1. Singers are Vocal Athletes! Yep. Your voice is made up of muscles, which means that it needs regular exercise and practice to sound good! And, just like anything else in life, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Amateur singers, sing as much as you can, whenever you can, finding creative ways to add warm-ups and song fests to your days. And you professionals and aspiring professionals out there know perfectly well that happily singing regularly, at least an hour a day, will help keep your voice in tip-top shape.

2. With singing, your body is not only your temple, it’s your instrument. The way you care for it matters! Good self care that includes nutritious foods, plenty of water, sleep, physical exercise, happy thoughts, etc. will help keep your body AND voice healthy.
Stay hydrated – drink plenty of water! This was mentioned previously, but is important enough to mention again! Drink water, peeps!
Two more things worth noting about beverages:
A. Alcohol dehydrates us, and causes the vocal folds to swell, so they don’t fit together properly (like two puzzle pieces soaked in water  that won’t fit anymore). It also interferes with small motor movement, which with singing means you won’t have as much control of your voice. It could potentially be easier to injure yourself while singing (oversinging and not realizing it, etc) when drinking. This isn’t a moral statement. It’s just physically best to drink alcohol sparingly when singing, if at all, and drink water abundantly!
B. Bubbly drinks make you well, burp! And burping isn’t so helpful when singing. For obvious reasons, it’s therefore best to drink bubblies way before or after you sing :)

3. Be aware of acid reflux. It’s common among singers, and many don’t even know they have it until something really goes wrong. What is it? It’s when acid from the stomach goes back up the esophagus, coincidentally burning the underside of the vocal cords. As you can imagine, it’s best to avoid this experience altogether. How? Well, first of all, it helps enormously to eat alkaline foods, and not too close to bedtime.

Case in point: my boyfriend used to suffer from serious acid reflux, but for the past 5 or so years, since he started staying away from processed foods, plus adding kale, veggies, and other alkaline staples to his daily diet, he has not only felt better all the way around, but also has practically zero reflux! He now only experiences it when he strays back to his old ways (and I do my best to make sure we have plenty of delicious, nutritious options so that doesn’t happen!). Again, your body is your instrument, and wholesome eating is an important foundation for a healthy body and voice.

4. Warming Up Is Awesome! Athletes or dancers warm up first, and vocalists do too. It’s so much easier, and you’ll sound so much better after you do! It’s also great to include a physical body warm-up prior to your vocal warm-ups, because like we said, your body is your instrument and we want it warm, pliable, and ready to go!

5. When you’re finished singing, it’s equally important to Warm Down. When you take your toys out to play with them, momma says put them away when you’re finished! For vocalists, that means that after your vocal muscles get all stretched and exercised, a few gentle sighs from high to low and some neck and face massaging can go a long way to helping reduce swelling and strain in your vocal cords, which will help keep your voice healthy and happy for a long time to come.

6. Take the time to explore and understand BREATHING, i.e. BREATH SUPPORT, for singing. Confusing though it may be, “breath support” is a term voice teachers throw around for a reason ~ because breath literally is the gas that makes your voice go! And for singing, using breath used effectively to fuel your voice is a like a car using high-test gas. You’ll get more bang for your buck when you sing!

7. Visualize the vocalist that you want to be. Train yourself into a positive mindset. Learn from setbacks and keep going anyway. Use affirmations and visualization to get yourself where you want to be. Also, it helps SO MUCH to listen to the singers that you want to sound like. Really listen to them. You can’t make sounds that you can’t imagine or hear in your mind first! Listening to all the subtleties of tone, vocal inflection, dynamics, riffs, style, etc, will help train your ear to tell your brain to tell your body what to do. It makes a HUGE difference!

8. Keep your head level while singing. This goes for low, middle, and high notes. We tend to reach up with the chin and neck for high notes, and tuck the chin into the neck for low notes. Both of these actions crimp the windpipe hose, which means the sound can’t flow through easily. Practice in front of a mirror, or with your hand under your chin to make sure your head is staying level while you sing.

9. Raising your eyebrows while singing is not helpful! It’s an external crutch for what should be happening internally. We want space and muscular choreography inside of your mouth and throat, and the eyebrows just ain’t necessary for this process!
Let me tell you, I got into the habit of lifting my eyebrows when I was very young, and boy, have I had a tough time breaking that habit! To my chagrin, I still raise my eyebrows all bleeping the time! I am determined to continue lessening this habit, but it’s totally easier if you never start it in the first place! Either way, just know that it’s completely unnecessary, and actually lets us know that unnecessary tension is taking place somewhere.

10. Singing is a primal, wonderfully feel-good, healthy activity. If you want to sing, you should sing! Yes, we are all born with varying degrees of natural ability and “desirable” singing voices. Nevertheless, even though most of us will never be the next Pavarotti or Christina Aguilera, there is so much that can we do to develop and enjoy our voices.

Do people stop playing sports just because they’ll never be Olympic athletes? Heck no! So why would we do that with singing? It’s just as healthy as playing sports! Plus, you’d be surprised at how much joy and satisfaction even a little progress can bring. Learning how to sing and simultaneously letting go of perfectionism are great places to start. What it comes down to is, if you want to sing, then By Jove, SING! And if you’re a wounded singer (meaning you’ve been hurt by criticism about your voice at any time in your life, and have avoided singing because of it), then it’s time to let it go and do it anyway! Find appropriate, supportive places where you can let your voice fly to the winds, and in the great words of Nike, Just Do It!

With Love & Om On,

~ Kimberly

Book a complimentary Vocal Alchemy session with me—this is your sacred space to explore, express, and remember. You don’t need to know how. Just bring your curiosity and your courage. I’ll meet you there, and together, we’ll listen for what your soul longs to speak.

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