Here are some tips for taking care of a tired, overworked, and disappearing voice!
  • Keep your throat lubricated as much as possible. Drink lots of water, and get in the habit of always having a water bottle nearby.
  • Breathe steam!- use a humidifier or vaporizer, especially during the winter months, and especially at night.
    This can work miracles for both treatment and prevention of problems.
  • If you do feel like you’re losing your voice, try wrapping a hot towel, or heating pad around your neck, while sipping ice water. Do this for 15-30 minutes several times a day if you can. Even once will help enormously. The idea is that the heat relaxes the muscles, while the cold reduces the inflammation on your vocal folds.
  • Drink hot lemon juice or tea with honey. (Throat Coat tea is available at most drug stores, and
    is a nice treat!)
  • Avoid clearing your throat, and whispering .Both are very hard on vocal folds.
  • Gargle with warm salt water.
  • If you suffer from allergies, stay on top of them. Once they grab hold, you are wide open for
    catching a cold, and losing your voice.
What If I'm Not Comfortable Singing?
Some adults are not comfortable singing, but there are many other ways you can bring music and rhythm into the classroom.
  • Use recordings with instructions, that the children can sing along with, or follow activities. There are many such recordings available.
  • A lot of music training is actually listening skills. You can put items in a box, make a sound, and let children guess what the sound is.
  • Go on a “sound” hunt. Take a walk and stop along the way. Have children close their eyes and listen to the sounds around. Some sounds will make a rhythm, such as hammers, bird songs, machinery. Have children try to imitate those rhythms.
  • Spend some time by yourself listening to a variety of recordings by different artists. Try to find songs sung simply, without harmonies or a lot of instrumentation. It may be that there are some singers you can more easily sing with than others. Explore your own voice, and conduct your
    own listening exercises.
  • Chant, rather than sing song lyrics. Keep a steady rhythm by slapping your thighs, and use different voices (whisper, loud, soft, sad, mad, silly).
  • Have a parent come into the classroom and sing with the children, or combine with another class for a special music time, if there is another teacher who is more comfortable singing