VOICE AVENUE

American Idol Season 11 has made some hot and controversial issues. I was one of the people who were upset of the result but instead of getting sad and be annoyed why not just share some things and ideas that are beneficial. So I decided to post about how to take care of your voice since American Idol is about battle of voices. This is not just for singers but also for those people who simply want to take care of their voices. Voice is one of important tools we use everyday.

HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOICE

1. Stay hydrated. Drink 2 quarts of water each day to help replenish your body’s moisture, as sickness can lead to dehydration, which will further damage your singing voice.

2. Get plenty of sleep so your body can rest and heal itself. Your vocal cords will heal just like the rest of your body, provided they have the opportunity.

3. Drink warm, smooth liquids such as honey or ginger tea. These soothe your vocal cords and make avoiding coughing a little easier.

4. This should be obvious, but smoking is really bad for your voice. Never mind the lung cancer, but the most immediate problem is that smoke dries out your vocal cords and decreases your lung capacity. You need to keep your vocal cords lubricated and your lungs clear. Herbal teas made with ginger and licorice will help. Some singers swear by chewing raw ginger, and others glug down Buckley’s Mixture to get their lungs opened up, but beware: these may also have an anesthetic effect on your voice.

5. When we are in extremely noisy environments, for example at a busy construction site or at a crowded club or pub, we would find that the overall noise levels in these places are far higher than what we usually encounter in our daily lives. As such, when we try to speak in these noisy conditions, we cause a lot of strain on our voices and may hurt our vocal cords in the process. Reducing our speaking time in these noisy environments will help to avoid unnecessary damage and aid in protecting our voice.

6. Avoid anti-histamines, decongestants and anti-depressants. These tend to cause dryness in our voice, as our vocal cords need to be well hydrated and moist in order to function properly.

7. Strike a Yoga pose. You don't have to be a Yoga lover to learn a few simple poses to help your voice. Try the Lion Pose to relax and open up the voice.

8. Exercise! A sluggish body diminishes vocal potential. Voices respond well to living in a healthy body. Exercise does not mean you have to stomp and punch yourself into oblivion. Find something you like. Bike riding or tango lessons are good. Swimming is excellent for singers.

9. Throat lozenges in packages that promise to relieve sore throat pain typically contain menthol, eucalyptus, or benzocaine, which temporarily numb the throat. These lozenges are aromatic, which means you inhale the chemicals as vapors. Unfortunately, the same chemicals that give temporary relief tend to irritate the vocal folds, making them more vulnerable to infection and strain. You are also more likely to overuse your voice if the “stop, it hurts” signals from your throat are numbed out. There are now many varieties of non-mentholated lozenges.

Even simple hard candy will do the job of stimulating saliva to keep your mouth comfortable, and ice chips may help to numb your throat pain without other side effects. Several over-the-counter mouth sprays are now marketed to vocalists at music, health-food, and drug stores. The main ingredients are typically glycerin or licorice, which may have a mild, temporarily soothing effect on the upper throat but little effect on the larynx itself. (Remember that when you swallow, what’s in your mouth goes down the other way.) There is some evidence that these sprays may irritate the vocal folds. They are also relatively expensive. It’s better to spend your money on good nutrition and training instead.