5. Besides cultivating good habits of voice and speech production, how can we actively care for and maximise the use of our voices in terms of modifying our lifestyle and environment?

Bunch (1997) has written a chapter on the prevention and care of vocal problems. Firstly s/he looked at general health and nutrition and the first thing mentioned is sleep. “A tired body means a tired voice” and so sleep and rest is needed to maintain a healthy body and voice. Eating wise, a balanced diet is advocated to “combat wear and tear of tissues”. (p. 124) Physical activity is also encouraged – mainly cardiovascular exercises – to increase lung capacity and support I presume. In terms of emotional well-being, as mentioned in the previous entry, the mind reflects its state on the body – and so it is good to handle problems in a calm manner and not let it take its toll on the emotions. Personally, I do use strength training with a little bit of cardiovascular as physical exercise , as well as an outlet to manage stress – and I think it does maintain lung capacity. During periods which I do not exercising, I find it slightly harder to sustain a good tone when singing or playing the flute.

It is also hard to avoid the occasional cold/flu or respiratory illness (which I also get several times a year). Any vocal activity should be minimized when we are plagued with respiratory ailments. Plenty of rest and fluids is needed if one is sick. We also need to avoid clearing our throats too often as it harms the vocal folds. For singers or speakers, make use of the time to do some internal audiation (imagine your singing/speech) if we truly cannot pull away from practicing. For myself, I refrain from speaking unless absolutely necessary and stop practicing on the flute as well – this is to ensure that I recover in a shorter period of time and to prevent further damage to the vocal cords.

 Also, there is a tendency to overstrain or overuse our voice sometimes – and that leads to problems such as hoarseness or vocal nodules. We need to ensure that the right technique of voice production is utilized – and that we do not strain or overuse our voices. Conversely Bunch also mentions there is “hoarseness of psychogenic origin” (p.130), where it is the nerves that causes this hoarseness instead. Even more so we should be aware of our own mind/bodies.

The usage of drugs and cigarettes should also be minimized. Even if personally I don’t use either, I avoid places where I could take a whiff of the latter. However, I am guilty of drinking occasionally – and more often than not I wake up with a really dry throat due to a crazy night out. It is wise to exercise control and know when to enjoy and when to exercise refrain. Drugs impair the emotional sensitivities and may alter how we perceive our own voices. While not advocating for everyone to be entirely drug-free – it is good to know what each vice does to one’s body and voice.

 In addition to Bunch’s advice, I find humming to be particular helpful in relaxing the voice and restore mental clarity. As teachers, we often have to speak louder than 30-40 chattering students in the class in order to be heard – and that can really take a toll on the vocal cords. Perhaps a better method would be to use non verbal communication for classroom discipline; or to use an amplifying device in class to make sure my voice is not strained. In the long run, this might be a good idea as it conserves the voice that we teachers need to use all the time – even more important as I would be a music teacher – so singing is also inevitable. The air-conditioned environment in classes or the staff room can get drying at times – so I would establish the habit of frequent hydration or even place a humidifier nearby to ensure that the vocal tract/throat is always hydrated.

References:

Bunch, M. (1997). Dynamics of the Singing Voice (4^th ed.). Wien: Springer-Verlag