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These Three Things Will Kill Your Voice

Jul 29, 2022

But thankfully, we can manage them, or at least aspects of them.

1. Sleep/Fatigue

I often refer to this as an insidious effect. I, for one, did not used to think about it very much, and mostly discounted feeling tired as just being an excuse. The more we learn about sleep the more we seem to find it affects all aspects of our lives.

If for no other reason, lack of sleep or fatigue tends to affect fine motor skill coordination, and singing is definitely a practice in that! The thyroarytenoid and cricothyroid muscles are small to say the least, and getting them to work together in the best of circumstances can be challenging.

2. State of Mind

Performance anxiety comes to mind, but this is also our overall attitude and disposition. Someone or something upset you on the way to the gig? That can have an impact. Feeling particularly good? That too, can alter your perception of your performance.

3. Physical Environment

I have found myself in some remarkable performance venues. I have done shows in the rain, with snow on the ground, and in the blinding sun. I have done shows where the stage felt like a magical environment and ones where I couldn't hear myself or anything that I was doing at all. Manage your physical environment and you can avoid catastrophe on one end of the spectrum and court transcendence on the other.

Members of the RVC check your podcast feed to hear me expound on these concepts further with specific examples and strategies. Want to join the discussion on the RVC? Click here