5 Healthy Singing Hacks

Hi, I’m Camille van Niekerk with 30 day singer, and these are 5 daily habits for a healthy singing voice that won’t take you a lot of time to implement!

1. Drink water & consider a saline sinus rinse.

Drink water sounds very obvious, and it kind of is, but it’s still the #1 most important thing you can do for daily vocal health. A hydrated body means hydrated vocal folds, which vibrate much easier and are less injury-prone. Take care to hydrate throughout the day, not just when you’re about to sing. And you can also consider a saline sinus rinse, especially if you deal with allergies or live in a city where air quality is a concern. Of course, check with your doctor first. Saline sinus rinses are a gentle, medication-free way to irrigate your nasal passages, reducing your likelihood of getting irritation, postnasal drip, and the resulting inflammation.

2. Exercise a semi-wide range every day that your voice is feeling good.

Daily vocalization is ideal, but please take sick or rest days when needed! There’s no benefit to pushing past pain or fatigue. Use something semi-closed like straw singing, another sovt, or a narrow vowel to keep it light and easy. For example, you might glide on an OO vowel, or sing an arpeggio on an NG sound. Follow along with an exercise video or mp3, or gradually move the pattern higher and lower so you cover a comfortably wide range. Think of this as your daily vocal stretch!

3. Let yourself just sing sometimes.

Goals are great, and you’re probably here on this channel because you have goals for your voice. But I want you to take planned breaks from scrutinizing your voice or actively working on something technical. This supports your vocal health because it helps you let go of excess tension and enjoy what you’re doing. A healthy attitude towards singing and a positive relationship with your voice is crucial for a long and healthy vocal career.

4. Be mindful of your speaking voice.

Your speaking voice and your singing voice are the same instrument, and we spend way more time speaking than singing. Particularly if you talk a lot in your profession, employ good posture and connect to breath when you speak. Take breaks as you’re able and go on vocal rest when you need it, which means minimal singing AND speaking. Learn what fatigues or hurts you so that you can avoid those practices. And one last tip that makes a huge difference for me: vary your pitch when speaking. The voice becomes easily fatigued when it repeats the same pitch over and over, regardless of what that pitch is! Give your voice a break by varying your pitch up and down. It may feel awkward at first, but I’ve found that letting my voice sit a little higher and lighter than normal really eases the fatigue, especially when I’m tired or sick.

5. Save warmups, songs and karaoke tracks to a singing playlist for yourself. 

This makes practice easier because you don’t have to spend as much time searching for resources or deciding what to work on, meaning you’re more likely to practice regularly. And regular singing keeps your voice in shape!

Thank you for watching, and I wish you many years of vocal health.