In daily life, but especially when performing, it is so important to take care of your voice! Opening night usually comes after months and months of late-night rehearsals that wear both you and your voice out. Here are some tips so you can help keep your voice in perfect health for your best performance possible!
When trying to save your voice on the day of a performance, do not whisper! It actually puts more strain on your vocal chords than speaking at a regular volume because of the friction it creates. When you whisper, your vocal chords don’t vibrate normally. This dries out your voice, takes away resonance, and can create lasting damage. Instead, just speak at a normal volume sparingly.
Warming up a lot throughout the day of a performance can actually tire out your voice if your performance is at night. Instead, try to rest your voice as much as you can throughout the day, and warm-up as close as you can to the performance. Definitely leave yourself time to warm-up fully, but don’t over-do it! Plus, it will be much more effective the closer it is to the actual performance, anyway.
Hot tea with lemon is really not the best thing for your voice. The lemon is acidic, which can dry out your vocal chords, and any extreme temperatures can be harmful as well. Warm tea with honey is best! I recommend Throat Coat; I find it helps a ton with vocal clarity and is a singer’s staple! Soda or anything carbonated can also be very drying, and dairy has the opposite effect but could be considered even worse. It gunks up your vocal chords and can take away your vocal clarity!
In Case of Emergency (losing your voice on the day of performance!):
- Go on immediate vocal rest. If you have to speak, speak as softly as you can without whispering.
- Stay hydrated! Drinking lots of room temperature water helps hydrate your throat, and this can help if you are actually sick, as well.
- If you have a very vocally demanding role, take your current vocal health into account. If you know you won’t be able to belt the note, check with your musical director if you could temporarily sing it differently. You want to give your best performance, but you don’t want to hurt yourself doing it!
- They also make tons of natural vocal sprays intended to clear your throat without friction. Singer’s Saving Grace has really has been a lifesaver for me multiple times!
These tips should really be instituted into your daily life for best results. Although they are little things, they can end up being the difference between hitting the note and cracking. When in doubt, always talk to your music director, and don’t worry too much! Even the best performers have days where they don’t feel their best and mistakes always happen. If Idina Menzel can crack, so can you! It is live theater, after all.