VocalART Vocal Studio

Since our bodies are our instruments, it only makes sense that wear and tear on our bodies will eventually be reflected in our voice and in our singing ability. Late nights, junk food, and too little exercise (or sometimes too much exercise!) can all be detrimental to the singer.
I trained with a wonderful vocal coach in the past who told me that after years of teaching, she could tell by a student's voice how many hours of sleep they had had the night before.
And you may have heard the saying "The tape never lies..."  speaking about recording technique. If you are tired before a performance, or a recording, don't be surprised if fatigue is evident on your recordings or in your stamina, power, and range in performance.

Stress, physical or emotional, also will affect your voice and the way in which you interpret and emotionally connect with your songs, so make sure that you journal, pray, vent, cry, etc. or whatever you need to do to release all the daily worries, doubts, fears and frustrations that tend to build up over time, but that our society sometimes tells us we are not allowed to express. Or sometimes, life just feels to busy to stop and take stock of what we are actually feeling. Taking that time every day, or even a few times a week, to (at the risk of sounding cliche) get in touch with our emotions can really aid the process of any kind of artist or creative person.

Exercise is an often overlooked aspect of singing, however, as a vocal teacher and a vocalist, I am discovering more and more how staying active can be extremely beneficial to a singer. First of all,  it's obvious that lung capacity plays a pretty major role in singing, and getting regular cardiovascular exercise can help maintain and even increase lung capacity, so that you can take in more air, and therefore have more power so that you can sing longer and stronger! Exercise can also help you stay limber and alleviate muscle tension that accumulates from stress, and sedentary lifestyles.

I recently read an article that supports what I have also found to be true, in that regular cardio exercise keeps my diaphragm and breathing muscles loose and strong, which help in supporting my voice, and in producing a strong and free vibrato.  To check out this excellent article by Judy Rodman, click on this link: http://ezinearticles.com/?Singing-and-Physical-Exercise&id=2280813

It should be noted, however, that a few teachers I have come across have recommended against excessive body-building in the shoulder/neck area (although of course it is beneficial to have strong shoulders and upper back, just not to the extreme of bulky muscles that may limit range of motion), as they have seen this interfere with singing and cause tightness in the neck and throat.

Happy singing, and stay healthy!