Singing in a choir is an enjoyable musical and social activity. Few things compare to the feeling of blending your voice with your fellow choristers. It gives you a high during and after the rehearsals. It’s even better when you’re singing songs that you like.
However, a lot of singers find it hard to not lose their voice or have a sore voice after rehearsal sessions.
What can you do to prevent this?
Avoid Singing Too Loud/Pushing With Your Breath
Sometimes, it’s tempting to sing loudly or push with your breath when singing in a choir. You can’t hear yourself very well and the other voices are singing different parts.
You may not even be aware you’re doing it.
I want you to use your self monitoring system to increase your awareness.
You can self monitor by relying on your sensations (kinesthetic feedback) rather than what you hear (auditory feedback).
If this isn’t something that comes natural to you, it isn’t the end of the world. Good news: this is something that you can train and get better at.
When you’re doing solo practice, be aware of the sensations you feel when you’re singing.
Ask yourself:
How do I feel when I’m singing high notes? Loudly? Softly? Low notes?
You may feel the sound is coming out of your forehead when singing high notes. Or you may feel buzzing sensations in your neck when singing too loudly.
Take note of your findings.
During choir rehearsals, trust your sensations and training.
Learn the Songs Well
Spend time learning your parts at home. Learn them deeply. Drill them over and over.
This way, your voice will get stronger for the songs that you’re singing. You’ll know the intervals better. You can sing difficult leaps and trills with ease because it’s in your muscle memory.
You can focus on the directions of the conductor without letting your vocal technique go out the window.
You’ll have more brain resources to focus on the interpretation of the song instead of worrying about the high note in bar 56.
Have a Good Foundation in Vocal Technique
A lot of people join the choir because they want to have the opportunity to sing or learn to sing without taking private lessons.
Whilst this may work for some people, many who have little to no formal vocal training would develop bad vocal habits.
Bad Vocal Habits/Technique = Sore Voice = Vocal Damage
Take some private lessons. Ask your conductor for recommendations. Watch YouTube video tutorials. Find online vocal coaches.
Having at least 2 months of vocal training with a qualified teacher will put you miles ahead in terms of singing with good support. It’s worth the investment.
Always Warm Up Before Your Rehearsal/Performance
There may be times when the conductor needs to skip the warm-up session due to a lack of time. This isn’t ideal but is often times a reality for many a choir session.
Even if there is always time for warm-up, it is a great idea to do extra warming up at home before your choir rehearsal session.
Doing a ten to twenty-minute warm-up session will do wonders for your voice.
It can mean the difference between being able to speak normally after the session and having a sore voice for days.
Avoid Singing Out of Your Range
Make sure that you’re singing in the right voice group. If you’re an alto, then sing alto parts.
However, this may not always be practical. In smaller and beginning choirs, you may be required to sing something that’s out of your range.
If this wreaks too much of a havoc on your voice, speak to your conductor about it. Tell her your concerns. Always put your vocal health first.
Vocal Health and What to Do When You Have a Sore Voice
Drinking lots of water throughout the day sounds like common sense but you’ll be surprised how often you don’t do it.
Fill up bottles of water every day and finish them by the time you go to bed. That way, you can be sure that your water intake is optimal.
Before rehearsals, avoid drinking beverages that are dehydrating. For example, alcohol, caffeinated tea and coffee drain the body of fluids. Your vocal folds lose moisture and get sore easily as a result.
If you have a sore throat/hoarse voice, take partial vocal rest. For every hour, talk for 15 minutes and rest for 45 minutes. This is because your vocal dose is lower when your voice isn’t feeling well.
Do the “straw therapy” invented by Dr Ingo Titze. This therapy helps you to ‘reset’ your voice by giving your vocal folds a little ‘massage’. Watch this video to get an idea of how it is done - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xYDvwvmBIM
Based on my personal experience, throat lozenges do work if you have a sore voice. Your sore voice may be caused by inflammation in your vocal tract. Sucking on lozenges will ease the inflammation and heal your voice.
I really like “Throatclear” herbal lozenges. You can find them in health food stores.
Conclusion
Your voice is a wonderful instrument. It is resilient but fragile. Taking the time and effort to care for your voice will pay dividends for you as a singer. You’ll be able to sing with joy and confidence day after day.
About the Author
Hi, I'm Benny Ng. I've been teaching singing lessons since 2011. Singing didn't come easily to me. I want to help you avoid the mistakes that I made. That way, you can become a confident singer quicker. Download your free e-book: Closet Singer to Confident Singer here: https://www.topsingingsecrets.com/ebook
