Teachers’ Guide: Vocal Health for Everyone

Sandra Sanchez & Sarah BowmanFlorida Music Educators Conference 2014

Vocal Misuse & Overuse • Extreme ranges and/or volumes• Straining• Illness• Lifestyle –Diet– Stress– Sleep

Common Vocal Issues

• Discomfort•Hoarseness• Vocal fatigue• Effort to talk• Loss of range• Poor voice quality

What can I do?

What can I do?

RBR

elaxreatheesonate

Stretching

Spinal Roll

Waaaaaaaaay

Woooooooah

Woooooooow

Relax

Breathe

Resonate

Vocal GlidesHum

Lip trill

Yawn

Vowels

Voiced Consonants M

NV

Z

Warm-up Words• Zoo• Zing• Zest• Zero

• Zebra• Zorro• Zeal• Zany

What can I do?

Projection • Posture• Breath support•Use of the diaphragm

Zzzzzzzz• Zoo• Zing• Zest• Zeal

Why?Where?When?

Why notWhereverWhenever

Good MorningLet’s go!Come on!

Questions???

Additional ResourcesDeVore, Kate & Starr Cookman. 2009. The Voice Book: Caring For, Protecting, and Improving Your Voice. Chicago, IL: Chicago Review Press, Inc.

Lebon, Rachel L. 1999. The Professional Vocalist: A Handbook for Commercial Singers and Teachers. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press.