5 Secrets of Vocal Health + Longevity for the Singing Voice

5 Secrets of Vocal Health + Longevity for the Singing Voice

Vocal health is the foundation of a voice that not only sounds great, but lasts into your later years. Today’s blog will lay out the top five secrets of vocal health and longevity for the singing voice to help you keep your voice healthy for a lifetime.

Maintaining vocal health is critical for singers to preserve a strong, clear, and expressive voice. By understanding how your voice works and implementing strategies like hydration, vocal hygiene, and regular training and exercises, singers can protect their voices from common health and longevity issues. 

The 5 Secrets are:

• Train your singing voice with a solid vocal technique
• Practice good vocal hygiene and care
• Routine vocal maintenance
• Improve your speaking voice
• Manage vocal wear and tear

Here are my top 5 Secrets of Vocal Health and Longevity. This is how to protect and preserve your singing voice. 

1. Train your singing voice with a solid vocal technique

The number one cause of vocal loss and shortened longevity is a lack of healthy vocal technique. 

The best way to have a voice that lasts a lifetime is to train. The voice is a sophisticated, complex instrument that is easy to misuse without the right approach and technique.

Training with a solid vocal technique that is based on vocal health will protect your voice from misuse and the wear and tear of singing that accompanies performance.

Try this:  

• Get your voice out of your throat. The more you take the pressure off your throat, the more resonant and rich your voice will sound.  Use your breath and a good technique to get your voice out of your throat to stop ruining your voice.
• Open and free your voice with vocal stretches and massages to decrease tension and strain. Learn these techniques for free here.
• Set up the foundation of your voice with the correct techniques to eliminate inflammation and strain caused by incorrect singing. Learn these techniques here. 

The Cole Vocal Method is based on vocal health and teaches the correct biomechanical movements that not only unlock your voice but create a healthy instrument to last a lifetime. Click here to learn more about the Cole Vocal Method and how you can learn it. 

2. Practice good vocal hygiene and care 

Taking good care of your voice will help to protect your vocal health and longevity. 

Try this:  

• Stay hydrated
• Warm up your voice before singing
• Cool down your voice after singing using our Cole Vocal Method cool downs that reduce inflammation at the vocal folds. Click here to learn more.
• Avoid strain
• Avoid talking loudly for long periods of time
• Avoid yelling
• Avoid irritants: allergens and pollutants 

Early detection and professional guidance for any vocal problems are essential to long-term vocal well-being and to ensure a fulfilling and sustainable singing career. The sooner you catch mounting issues the sooner you can return to health. 

To restore your voice and vocal health, I created a series of vocal therapy exercises designed to recover your voice, reduce strain and restore your vocal health. Learn more about the Vocal Rescue Kit here.

3. Routine vocal maintenance 

Vocal maintenance and health are a routine part of keeping your voice healthy and improving longevity.

Routine vocal maintenance includes:  

• Daily vocal technique practice to strengthen your voice and keep it healthy
• Vocal therapy to help restore your voice when it needs more help and care
• Gargle daily with a toxin-free mouthwash or salt water
• Steam daily to improve vocal fold hydration
• Hydration. Stay hydrated with drinking water, coconut water, electrolytes, fresh squeeze green juices, broths, herbal teas etc. 

Take my Free Vocal Health Quiz, a short, simple quiz to assess your vocal health and learn my top tips and resources to keep your voice healthy.

4. Improve your speaking voice 

The speaking voice alone can ruin the singing voice. Developing good speaking voice skills and habits will protect your voice from misuse and ensuing vocal problems. 

Try this:  

• Improve your posture to avoid speaking from your throat
• Stop glottaling
• Use “linking” to link your words together in a more flowing phrases

To learn more about these techniques and exactly how to use your speaking voice correctly without causing vocal damage, I created a series of speaking exercises to improve placement. Learn more about my speaking voice exercises inside the Vocal Rescue Kit click here.

5. Manage vocal wear and tear 

From time to time, even the best singers run into vocal issues. From losing your voice after a gig, to chronic hoarseness or losing your voice altogether, it’s very unsettling. Especially when you depend on your voice for a living.

When it happens to you, it can be kind of tricky to figure out what is wrong and how to get back on track. I know anytime it happened to me, I would immediately wonder if I would ever have a healthy voice again.

Dr. Peak Woo (an internationally recognized laryngologist, clinical research scientist, and author of Stroboscopy) said that the physical effect of a 45-minute vocal performance is equivalent to a 2-hour football game for a linebacker. The impact of a live concert, the strain on the voice, is irrefutable. Like athletes, it is imperative that singers train or they are going to inevitably end up with injuries or issues. You can avoid all of that.

The signs of vocal deterioration that could develop into more serious issues are:

• Hoarseness that doesn’t go away in an hour
• Loss of vocal range and high notes
• Vocal fatigue
• Losing your voice after a show
• Continual hoarseness and raspiness that doesn’t go away