Plan Ahead! 5 Essentials For A Vocalist’s Busy Season
If you’re a singer or actor who is entering a busier than normal season it’s time to plan ahead. Otherwise, you are likely to be surprised at how quickly the voice will fatigue—just when you need it most!
Here are 5 things to keep in mind as you put your plan into action:
- Your voice needs nourishment in the form of good vocal exercise. And, since it’s part of your physical body it needs good diet and rest. Stress, fatigue, singing without first warming up etc. will cost you. If this sounds threatening, it should. There’s a reason that good, consistent singers pay attention to
every aspect of their lives. - Your mind is your primary preparation tool for mastering songs and scripts. Mindlessly singing songs over and over may help you eventually learn the material, but it will likely wear out your voice in the process. Do as much mental preparation as possible so you don’t have to sing or speak every time your working on your material. Clap rhythms, speak or lip-sync words in rhythm. Actors and singers should lip-sync through all lines to feel how much work the lips, tongue and teeth are involved. Then, keep this precision as you add sound.
- Posture and breathing are foundational. During all of the above pay attention to these physical aspects of singing. Check your posture and begin some breathing exercises right now. Posture and good breathing are a 24 hour a day practice that will affect you when you start singing. Check out my Ten Steps To Better Breathing for more on proper posture and breathing.
- Feel your voice. Begin humming off and on throughout the day to let the mind, ear and physical voice know there’s work to be done, and it has to do with sound. Focus on feeling easy, buzzing, tickling vibrations in the face, sinuses and nasal passages. Allow the voice to work. You don’t need to push, or force it.
- Prepare for any rehearsal times whether scheduled or just your own preparation with warm-ups. If you need a routine, Vocal Coach tools like Complete Breathing, Complete Warm-up, Daily Workouts and Group Warm-ups (see our store for more details) are made for this.
Have Your Best Voice This Holiday Season
Planning ahead takes time and effort, but you can not be your best without it. Think of the holiday season as a Marathon and your rehearsals as preparing for that Marathon. If you aren’t careful you’ll be out with an injury! But when you make a plan, you can enjoy using your voice all season long—a blessing to you and to others. And remember, just as I coach my local students and choirs through this wonderful season, I am here to support you as well. Stay tuned for more tips here at the blog and look for seasonal sales at our store so you can equip yourself with all the right tools.
