[The views expressed in this blog are from my personal experiences from 25 years of leading non-auditioned community choirs in the UK, as well as adult singing workshops. My focus is on teaching by ear using a repertoire of songs from traditions across the globe. Your experiences may differ from mine, so do feel free to leave a comment and let's begin a conversation! A version of this article first appeared as a post on my blog From the Front of the Choir]
Sometimes we don’t get the chance to do a full warm up in private before a performance.
Here are some ideas for warming up your voice in public without drawing attention to yourself.
There are times when it’s not possible to do a proper warm up before a performance.
You might have a sudden, unexpected audition; the venue your choir is performing at has no private space; you’re running late and will miss the choir warm up; you’re asked to do a gig at the very last minute.
In these cases (and since warming up is important: see Preparing to sing: why bother?) you may find that warming up in a public space is your only option.
I’ve worked with people who sing regularly (probably most days) who’ve found warming up a strange concept. If you sing a lot, you’ll find that it doesn’t take as long to get your voice prepared. A warmed up voice stays warm for a long time.
If you get the chance, you can warm up at home before your performance. If you do it thoroughly, your voice will stay warmed up for quite some time. Enough for you to get to the gig then do a few vocal slides and lip trills before you start singing.
OK, it might be embarrassing, but it is possible to do a vocal warm up on the bus without drawing too much attention to yourself. There are several simple things you can try:
Well that’s all from me. I bet you’ve got loads of other great ideas. Do drop by and share them in the comments.
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Chris Rowbury
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