5 Ways to Keep Your Voice Strong and Resilient as You Age

5 Ways to Keep Your Voice Strong and Resilient as You Age

Singers don’t have to lose about losing their voice as they age, as long as they train with the right methods and techniques, they can preserve their voice all throughout life.

When you train with a vocal technique based in vocal health (like my Cole Vocal Method is), you will not only protect the longevity of your voice, but your sound will get even better.

Several factors contribute to singers losing their voices as they age. Here’s how to beat the odds and keep your voice long-term.

Here are 5 topics discussed in the Blog below:

• Physical Health Affects Vocal Longevity
• Vocal Technique Based in Vocal Science Improves Longevity
• Reduction in Compensatory Muscle Activity Increases Longevity
• Cooldown and Conditioning Exercises Increase Vocal Longevity
• The Overtone Series Reduces Strain, Improving Vocal Longevity

Let’s dive in…

1. Physical Health Affects Vocal Longevity

The voice is an instrument inside the body that affects the health, endurance and longevity of the singing voice. The healthier and more energetic the voice is the more vibrant the voice is. The healthier the spine and posture is, the better and more robust the sound is.

Work on improving your posture. Posture plays an important role in the sound and health of the voice. Posture is a key to stamina, endurance and longevity.

Most people have a slightly slumped chest and a forward head which causes issues for singers as it prevents them from breathing deeper into the diaphragm and causes a disconnection from the support of the chest and torso of the body in singing.

Postural alignment affects the support of the singing voice by opening deeper breathing and anchoring the vocal muscles to the trunk of the body that supports the voice.

Try this:

• Stand evenly in the center of both feet
• Soften your knees so they are not locked
• Scarecrow: Head sitting on top of spine
• Tuck your pelvis slightly underneath you
• Pull up tall out of the waist
• Shoulders at rest (heavy): down and back
• Lengthen the cervical spine (neck)
• Lift the base of your skull up towards the ceiling
• The head is level + placed over your body (not in front of)
• The chin slightly tipped down to achieve a level head position and a long cervical spine

This alignment inside my Cole Vocal Method is practiced during vocal technique to help clear the “vocal path” for the voice improving vocal health and longevity.

Learn more about The Cole Vocal Method here.

Work on improving your overall health and energy by staying hydrated with clean spring water, drinking electrolytes (to improve cellular energy), daily exercise, and a diet rich in protein, vegetables and fruits including fresh squeezed organic juices for energy production.

2. Vocal Technique Based in Vocal Science Improves Longevity

The top vocal techniques to improve tone, increase power all while promoting longevity are encoded inside the vocal technique you use to sing from.

Singers without vocal training will inevitably develop vocal problems because when the voice is not used correctly, it begins to break down.

The first signs are regular wear and tear of not recovering after a gig as quickly as before. Then a slow deterioration of high notes, diminishing range, added hoarseness that creeps in, and suddenly, your voice is not what it used to be.

Many vocal techniques focus solely on adjusting the surface sound of the voice and don’t address or ensure vocal health. This leaves the singer constantly adjusting the sound but never addressing improving the core function of the singing voice, which is where the real foundation and vocal health are accomplished.

When you manipulate sound on the surface, it can be compared to window dressing. It looks good in the window, but the foundation is faulty. The CVM™ addresses the root of the voice, focusing on biomechanics to enhance the root strength and core mechanics, thereby dramatically improving all qualities and components of the vocal instrument.

The Cole Vocal Method (CVM) differs from other techniques in that it is a comprehensive vocal method that addresses the biomechanics and health of the singing voice, grounded in 40 years of vocal science. The CVM serves as a foundational technique or works in conjunction with other vocal technique programs to accelerate results.

Learn more about The Cole Vocal Method here.

3. Reduction in Compensatory Muscle Activity Increases Longevity

Common compensatory muscle patterning is a complex name for a relatively straightforward process. When primary muscles do not work properly in movement, the brain tells other muscles to perform that movement instead.

For example, the jaw may contract when making sound in an effort to control the pitch or tone, when the pitch or tone is not controlled, there. So the jaw is jumping in to assist the vocal production because the brain is telling it to.

During vocal training, we strip away the compensatory muscles that constrict and even damage the voice, providing a freer “vocal path” for the voice.

We’ll start with the muscles that surround the voice. Some of these compensatory or accessory muscles that often over-function are:

• Tongue
• Neck
• Jaw
• Laryngeal muscles (throat)
• Facial muscles – eyebrows

Tension and over-functioning of these muscles constrict the voice and cause problems with vocal production, vocal stamina and health, and access to range and high notes.

To identify them, try this:

• Stand in front of a mirror and sing a scale or a phrase of a song with a bit of volume.
• Notice any movements in the head, neck or facial muscles.
• Do you see your chin lifting up as you raise in pitch?
• Do you see your facial muscles tightening or eyebrows lifting as you sing?
• Do you see your neck muscles tensing or bulging as you sing?
• All of these are accessory muscles that interfere with the sound constricting and damping your voice.
• Now practice singing without any of those movements.

The first step is to eliminate compensatory muscles that compensate for a lack of strength in the vocal instrument.
The next step is to strengthen the core vocal muscles using a vocal technique based in biomechanics and vocal science.

Learn more about The Cole Vocal Method here.

4. Cooldown and Conditioning Exercises Increase Vocal Longevity

Long before anyone was talking about cooldowns for singers, I introduced them to the market. As a part of my early training as a voice teacher, I was taught exercises based in vocal science that helped to reduce inflammation at the vocal folds.

Cooldowns are a specific series of aspirated exercises based in ee vowels that are used post show to reduce inflammation and prepare your voice for the next day of singing. They reduce hoarseness and help any mucus on the cords slip off.

I teach these specific Cooldown exercises inside my Vocal Rescue Kit or a deeper dive inside my Vocal Freedom Circle.

You can find both on the Shop: https://caricole.com/shop

In the past few years I have evolved cooldowns forming a new series of vocal exercises I call “Conditioning exercises”. These conditioning exercises also aspirated exercises from the “ee” vowel family, are a three-fold series designed to develop clarity of tone, recover the voice from over-singing or respiratory issues, and thirdly a set of advanced warmups for touring singers to keep their voices agile and flexible.

These Conditioning exercises are only taught in my 1:1 private sessions or inside my Vocal Mastery Program, a year-long program.

Learn more about The Vocal Mastery Program here.

5. The Overtone Series Reduces Strain, Improving Vocal Longevity

The overtone series in singing refers to the sequence of higher frequencies that occur above a fundamental pitch when a note is sung.

Developing overtones in singing comes from practicing specific exercises, that improve tone enhancing your ability to produce and amplify overtones.

In the Cole Vocal Method, singers practice exercises holding certain positions that build the strength and tone of the fundamental core muscles. This practice increases the overtone series resulting in fuller and richer tone.

Learn more about The Cole Vocal Method here.

Summary:

• ✨Keep up with physical health, which affects vocal longevity.
• ✨Practice vocal methods based in biomechanics to increase vocal health + longevity.
• ✨Strip away compensatory muscles that constrict the voice, contributing to vocal loss.
• ✨Conditioning exercises to reduce inflammation from over-singing.
• ✨Develop the overtone series to build real tone and power without strain.

To learn the CVM™ Movement Sequences 1-8 and join the Better Voice Challenge (it’s free), click here.