Of course you have to take care of your voice especially when it is your bread and butter. That explains why singers are very meticulous in keeping their vocal chords fit and healthy. The same holds true for call center agents, disc and video jockeys, public speakers, and the like. Nonetheless, everyone deserves vocal wellness for daily interaction.
Prior to
vocal exercises, you’ll need to condition your body particularly your mouth. Drop your jaw on your index finger while reaching the base of your tongue with your thumb. Gently
massage the surface to stimulate better tongue movement. Just make sure you’ve got your fingers sanitized before and after the procedure. To release the tension on your mandibular joints, it shall come handy to massage these joints located in front of those ears. Feel free to stretch your tongue in all directions and make different faces, too.
Voice warm up happens to be the first phase of
voice exercises. Try making a couple of “hmm” sounds as you exhale thereby holding your breath as long as you can. Change “hmm” into “ahh” halfway as you breathe out. Although you might not be feeling drowsy, it would be great to yawn as you inhale and vocalize as you exhale, thereafter. In case you are not into yawning, you can simply make a deep breath and exhale with a loud “huh” to work on your
abdominal muscles . You may also practice some lip trills by creating some buzzing sounds like that of a motor boat.
Full vocal exercise involves corresponding breathing and
physical exercises. Stand straight with relaxed arms, hands, and shoulders. Make a deep breath as you tuck your abdomen, and then, slowly relax your stomach muscles as your exhale with the “haaa...” sound. To make the activity even more interesting, try doing the exhale routine with “haaa” sound” while moving your shoulders up and down. This way, you get to release your neck and shoulder tension for thorough speaking and breathing.
Incorporate some fun in your vocal
exercises by using tongue twisters. These challenging phrases can help you ease out tension on articulators such as your jaw, lips, throat, and tongue. Avoid making some muscle tension along the process so you better set off by speaking slowly after one full deep breath. As much as possible, you should not try to control your pitch in the initial recital. Besides, you can always try out varying your pitch from time to time. All you need to do is simply deliver the lines in a relaxed mode.
For sustainable vocal health and wellness, you’ll be better off to strictly observe vocal hygiene. In order to do so, you may have to give up cigarette smoking, constant shouting, and habitual throat clearing. For
efficient voice production, you should keep your mouth and throat constantly hydrated. Consequently, you may want to control your voice to minimize vocal wear and tear. That is one simple way to keep your voice for a lifetime.
Although your voice is intended for lifelong use, you should nevertheless practice vocal care and preservation through
regular voice exercises.
Related articles:
