Managing Vocal Health During Long Performance Runs

For musical theatre singers and artists on tour, maintaining vocal health over long performance runs is crucial to delivering consistent performances without burnout. A demanding schedule of daily or near-daily shows can put strain not only on your voice but on your entire body and mind. Whether you're performing in a Broadway show or on a national tour, prioritizing vocal wellness will ensure you stay in top shape for the entire run. Here are some essential tips and exercises to help you protect your voice and overall well-being.

Understand the Physical Demands of Singing

Singing for long periods can be taxing on the body, especially when the voice is your primary instrument. Overuse can lead to vocal fatigue, hoarseness, or more serious vocal injuries. Key contributors to vocal strain include improper technique, dehydration, stress, and a lack of sleep and physical fitness.

Warm Up Properly

Just like athletes stretch before a game, singers must warm up their voices.

Vocal Warm-up Routine:

A good warm-up routine helps prepare the voice for the demands of singing. Here’s a sequence of exercises that focuses on breath control, resonance, flexibility, and tension release:

1. Breathing exercises:

• Breathing: Inhale deeply through the nose, allowing your rib cage to expand. I like to tell my students to think about breathing in through the mid-back. Then exhale slowly through pursed lips or a small straw. Repeat 5-10 times.

• Sssss-Tssss Exercise: After a deep breath, exhale on an extended “S” sound, aiming for smooth, controlled airflow. Gradually increase the length of the sound. This builds breath control and support.

2. Lip trills:

• Engage your breath and vocal folds without adding too much pressure. Trill your lips while gliding smoothly through your range. Begin in the middle, move upward to your high range, and then back down. This relaxes the voice and helps with flexibility.

• Try different scales (e.g., 1-3-5-8-5-3-1) while keeping the airflow steady and light.

3. Sirens:

• Start at a comfortable low note and slide all the way up to your highest note and back down again. Use an "ng" sound (like in "sing") to focus the resonance in your nasal cavity, which relieves vocal tension. Repeat 3-5 times to gently engage the full range.

4. Vocal Fry:

• Begin with gentle vocal fry (the lowest sound your vocal cords can make without pressure) to wake up the vocal folds. This exercise encourages relaxed, natural closure of the vocal folds. Do this on an easy pitch for 5-10 seconds then sing a preferred vocal exercise.

5. Humming:

• Hum gently on a five-note scale (1-2-3-4-5-4-3-2-1), keeping the lips soft and ensuring that the vibrations resonate forward, especially in your cheeks and forehead. Focus on breath flow and tension-free singing. This keeps the voice light while engaging resonance.

6. “Ng” Exercise:

• Sing a simple five-note descending scale (5-4-3-2-1) on an "ng" sound, focusing on sending the sound forward through your nasal passages. Then, open to an “ah” at the bottom of the scale to allow full vocal resonance.

7. Straw Phonation:

• Use a straw to help ease vocal tension while engaging in breath support. Sing through the straw while gliding up and down your range, or sing simple scales. This helps reduce excess pressure on the vocal folds while promoting healthy airflow and resonance.

8. Jaw and tongue release:

• Sing a series of descending scales on “yah, yah, yah” while focusing on loosening the jaw and tongue. Keep the jaw relaxed and let the tongue move freely. This helps release any built-up tension in the articulators.

9. Pitch Glides:

• Use "ee" or "oo" vowel sounds to glide smoothly from your lowest comfortable note to your highest, and back down again. The focus here is on fluid transitions without any sudden breaks in the voice.

Stay Hydrated

Hydration is a must for singers, as it keeps your vocal cords lubricated and flexible. Aim for at least 8 glasses of water a day, but increase that amount if you're performing multiple shows a day or working in dry environments. Herbal teas (without caffeine), humidifiers, and nebulizers can also help keep your throat and vocal cords moisturized. Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smokey and/or noisy environments.

Pacing Your Voice

During long performance runs, pacing yourself is key to preventing vocal strain. Consider these strategies:

• Mark your rehearsals: When rehearsing, avoid singing at full volume unless necessary. "Marking" involves singing at a reduced volume and intensity to preserve your voice.

• Limit talking: While socializing after shows is fun, limit how much you speak in loud environments. Your voice needs rest to recover, and talking loudly over music or background noise can be just as damaging as singing.

• Use proper speaking technique: Avoid pushing or straining your speaking voice. Speak with the same breath support and resonance you use for singing.

Rest Your Voice and Body

Rest is vital for vocal recovery. The vocal folds need time to recover from continuous use. Vocal rest means not singing and reducing speaking to a minimum, especially if you feel fatigued or hoarse. Sleep is equally important for overall health, so aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night.

Engage in Full-Body Wellness

Your voice is part of a larger system, and full-body health contributes to vocal wellness. Consider incorporating these activities:

• Yoga or Pilates: Both practices focus on breath control, posture, and core strength, which are essential for singers. They also reduce tension and improve flexibility, helping to prevent vocal fatigue.

• Alexander Technique: This technique teaches you to release unnecessary tension and use your body more efficiently. It encourages natural alignment and helps you maintain balance, reducing the physical strain on your voice.

• Cardio exercise: Light to moderate cardio, such as walking or swimming, promotes overall endurance and lung capacity, which can enhance breath support during singing.

Mindfulness and Stress Management

Touring and long runs can be mentally exhausting. High stress levels can lead to tension in the body, which in turn affects vocal performance. Developing a mindfulness practice can reduce anxiety and promote mental clarity, helping you stay present and calm before and after shows.

Mindfulness Practices:

• Meditation: Even just 5-10 minutes a day of focused breathing or mindfulness meditation can help calm your mind and reduce stress.

• Visualization: Visualize successful performances, focusing on how your body feels when you're relaxed and confident. This helps reinforce positive performance habits.

• Progressive muscle relaxation: This involves tensing and then relaxing each muscle group, helping you become aware of where tension accumulates in your body.

Cool Down After Shows

Cooling down your voice after a performance is just as important as warming up. A brief cooldown can help reduce vocal tension and prevent fatigue.

Vocal Cool-Down Routine:

• Gentle humming: Humming in a low, comfortable range helps relax your vocal folds after intense use. Focus on keeping your voice light and easy.

• Yawn sighs: Let your voice slide from the top of your range down to the bottom, using a sighing motion. This releases tension and helps the vocal cords return to a relaxed state.

• Neck stretches: Gently tilt your head to each side, forward, and back to release any remaining tension in the neck and shoulders.

• Vocal fry: Gently vocal fry on a comfortably low pitch to encourage relaxation of the vocal instrument and the surrounding muscles.

Listen to Your Body

Finally, the most important rule for long performance runs is to listen to your body. If you start feeling vocally fatigued or notice changes in your voice, such as a reduced range or hoarseness, take immediate action. This may mean incorporating more vocal rest, seeking help from a vocal coach, or consulting with a medical professional to address potential issues.

Conclusion

Performing in long musical theatre runs or while touring can be exhilarating, but it also requires serious commitment to vocal health. By staying hydrated, warming up properly, pacing your voice, engaging in full-body wellness, and practicing mindfulness, you'll set yourself up for vocal longevity. Keep these tips in mind to ensure you give your best performance every night while maintaining your voice and body in peak condition.

Your audience will thank you—and so will your voice!

It’s not easy figuring this out alone so please get in touch with me if you need help, or leave me a comment below for discussion. If you would like to schedule a 1-on-1 Alexander Technique informed voice lesson with me, drop me a line here. I teach locally in Knoxville, TN and nationally/internationally online!

Learn more about me and my approach visit the “Meet Blayne” page.