The 10 Pillars of Vocal Health & Wellness

By Cari Cole

A healthy voice. Paramount to your life as a musician.

Here’s my 10 Tips for Staying Healthy During Cold & Flu Season, to keep your voice healthy and avoid injury or cancelled concerts. I hope it helps you own your voice all through the year and never lose it again!!

 

1. Hydration.

One of my voice doctors told me once that if people drank adequate amounts of water each day (8 glasses), he would lose 80% of his clients. Speaks volumes. Hydration is the number one key to a healthy voice. Dehydration causes sore throats, voice loss, fatigue, loss of range among many other issues.

 

2. Vocal Care & Hygiene.

Your vocal instrument would appreciate some care to help it stay healthy ;). Gargling with warm salt water, steaming and gentle vocal massage are ways to care for your voice on a daily basis during performances.

For more information on vocal massage and care, consult our Vocal Resource Library.

3. Warming Up Right.

If you want to have a healthy voice, you’ll want to consider warming up before performing if you’re not already. Well thought out warm up exercises are designed to open and free the voice, preparing it for singing and eliminating vocal problems that arise from singing with a cold instrument. Our Singers Gift Warmups are built to open and free your instrument, getting the most out of your performances while keeping your voice healthy.

 

 

4. Cooling Down Post Performances.

Cooling down is a trade secret of the vocal industry that keeps singers voices healthy and free from injury or swelling from over-singing. Extremely valuable to combat inflammation from singing night after night, these exercises used regularly post performance will help to keep your voice healthy and free from wear and tear. We include cool downs as a part of our Singers Gift Warmup set.

 

5. Vocal Maintenance Off Tour.

In order to have a healthy, strong voice, it is important to train when you are off the road as much as you can. We use our Master Vocal Exercise System to build vocal strength and power and increase stamina, endurance and range. These exercises are only available in our Vocal Freedom Circle, a 6 month program where Mama gives all of her vocal techniques and wisdom to participants.

 

6. The Right Diet for Your Voice.

You are what you eat when it comes to your singing voice ;). There are certain foods to stay away from during performances or recordings that will help considerably. Here’s a quick punchlist: Stay away from anything fried (causes reflux), highly acidic foods like meat and dairy, vinegars, orange juice, marinara sauce, peppermint tea and chocolates which all cause reflux. Eat fresh salads, greens for hydration and oxygenation as well as light proteins – tofu, seeds and nuts (fish and chicken as well, but they are acidic foods so use sparingly.)

For more in-depth information consult our Vocal Resource Library where you’ll find Cari’s 3 Day Rule.

 

7. Performance Prep.

Vocal consistency is the benefit of performance prep. Prepping for performances helps your voice be at peak condition. Vocal technique, observing diet & hydration, warming up correctly and at the right times makes an impact on the success of your performances.

For full details on prepping for your performances, consult our Ultimate Performers Tools & Techniques Guidebook which comes with a full regimen for the day of performances.

 

8. Vocal Rescue.

There are times in every singer’s life when your voice is not functioning at its fullest capacity. When your voice is unusually tired, wearing out quickly or losing high notes – this is the time to implement Vocal Rescue. This usually means a visit to your vocal doctor (ENT) to get a scope of your vocal cords so you know exactly what’s going on. Vocal fatigue and loss of high notes is usually the first sign of vocal inflammation, and can also be the sign of the beginning of nodules or other vocal problems. Sometimes it is reflux alone that sets off these symptoms. Be sure to listen to Mama’s Vocal Road Warrior for full details on what can start vocal problems and how to get back on track. The Vocal Road Warrior is Mama’s free series when you opt in to our list at www.caricole.com. If you need help locating it, reach out to info@caricole.com and we can help.

For our complete Vocal Rescue Kit with Mama’s vocal therapy and speaking voice exercises (and comes with a longer set of Cool Down’s) click here.

 

 

9. Supplements for Singers.

Singers, like athletes, need extra nutrition to perform at their best. Supplementation is a great way to ensure you are getting what you need. During performances and tours, we recommend taking some extra B12 daily under your tongue (sublingual) for extra energy. Performers burn through their B vitamins quickly. We also recommend at B-complex supplement to help. Our favorite is Garden of Life B-Complex as it comes from raw fruits and vegetables. There are many other supplements that are helpful, like Vitamin D (sublingual also) to help combat respiratory illnesses, and Nanoenhanced Hemp Oil for overall health. Turmeric is a great source to fight inflammation on a daily basis.

 

10. Natural Remedies for Singers.

There are many natural vocal remedies that help various issues singers have. Some of our favorites are gargling with Alkalol to get rid of mucous for up to 2 hours; or steaming for 8 minutes with 2 drops of eucalyptus oil prior to performances. There is a longer list of remedies for specific issues.

For a full list of natural remedies, consult our Vocal Resource Library which comes with a list of recommended Singers Products for various issues.
Looking for help with your music career? Consider joining our Mastermind in 2018!!

 

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Hi, I’m Cari Cole.

You’ve got talent, but you want to become great at it. You’re in the right place! My mission is to help you refine your unique artist vision to bring to the world.

About Cari Cole

Cari Cole is the CEO / Founder of caricole.com and CCVM: Label Without Walls. She is a Holistic Vocal Coach, Artist Development Expert, A&R Director, and Songwriter based in New York City helping artists for the past 38 years. She is a mentor for Women in Music and The Association of Independent Music Publishers.

Her latest venture, CCVM a label services company, provides artists with a seamless path from creation to completion. After 30+ years of observing the overwhelm and challenges that artists face, Cari pulled together the best top creative professionals and designed a new approach to supporting our artists.

Disclaimer:
The information provided on Cari Cole's website is informational only and should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. Those seeking personal medical advice should consult with a licensed physician. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on Cari Cole's website. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately.

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