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Vocal health

If you’ve found this blog, then the likelihood is that you’re a frustrated or panicking singer. If it’s the latter, you’ve a gig today and you’re in a “what can I do” meltdown (argh!), I’ll address the issue at hand first and recommend the following 10 tips to save you reading further.

No magic bullet I’m afraid but…

  • Rest as much as possible. Resting is doing something, I promise!
  • Don’t practise aloud. (Singing in your head is just as good at this stage.)
  • Drink lots and then some more.
  • Think positive: keep telling yourself you sound rubbish and you’re hardly setting yourself up to sound great now, are you?
  • Think about or do something else: the more you obsess, the more uptight you’ll be.
  • Make sure that you are well-supported on stage: inform your accompanist/ orchestra/ band/ backing track/ dancing monkey, so that they know to adjust their performance accordingly. If you’re going to be amplified, make sure that the person on sound knows to provide you with the higher foldback you need to avoid oversinging.
  • Warm up well but gently before the performance.
  • Pace yourself during your set – even on your favourite songs.
  • Remember: adrenaline will quite likely get you through. It might not be your best performance, but you CAN do it!
  • If you have time to pop to the shops, these little guys are also a help, physically and psychologically www.vocalzone.com. (They taste gross so must do something, right?)

GOOD LUCK AND ENJOY!

Right, now that I’m left with the calmer readers, I’ll start again…

If you think about it, singing is hard work, unnatural even. It’s a constant struggle to encourage long exhalations of breath when all the body wants is for you to take in another breath full of yummy oxygen. Apart from the occasional you-who! to a neighbour, your speaking voice is the one that you use most of the time, not your singing voice. And, because it is the same mechanism that creates speaking and singing, there’s a misconception that singing is easy and a born gift: you either “have it” or you don’t. With the X Factor/ Voice/ Britain’s Got Talent attitude sweeping the nation, where “success” and fame are about a TV programme and being in the right place at the right time, we lose sight that the voice is wonderful and delicate instrument in need of the same gentle care that a Stradivarius might.

Believe me, I’m writing this article as much as a reminder for myself, as for anyone else out there. As far as I understand my own voice, vocal health comes down to three things: physical health, psychological and emotional strength, and well disciplined practice.

Physical health

Talk to any singer, actor or voice professional, and they all have their own voice habits: negative and positive influences on their own vocal health. When training, I knew some singers who avoided alcohol for a week before a performance and dairy was up there with other unmentionable words. I also know singers (generally of the non-classical variety) who swear by a glass of wine before or during a performance. They are all amazing vocalists and deliver great performances, their way.

Everyone knows their own voice’s limits and grows to understand what helps and hinders a healthy larynx. Here’s what works for me:

  • Drinks lots: Pee clear, sing clear. A good cuppa chills me out before recording far more than worrying about a tiny bit of milk. Alcohol before singing is a no-no for me, as is fruit juice and milkshake. I often get to lunchtime on just one drink however, then wonder why my voice is so tired. Lubricate, people!
  • A good night’s sleep: This is unfortunately getting more and more important the older I get! (Should I admit to 9:30pm last week?)
  • A strong speaking voice. I have a naturally light and breathy tone. I’m told it’s a south-eastern English, introvert thing. I also teach a lot of young children and have an excitable puppy. Both naturally respond better to a higher larynx position with less vocal fold closure. By the end of the day I sometimes find my voice has got “stuck” up where it’s an effort to be and is tired from so much air flow. If I worked with adults in a more serious environment, I’m sure that my voice would settle lower and have better closure. Being aware of this and readjusting regularly has really helped sustain my voice throughout a busy teaching day.
  • Go for a massage: I get a lot of tension along my trapezius from violin playing (www.kentviolinist.co.uk) and bad posture habits. A trip to the osteopath frees me up and helps me reconnect.

Psychological and emotional strength

The larynx sits within and is surrounded by a crazy amount of muscles. The tongue is the strongest muscle in the body and the root of it is attached to the top of the larynx via the hyoid bone. Muscular tension through stress is ultimately going to affect your voice, not to mention stage fright and general attitude towards the voice and your ability.

  • Take time out before you practise and perform to give yourself some space. Whether it be mindfulness meditation techniques or just a quick cuppa and a pause, this can work wonders.
  • Be kind to yourself: celebrate your achievements and correct your mistakes.
  • Jot down positive feedback from people and review it when you’re having a wobble.
  • I thoroughly recommend Effortless Mastery by Kenny Werner. Alter your attitude to singing, music and yourself and rid yourself of anxiety. (It’s a process not a quick fix!)

Disciplined practice

As a professional or performing musician, it’s easy to get caught up in practising for the next gig. Gone are the days you want to or have time to perfect a certain technique, note, tone or piece. This is completely natural. It doesn’t mean that you can’t still structure your practice the way you know you should. Learning to practise in a methodical way came to me later than I would have liked. Unlike other instruments, because you can’t see what went wrong, it’s very easy to brush over substandard singing and hope it will be better next time. Don’t waste your practice!

  • Always get your breathing sorted before you begin. Connect and get the air flowing.
  • Warm up well and incorporate a technique linked to the song you will be working on.
  • Practise songs without the words. For classical singing especially, use a fricative v, z or f to sing the melody on.
  • Record yourself, listen back and make notes.
  • Approach improvements methodically.
  • Set yourself goals and celebrate achieving them! Look for inspiration and push yourself. In the last year, I’ve forced myself to learn more song from memory. Don’t settle for what you can do but what you want to be able to do!
  • Review your technique with a singing teacher or review your own professional development with a booster course.

After all this, I’d better stop procrastinating and put some of the above into action. Hope this helps any singers out there!

Keep singing and I’d love to hear from you: How do you keep your voice healthy?

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Jennifer is an extremely versatile Singer and Violinist and is available to book for your event

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Jennifer Maslin
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Based on 27 reviews
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Stacey Fox
Stacey Fox
07:15 22 Oct 24
Jennifer played at our wedding and was the perfect addition. She played beautifully! She is so fairly priced and was more than happy to learn new songs. Very professional and friendly throughout the entire process. I definitely recommend and would book her again.
Paul MG
Paul MG
12:06 10 Sep 24
Jenny is the ultimate professional. From our first contact about playing violin at our wedding, Jenny was prompt to respond, friendly and helpful. She provided us with loads of song ideas and even learnt our favourite song to play us out to.We had some delays due to late arrivals and Jenny told us not to worry as she had plenty of music. She played beautifully and just went on and on. Glass got accidentally smashed, she was not phased and did not skip a beat or drop a note. Nothing was too much trouble for her and many guests commented about how special the ceremony was due to the live music.If you are contemplating working with Jenny for an event - do it - you won't regret it and the day will be better for it.
Cornel Perolls
Cornel Perolls
15:09 01 Sep 24
FIVE STAR AND MORE!!I am the General Manager for The Olive Tree Bistro in Otford for Hospices of Hope - we have used Jenny twice now and she is incredible. This lady is so so talented and such a lovely person, She has a great voice and very gifted with the violin! She is so charismatic and she captures the audience with her beautiful talent. I would recommend Jenny 100% for Events, Weddings, Birthdays etc!!!! I will be rebooking again!
Clare Narramore
Clare Narramore
12:11 09 Jan 24
Jenny played at a 70th birthday celebration in Tunbridge Wells and it was delightful. It set a perfect background atmosphere to the evening.Jenny was easy to communicate with, getting back to me very quickly, and her fees were very reasonable for her time. Thankyou!
Steven Peterson
Steven Peterson
15:18 25 May 23
Jennifer was a special part of our magical day. She was extremely patient with me changing my mind and switching music choices close to the wedding date and was very helpful and reassuring. Multiple guests told us how they really enjoyed listening to her play the violin with one moved to tears by a particular song played (A Thousand Years). It sounds very magical on the wedding clips and Jenny is just the loveliest person to have at your special day. I highly recommend Jenny for all your music needs.
marketing wfhythe
marketing wfhythe
09:19 11 May 23
Jennifer enhances our customer's dining experience with her dulcet tones. We are privileged to have her as one of our resident performers in the restaurant; she has a beautiful voice!
Mary Chandler
Mary Chandler
07:55 31 May 22
Jennifer played the violin and sang at our wedding and was absolutely brilliant. We received so many compliments from our guests on her stunning voice and lovely playing, and to top it off she's a really friendly and accommodating person. Thanks again, Jenny, for making our day extra special x
Susanna Busi Jacobsohn
Susanna Busi Jacobsohn
12:02 22 Aug 21
Jennifer was a perfect choice when we were planning for our event at our Vineyard Busi Jacobsohn. We had a pre-war car party with picnic and Jennifer was singing jazz songs which we all loved, and perfect match to the day. We would not hesitate to engage her again. Susanna Busi Jacobsohn
Vicki Thompson
Vicki Thompson
09:57 02 Jun 21
Jennifer has the most delightful personality and smile. Gracious and most off beautifully talented. Her voice is outstanding and her talent on the violin admirable. Jennifer dated to the personality of our group and dinner party. Mixing some traditional Italian themed violin and adding some jazz style singing. We al danced and sang with her. It made our Birthday dinner party absolutely perfect.
Luisa Santos-Stephens
Luisa Santos-Stephens
14:56 20 Nov 19
Jennifer is an incredible singer. We had her with Cafe Society to play at my 40th and it was everything I could dream off- they played beautiful music, and brought a very good vibe to the party. All the guests talked about how great they were, with a repertoire of very nice songs which we loved to listen to, but at the same time allowing us to keep the conversation going. I can’t recommend her enough.
Lisa Purcell
Lisa Purcell
19:34 03 Sep 19
Jenny sang beautifully at our wedding in August 2019! She moved many members of the congregation to tears with her amazing singing. We absolutely loved it and would highly recommend her. Each time we meet up with friends and family that were there, they all comment on how amazing her singing was and how much they enjoyed it! She sang a Maori love song perfectly - commented the relatives from New Zealand! X
Rachel McGuckin
Rachel McGuckin
16:06 27 Jun 19
Jenny was the absolute highlight of our wedding ceremony. We picked some tricky songs and she had the whole audience joining in at the chorus. Luckily they didn't join at all points because it gave everyone a chance to hear her beautiful voice as well! I can't recommend highly enough.
Kate McNamara
Kate McNamara
14:36 12 Jun 19
Jenny was amazing from the moment I enquired about her playing the violin at our wedding ceremony. So quick to respond, helpful, friendly, flexible & professional, and was able to recommend songs and even learnt a new song for the exit music.I was so confident that she had everything under control which was invaluable and it was something on the day that I knew I just didn’t have to worry about.Jenny is so talented and it really added to the ceremony, I am so pleased that I found her! Thank you so so much!
Aimee Curry
Aimee Curry
13:56 15 Feb 19
We highly recommend Jenny! She played amazing violin music beautifully at our wedding. Jenny was so lovely and was so approachable and helpful to plan our ceremony music which was a highlight of the day and also the drinks reception music.
T Whyte
T Whyte
19:17 30 Jan 19
Jenny sang at our wedding - her music set the tone and made for a truly special experience. She has a beautiful voice, is very easy to work with, and worked seamlessly with our (very exacting) venue to get everything just right. Thank you Jenny!
ZARA JONES
ZARA JONES
17:39 07 Aug 18
Absolutely beautiful! Jenny played at my wedding ceremony last week and it was stunning! She has a huge variety of songs to choose from and our guests loved them all! She was professional and came early to set up. We could not have wished for more. Added a lovely touch to our day!
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