What are the best practices for teaching vocal health and hygiene in a coaching curriculum?

Having a clear understanding of the workings of the voice is beneficial for promoting vocal health and hygiene within your vocal coaching curriculum. Try to teach this in a way that is understandable, relatable and clear so students don't become overwhelmed and confused.

I love teaching beginners. I start with grounding and posture. When I have that secure, and I provide explanations of what is the best possible possible posture and why that is so, I start adding tow more skills: the stack and support, anatomically explained and coached. Attacks must be learned quickly and efficiently, as the repeating is tiring. Still without a clean and gentle attack, vocal injury is possible, so first things first. Then in matters up support, there is knowledge of nana tome and the use of specific exercises to strengthen the body for support.

Vocal health and hygiene is about how you treat your voice and the vocal apparatus together with your own physical health on a daily basis. Keeping hydrated with water not caffeine Very light moderate meals timed to allow you sufficient time to digest Staying away from high sugar content foods. Keeping fit, resting, good sleep and staying off foods that generate high amounts of phlegm.

In vocal coaching, prioritize warm-up, hydration, and breathing techniques. Emphasize good posture, clear diction, and volume control to prevent strain. Stress the importance of vocal rest, a healthy lifestyle, and awareness of strain signs. Regular check-ins and access to resources ensure ongoing vocal health.

Vocal health and hygiene can be optimally understood and then practiced only in the context of the person as an undivided and present whole. This means acquiring the skills of presence in body, breath, and voice, with self and then others. This is truly holistic voice coaching and it was developed by Patsy Rodenburg. As one of her Associates, it's the approach I was trained in.

En tant que coach vocal, je crois que les risques environnementaux sont les mêmes pour tout le monde mais tout le monde ne réagira pas de la même fa?on !!... on ne peut se contenter de lister de fa?on générique des éléments et comportements néfastes pour l'hygiène vocale sans état des lieux préalable. Nous mettons tous en place des stratégies de contournement sur notre usage vocal ( voix parlée). Dans l'élaboration du programme de coaching, il est important de lister les risques généraux et aussi de détecter les fragilités déjà présentes et actives !!

Outlining the risks and encouraging methods that avoid these risks is helpful for students to understand the importance of vocal health and hygiene. Discussing experiences of celebrities, which can be easily found online, or else personal stories, can be helpful for students to relate to the information.

Les risques peuvent s'identifier par l'échelle GRAS (Grade Roughness, Astheny Strain) ou GRABH (Roughness, Astheny, Breathiness, Hoarseness), qui constituent une bonne mesure pour les for?ages vocaux et surtout la relation de cause à effet entre un dysfonctionnement (la raucité récurrente d'une voix) et son origine (consommation alcool, tabac, for?age vocal, mauvaise posture, machoire qui crispe, etc). On peut aller sur de la thérapie phonique (pour ceux qui sont habilités) directe (rééducation) ou indirecte (arrêter de fumer, l'alcool, le café, etc)

In my experience, I have found that when students have tips and methods to encourage and promote vocal health and hygiene, they are motivated to work on this area, and will feel confident in their approach to vocal health and hygiene. Once vocal coaching students have a "toolkit" to promote vocal health and hygiene, they will feel confident and capable in their approaches.

Warming up the voice is something that all us can do. We "all" use voice in some way in our lives. You dont need to be a singer to warm up the voice. Also sales people, customer service people, dance teachers, priests, lecturers, lawyers etc use and need the voice as a tool. You can just say "Ba" couple of times to relax your larynx and that already shows you the difference. Warp up the voice to be able to trust it. You can do this every morning and get ready for the day! Enjoy your own voice and talk about it with other people.

Vocal hygiene and health are, in my experience, at the core of providing our best vocal productions. Techniques that utilize stylistic tools such as vocal fry, twang, a certain smoothness or coarseness are best performed by practice and techniques. That is not to say that a great rendition cannot be made when one's vocal health is under the weather. Just think about Janis Joplin and her incredible soul and growl. It may not have been healthy, but it sure resonated in a very artistic way with so many fans. Yes, there's always a price to pay for chugging alcohol then singing, but DAMN!!! She killed it, paid the price and I honor her legacy!

L'habitude vocale se fait comme pour un sportif de haut niveau, par une routine d'échauffement en poussant l'effort un peu plus loin. C'est à ce moment aussi que la connaissance, de manière systémique, de l'anatomie de sa voix est fondamentale (relation cause à effet for?age vocale) Il existe aussi des appareils désormais qui évaluent le for?age vocal (capteur sur le cartilage thyro?de et appli de smartphone), qui permettront un excellent monitoring sans que le professeur ne soit constamment derrière l'élève.

Encourage students to understand the value of their instrument. Through experience, and by sharing personal anecdotes students will understand the importance impact of vocal health and hygiene within their vocal practice.

If students can use multi-faceted approaches for feedback, they will also learn the skill of monitoring their own vocal health, hygiene and abilities. Through feedback students will be able to notice changes in the voice, and monitor progress.

On peut le voir, certaines rockstars ont abusé d'alcool et de drogues et on pourtant fait de superbe shows.. mais la plupart finissent en tres mauvais état et à la fin leur voix a mutée... Notre voix c'est notre plus précieux outil. Comme notre corps entier, une bonne hygiène est nécessaire pour rester le plus longtemps en bonne état. Car la machine avance sans stop vers sa fin, alors préservons la au maximum surtout si on l'utilise à au niveau .

A lot has been said already, very insightful. Someone already mentioned optimizing the environment I wanted to add. I think some other that can be helpful for vocal health & hygiene also include practising good singing & speaking posture, Diet as well and Hydration which I think has been mentioned somewhere already. Gracias.

Environment plays a big factor,its brilliant for you to follow all of the above but if your environment air quality, room venue cleanliness is over looked this can basically undo all the positive actions you have taken to protect your voice.I would encourage mask wearing hand sanitizing windows open fresh air ventilation as considerations and personal responsability as well to act and question where you are and discuss a way forward in such environments.Covid taught us a lot.Take care of you!!

In my opinion, it is most effective and sustainable to work at the core: what is good life? How does it feel to the client, to live well? If a deep internal algorithm exists in the client's consciousness and body about what it means and how it feels to live well, all other external actions will naturally align with it as something self-evident. Whether it's ventilating a room, going to bed on time, or not consuming excessive amounts of salami or chips.

With the topic we can literally interpret it as health and hygiene with our own voice. However, there is more to consider that is equally important as our instrument. Witnessing so many stories where singers get physically sick right before performances that they have to be excused and seek for substitutes, perhaps it is time for us to pay equal attention to our physical strength and stamina. Other than studying our music and rehearsals, we also need to develop a habit of physical exercises (both cardio and muscle strength development) From my own experience, regular physical exercises enhances immunity and strength, both physically and mentally. It is beneficial to our own being so that we become more resilient as singers!