Vocal Health Tips and Suggestions

Performers: Any tips or suggestions on what to take or do to help your vocal chords when not feeling the best? A week before ALL of my performances, I wouldn't feel up to par (whether it were a sore throat, a cold, congestion, or whatever). My voice would start to fade out where I was then forced to go on vocal rest for the rest of the week or even later. I'm not sure if this is the right board to ask, but any help would be appreciated.

Updated On: 8/8/13 at 06:00 PM

That helped, thank you! When I started to recover, I did try to perform as usual. Funny that you mentioned that

Agree that you should have a vocal coach. The biggest stars have them too, a coach is an absolute must if you're singing with any sort of frequency and it sounds like you are. Definitely step one.

Then there's the obvious. Don't smoke, drink, or do any other drugs. Your voice is one of the first parts of your body that gets affected. Drink lots of tea and water.

When you feel like your voice isn't 100%, you need to figure out what's wrong and by no means should you push it, whether that means taking some time off, going on vocal rest, or some sort of treatment.

Everyone has their personal, at-home remedies they use like certain drinks, routines, etc. You can google a bunch of them online.

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I need to find out what's wrong. When I was on vocal rest (I regret this), I decided to belt a song at the top of my range more than once. At the time, my voice was recovering and I decided to perform anyway since I thought it would be OK. Now, my voice has been "stuck" in a "fading mood", where it's not all the way back. It's been months, and I'm really concerned.

You're asking for advice for the past?

I talked myself out of understanding complicated arithmetic when I was in 7th grade. Anybody have any tips on a better way I could have approached it in Junior High?

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