IF YOUR VOICE IS BOTHERING YOU, IT COULD BE…YOUR LAPTOP!
Have you heard that expression “Straighten up and fly right”? Well, in last month’s blog we learned how to straighten up and sing…or speak…right! Posture is so important for voice, for breathing…for everything we do. We hope everyone is using the simple posture exercises we posted in February’s blog. But there’s another aspect of posture […]
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POSTURE AND VOICE: STRAIGHTEN UP AND SING (OR SPEAK) RIGHT!
One of the first foundation skills that I teach at Professional Voice Care Center in Voice Session 1 or Singing Lesson 1 is posture and alignment. As soon as I present this concept in our sessions, people look at me, sometimes with confusion, like “Why posture?”, with abject fear (“I have to sit up straight?”), […]
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MAKING DAILY VOICE CARE SIMPLE
As a vocologist for 38 years, I’ve heard every excuse in the book for why my clients didn’t practice or follow my therapeutic recommendations: I was busy with my family, work was crazy, the dog ate my homework, I forgot…and on and on. But as I always say in my office, no one is too […]
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CLEAR YOUR THROAT SAFELY AND PROTECT YOUR VOCAL CORDS: LET’S “CLEAR UP” THE CONFUSION!
By now most of us know that repeated forceful throat-clearing is not a good idea, as far as your vocal folds are concerned. In fact, my friend and colleague, laryngologist Dr. Joel Portnoy, says “Throat-clearing is like injuring your vocal cords just before you want to use them”… to sing, to teach, or even to […]
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CIRCUMLARYNGEAL MASSAGE DE-STRESS YOUR VOICE
As a vocologist, I see people in my office every day who have voice problems. They have many different ideas as to what factors have contributed to their voice issues. So, what’s one of the biggest obstacles to having a healthy voice, whether speaking or singing? Reflux? Surely a big problem but probably not the […]
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ALL STEAMED UP: STEAM YOUR WAY TO VOCAL HEALTH
According to my clients, good voice care (what we call vocal hygiene) can seem overwhelming at first. So much to remember, so little time. Today, I’d like to simplify some of that vocal hygiene for you. What if I told you there’s something you can do, in only 5-10 minutes a couple of times a […]
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DRINK UP! HYDRATE FOR A HEALTHIER VOICE
Hydration – we all know it’s important for your health in general: for digestion, flushing toxins, healthy joints, for staying alert and clear-headed, etc. But why is hydration so important for your voice? The answer is simple: vocal folds (which aren’t really skinny “vocal cords”, but rather multi-layered folds of tissue) are covered with mucous […]
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Happy Holidays – AND a Healthy Voice
It’s that time of year again: holiday parties and reveling, New Year’s festivities, and LOTS of talking to friends and relatives. It’s also a time of stress, rushing, too little sleep, and too many germs invading our mucous membranes. So, it’s the perfect time to talk about voice care, now and throughout the year. Winter […]
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IT’S NYSSMA TIME – DON’T PANIC! READ THIS!
Your child has come home from school and announced that he/she would like to participate in the NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) Festival voice evaluations for this coming spring. You look at the forms and immediately get that helpless feeling of “Uh-oh; what do I do now? My child has never even taken […]
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“Tune In To Tune Up” Episode 6: Muscle Tension & Your Voice
How to Conquer Vocal Tension, featuring Joel Portnoy, MD and Kathleen Brooks, PT. If you’re a singer, or someone who makes your living with your speaking voice, then you won’t want to miss the next episode of Tune In to Tune Up with Karen Sussman, MA, CCC, voice therapist and singing voice expert. Have you […]
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