Protecting your Voice in Rehearsals
This question gets asked A LOT: How do I protect my voice when I’m at long rehearsals or when I’m asked to do something vocally or physically that doesn’t allow for my best or healthy technique?
Good question! First, I’m glad that you are caring enough about your vocal health, longevity, and technique to not blindly and näively do whatever anyone asks you to do with your voice!
Stage directors are really trained to teach you what is best for the character development, how the overall picture of the show looks on stage, and the right level of drama. So, they aren’t necessarily trained vocalists. That means they all aren’t mindful of what your instrument should or shouldn’t do. However, the more experienced they are working with singers and putting on productions, they usually understand more of the tempermentality of the voice and its fragility.
If you are doing a production and are asked to run around or dance and then sing (out of breath), of course it won’t HURT you, but you will likely not be able to sing your best either. (This is why so many pop-stars that dance a lot simply lip-sync!) Another example is if you are doing something like a stage-fight, or maybe your focus has to be so much on the acting that the singing starts to get put on the back burner. Sometimes we have to make a choice: character and acting or singing technique? Ideally, we can do both.
I suggest in these sometimes precarious moments to simply say to the director something like: “It seems like we are going for the idea of character in [insert movement/emotion here]. I like this idea. Is there a way to do it in which I can still focus on my singing so that it isn’t feeling compromised?” You can be even more specific by saying exactly what part of the music is feeling compromised. Maybe it's just a beat or two, and could be a very quick fix.
The other vocal concern is when you hear a director tell you to do something vocally that you don’t agree with, or absolutely know will not be healthy technique. These moments can be mitigated in two ways. You can simply pretend to try it once and then say “That hurts, that doesn’t feel good. What other options do you have?” or you try to problem-solve by asking yourself “What is is that they want to get across and how can I do that in a healthy way?” For instance, if the director wants you to shout and you aren’t comfortable with it, then you can instead change the pitch of your voice to accent a phrase, or you could move your body more dramatically or stomp to accentuate the drama of the moment. (Healthy shouting is for another blog!)
Now lets talk about long rehearsals. Two truths: 1- You CAN build stamina in the voice and 2-The voice is NOT invincible. I am happy to remind you that the voice is made up of coordination of over 60 muscle systems in the larynx that are all small, fragile, and irreplaceable. You only have one instrument. Pros know that you don’t sing full out in every rehearsal the whole time! What normally happens is singing “sotto voce” or “half voice” for much of the rehearsals, and then the singer occasionally singing out. Young singers are notorious for wanting to prove themselves and sing out every minute. Its not necessary, and over-singing - both in volume and duration, can be permanently damaging.
You can simply discuss with the director before a rehearsal by saying something like “I am going to be singing sotto voce/half voice as we stage much of the rehearsal today, then I’ll sing full for our final time or two of working the scene so that I can save my voice from overuse. Thanks for understanding.” You may get a funny look, but the truth is, singers who are wise about their voice, know it, master it, and put boundaries around it are respected and have longevity. If you sing well, that’s what matters most. They will be educated in the process.
Remember that your voice is a treasure that needs to be nurtured in both technique development and protection. You are in charge of it, no one else! So, put your boundaries up and sing healthily.
