OOVO STRAWS: TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOICE AND THE PLANET
If you’re a voice professional, voice student, or just someone who works on improving your voice, you’ve probably heard about straw exercises or straw phonation. That’s where you vocalize slides or scales through a straw. People say that straws are the way to save an injured voice. But how do they work so well to […]
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SPEAKING THROUGH A MASK: WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER
Remember when the only people you ever saw wearing a face mask were your doctors and maybe your dentist? Not anymore. Now it’s everyone (or it SHOULD be everyone!). Cloth masks, medical masks, N95’s, face gaiters, bandanas, face shields…you name it, someone is wearing it. And with good reason: the Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed […]
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STOP GIVING 150% – YOU ALREADY GOT THE PART!
Let’s face it, the entertainment industry is competitive. A recent study from Queen Mary University in London revealed a not-surprising statistic: the acting profession’s unemployment rate hovers at about 90%, and only 2% are making a living in the profession. I don’t think anyone has done a study on the “unemployment” rate of community theater […]
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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 5: Stress & Your Voice
This Isn’t Just for Singers If you’ve ever been sidelined by stress or anxiety (and who hasn’t), especially as it relates to performing or public speaking situations, 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. On Wednesday August […]
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How to Have a Dog Without Losing Your Voice
Ah, man’s best friend (and woman’s too!) – a dog. Dogs enrich our lives in so many ways. An endless source of unconditional love, loyalty, and support. A companion, a protector, and a pal to take away sadness or pain…. we get all this and much more from our dogs. I should know: I’m on […]
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“Tune In to Tune Up” Episode 4: Vocal Cord Pathology
To Cut or Not to Cut – That Is the Question! In their fourth Facebook Live episode, voice therapist and singing voice expert Karen Sussman, MA, CCC-SLP and laryngologist Joel Portnoy, MD explore the treatment of vocal cord pathologies. If you’re a singer or use your speaking voice professionally as a teacher, actor, public speaker, […]
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