Sustainable practicing of the voice is critical for long-term progression and health. Most students all fall into the trap of overreaching their voice thinking that fast outcomes are due to working hard. The fact is, steady and thoughtful practice leads to more consistent improvements without the risk of burning out or getting injured. Through routine exercises on a daily basis, the student develops muscle memory and coordination, at the same time allowing vocal folds – as well as respiratory system – to safely adjust. Sustainability means not only that the result is attainable, but the process is maintainable over years of consistent practice.
One aspect of green exercise is warming up and cooling down properly. (Also, warming up the voice gradually increases blood flow and flexibility and helps a singer to wake up resonators so that they are ready to use them properly.) Stretch It Out – Cool Down Work offers specific exercises to cool it all back down when you’re finish singing. This strategy mimics physical training, where you focus on the build-up and the recovery. By developing these habits, the learner develops a sense that their instrument is something to be cared for; that we work with the voice as an alive and responsive organism, and not with some machine-makers brawn.
Another factor that helps to increase sustainability is variety in exercises. It allows the voice to stay active working, focusing on everything it should, all while taking turns with breath control exercises, range accuracy drills, diction exercises and expressive singing. “Variation makes it less boring and offers balanced development – (with this technique) you can’t have overuse injuries.” When each session is purposely different, you can keep making progress, the learner remains engaged and you have fun with the learning even more than the result \(The process vs The outcome\).
Conscious pacing is also a key element in a sustainable practice. Self-monitoring voice-consciousness sore throat By knowing when the playing and singing voice is tired, the intensity can be adjusted and duration of play modified so that vocal cords are not worn down or damaged in the long-run-unreliability. Students who practice listening to their bodies can differentiate between healthy challenge and unhealthy overstimulation. This bodily awareness promotes self trust, helping singers and speakers to negotiate challenging passages and performance trends with confidence that their technique is solid.
Last but not least, sustainable practice perpetuates the ownership of learning. A pupil who has a sense of the mechanics of his or her own voice, and can be informed about why they are being asked to do an exercise should be able to continue development outside of set lessons. They are taught to self-monitor, problem-solve, and work independently. Over time, this independence fosters a stronger and more expressive voice that is resistant to being hemmed in by any individual methodical approach to learning.” (Miller) Why do we take lessons??? So we are not just learning right now but forever!