A Vocal Athlete Needs a Vocal Health Team Series
This week we begin our new series discussing the importance of having a vocal health team for yourself or any other vocal athletes in your life. To kick things off, we’ll explore what to do if you have a voice problem.
All athletes put superhuman demands on a human body and vocal athletes are no exception. Asking our bodies to accomplish superhuman feats creates the potential for injury. Vocal athletes also face a number of other factors that can lead to a voice problem or dysphonia (changes to the sound or function of the voice). If you have a voice problem, the most important thing is to get help from a vocal health team that has the appropriate level of expertise to work with vocal athletes.
How will you know if you have a voice problem?
One common symptom is a change in voice quality. You might notice that your voice is hoarse, raspy, breathy, gravelly, or strained. However, signs of a voice problem go beyond changes in quality. You might notice that your voice has been breaking and cracking when it didn’t previously do so. You might be experiencing pain, strain, increased effort with speaking or singing or your voice might be getting tired more quickly than usual. Sometimes singers notice they have lost pitch or loudness range–high notes may be harder or impossible to reach, low range might increase, or there may be a gap in pitch range. You might notice that you can’t sing softly any more.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms or if anything unusual is happening to your voice, don’t wait–get help!
Any symptom that lasts for more than two weeks should get checked out by a specialized voice care team. Sometimes vocal athletes think, “I should just push through it” when they’re having a voice problem. This is not a good idea. Pushing your voice when you’re experiencing a voice problem can make the problem worse, and delaying care can make it harder to recover. Having a voice problem doesn’t mean you did anything wrong or that you are “damaged.” Again, singers are vocal athletes and athletes get hurt. The important thing is to get help from appropriate professionals.
Next week, we’ll discuss what to look for in a voice care team. As a vocal athlete, you deserve to get the best care for your voice!
Take care of yourself and your voice,
Your SonoVoice Team
Next Week: A Vocal Athlete Needs a Vocal Health Team Part II
You are a vocal athlete!
Athletes put superhuman demands on the human body. They practice to stay in shape, get better and prepare for the event. No athlete expects to perform at their best without working on their technique, practicing skills, and preparing for the game.
The same goes for you as a vocal athlete. Practice will help you be prepared for your event: performance. Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut! If you want to be at your best as a singer, you’ll need to establish a regular vocal exercise and practice regimen.
In our weekly Vocal Fitness Friday email, SonoVoice's team of experts in science-based voice training will be sharing information about how the voice works, tips on keeping your voice healthy, and ideas for vocal exercises for peak vocal fitness.
