How do you teach your singers to warm up and cool down their voices before and after singing?

1 The purpose of warming up

Warming up is not just about singing a few scales or songs. It is about preparing the whole body and mind for vocal performance. A good warm-up should include three elements: physical, vocal, and mental. Physical warm-up involves stretching, breathing, and relaxing the muscles and joints that support the voice. Vocal warm-up involves activating, lubricating, and coordinating the vocal folds, resonators, and articulators. Mental warm-up involves focusing, visualizing, and setting goals for the performance.

2 The types of warm-up exercises

There are many types of warm-up exercises that you can use with your singers, depending on their level, style, and needs. Some common categories are: breath exercises, lip trills, hums, sirens, slides, scales, arpeggios, intervals, vowels, consonants, and songs. You can vary the pitch, duration, intensity, and tempo of these exercises to challenge and stimulate your singers. You can also use warm-up exercises to address specific vocal issues, such as tension, tone, pitch, or range.

3 The duration and sequence of warming up

The duration and sequence of warming up depend on several factors, such as the time of day, the length and difficulty of the performance, the vocal condition and experience of the singer, and the environmental conditions. Generally, a warm-up should last between 10 to 30 minutes, starting with gentle and easy exercises and progressing to more complex and demanding ones. A good rule of thumb is to warm up from the bottom to the top of the vocal range, from the inside to the outside of the mouth, and from the simple to the specific.

4 The purpose of cooling down

Cooling down is often overlooked or neglected by singers, but it is equally important as warming up. Cooling down is about restoring the voice to its normal state after singing. A good cool-down should include three elements: vocal, physical, and emotional. Vocal cool-down involves soothing, relaxing, and hydrating the vocal folds, resonators, and articulators. Physical cool-down involves releasing, massaging, and resting the muscles and joints that support the voice. Emotional cool-down involves reflecting, celebrating, and rewarding the performance.

5 The types of cool-down exercises

There are many types of cool-down exercises that you can use with your singers, depending on their level, style, and needs. Some common categories are: sighs, yawns, hums, lip trills, slides, scales, arpeggios, vowels, consonants, and songs. You can vary the pitch, duration, intensity, and tempo of these exercises to calm and comfort your singers. You can also use cool-down exercises to address specific vocal issues, such as inflammation, hoarseness, or fatigue.

6 The duration and sequence of cooling down

The duration and sequence of cooling down depend on several factors, such as the length and difficulty of the performance, the vocal condition and experience of the singer, and the environmental conditions. Generally, a cool-down should last between 5 to 15 minutes, starting with complex and demanding exercises and regressing to gentle and easy ones. A good rule of thumb is to cool down from the top to the bottom of the vocal range, from the outside to the inside of the mouth, and from the specific to the simple.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?