Voice Matters
Do unto your voice as you would have it do unto you.
Your voice matters.
Its tone, quality, and endurance is just one factor in many that will determine if you have what it takes to make it to the final round. Like a professional singer, your voice carries you and moves your audience. How are you treating it?
SHUT UP...in Warmups
...or at least quiet down. Shouting and yelling (especially in team "warmups") can be vocally abusive.
- Decrease your volume.
- Don't shout or yell.
- Don't whisper...its actually worse than yelling!
- Got a cold? Don't say anything at all. Talking while sick can damage your vocal cords even more.
Focus Now, Party Later
Save the partying for after nationals. Alcohol dries up your vocal cords as your body releases moisture to "flush" alcohol out of the system.
Alcohol can also cause blood vessels and capillaries to dilate, interfering with blood flow to the larynx.
DRINK UP...on H20 only
Water. And if you're a smoker, LOTS of water. Get a gallon. Do the gallon challenge. Fill up a gallon of water a day and finish it by the time you go to bed. Your vocal cords will be extra hydrated and ready for marathon practice sessions.
Well-hydrated vocal cords "bounce back" from damage faster than dry vocal cords. So all that smoking, yelling, and practice session work won't hurt you in the long run. Well hydrated cords vibrate with less push from the lungs, so DRINK UP on the right stuff.