.

Avoid Areas In Which Yelling Is Necessary

Excessively talking and shouting can strain your vocal chords and harm your singing voice, so it's important to avoid talking too much or raising your voice. A simple way to avoid the latter is to steer clear of noisy environments in which you need to yell to be heard. For example, if you visit a dance club, you'll typically need to yell to communicate with those around you. Likewise, if you're on a boat, you'll find yourself straining to speak loudly so that others can hear you. While it's best to avoid such environments, if you do find yourself in one of these scenarios, simply try to be quiet.

Check For Medication Side Effects

Whenever you need to take medication, speak to your doctor or a pharmacist about the medication's side effects. A long list of medications can actually make your mouth dry, which can negatively affect your ability to sing. While you shouldn't skip taking medication if doing so will compromise your health, talk to your health practitioner about any alternative treatments that don't carry this side effect. Contact a business, such as the Canadian Academy Of Vocal Music, for more information.   


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