Your Health and Singing

Singing is unlike all other musical disciplines in that our instrument is our own body.  This has tremendous ramifications for how singers must take care of their body, or else they cannot sing to their full potential.  Stories abound of professional singers avoiding dairy products, communicating only by text messages and emails in order to avoid talking, and wrapping themselves in warm scarfs to protect their vocal folds from the cold, dry air.

I do not suggest to my voice students that they take these extraordinary steps; BUT there are a few things every singers must do.

1) Get adequate sleep - 6 to 8 hours a day.  It is almost impossible to sound excellent if your body is tired, let alone act well with lots of energy.

2) Figure out what foods and drinks that dry you out or make you produce excess mucus that would inhibit you from singing well.  Many singers avoid dairy products because their bodies produce too much mucus and make it difficult to sing.  For me personally, milk products are not a problem but I have to stay away from caffeinated drinks and orange juice.

3) Don't scream/yell.  If you have to scream, use proper support that you learned in lessons!

4) Don't eat heavily before singing, as it inhibits breathing deeply.

DWS