Make a Pact With Your Voice TODAY

I recently caught Covid-19 for the first time. I know I’m not unique, as millions of people have battled the epidemic. I was hoping to be one of those asymptomatic people, but unfortunately, it hit me right in the jugular (literally). For five days I had fevers, a relentless cough, felt like I was swallowing shards of glass, and I lost my voice entirely. And as quickly as the virus hit, it disappeared, but not without the help of a lot of rest, hydration and medication.

Those five days were rough, and they forced me to really think about the epicenter of my pain: my throat and my voice. Of course, my voice has always been there for me whenever I’ve needed it: sing a song here, do an hour-long presentation there, talk on the phone for hours, do a five-hour gig or a seven-hour teaching day – no worries. But had I really been there for my voice? Mostly yes, but honestly sometimes no – and the realization that it could be compromised at any minute, or worse, taken away from me, shook me. So it was through Covid that I decided to recommit to my voice. To give it the love, attention, and care it deserves like any other part of my body. I would re-engage in routines that I know would nurture and protect the gift I’d been given, the one that can often be taken for granted

I invite you to join me to recommit to your voice today. Make a pact with it, to support and protect it by introducing positive daily rituals that will form good vocal habits. As we approach World Voice Day on the 16th of April, let’s celebrate our own voices and all the amazing things they give to us! Here are a few daily activities that I have started putting into place and that I would love you to join along with.

• Increase hydration with water and warm hydrating teas. Sip throughout the day and remind me it’s keeping any mucous thin and my vocal cords happy!
• Minimize my intake of coffee – because caffeine dehydrates. 
• Wake up and hum. Light gentle closed glissandos working quietly through my range.
• Cool down my voice at the end of the day in the same way.
• Avoid clearing my throat; instead choosing to sip water or swallow down hard with chin to chest. 
• Learn about my voice, talk to other singers, listen to a podcast about voices, brush up on my Throga course!!
• Pace my voice throughout the day. DON’T talk at every opportunity. There are other effective ways to communicate.
• Allow my voice to heal if I’m not feeling well. Give it the rest it needs to get over the virus or cold.
• Recognize that hormonal changes can and will affect my voice, and don’t expect my voice to sound the same every day and don’t be so hard on it!
• Don’t compare my voice to anyone else. Be happy with my own.
• Don’t try to be the loudest in the room. If the room is too loud, move to a quieter room.
• Sing for fun. Don’t always place a goal on your voice. Sing songs that make you happy – because you can!
• Thank my voice daily. Speak positively about it – to me, to my friends. Treat it like it’s my best friend, and I wouldn’t talk badly about a best friend!
• Record it, love it, and share it. Let my voice be heard, and learn to love the sound of my own voice.

If you would like to share your voice recommitment journey with any of the Throga teachers in the team, reach out! We would love to hear how you are going!

AUTHOR: ANNA RIZZO-TASSONE