How to sing when you’re sick

If you are wondering how to sing when you’re sick, you need to read this article. And no, don’t worry, I won’t make you belt your heart out when you are sick. Of course not! I am a holistic vocal teacher, meaning that I have into consideration all aspects of a person when building their vocal instrument.

Cold and flu, and of course another type of sickness, are one of those things that are hard to avoid. And when we encounter them, we have to deal with them the best way we can.

Often my students have to cancel or reschedule their lessons because they got sick. Sometimes I get sick too, and even though it is annoying to be unable to use my voice as I would like to, it is a good opportunity to do other singing-related stuff that doesn’t require my voice directly.

If you can’t use your voice much but you still have some energy left, you can still practice your singing. You can make the most of the days when using your voice is not a possibility and work on things that you would normally not spend much time doing – but that are equally necessary for your singing training! OF COURSE I am talking about the kind of sickness that takes your voice away without making you spend the whole day in bed! If you are feeling awful the best thing to do is to take a rest 😉 but if you are dealing with a cold, or a sore throat from last night’s party, chances are you can still have a worthwhile singing practice (without singing)!

And OF COURSE: If you are sick of a contagious disease stay at home!

How to sing when you’re sick: Some examples of things you can do without hurting your voice:

• Memorise the lyrics of the song you are practicing. This is such an important step in learning a song, yet lots of times students need to rely on reading the lyrics from a paper or a screen. This affects your capacity to focus on your interpretation and your technique, so if your voice is feeling sore and you have some time to practice, spending time memorising your lyrics will actually help your singing a lot!
• Listening carefully to the songs you’re working on and learn the melody deeply. The more familiar you are with a song, the more you can play with it and create your own version.
• Look for the challenging vocal parts in the song that you want to work on
• Practice the rhythm of the song –note times, find time signature, learn all the places where the melody starts, etc
• Practice your breathing. This will always be useful! plus it will make you feel better and help your recovery 🙂
• Practice soft vocal exercises like humming. It is a very soft exercise but you are still training.
• Practice visualisation exercises. Very relevant for singing! there is plenty of research that suggests that visualising your practice can give you a significant improvement. This is a technique used for athletes and dancers to improve while they are injured. 
• Search for the biographies of the singers you admire. Watch documentaries and recitals about them. Get inspiration!
• Analyse the singing style of the singers you like. What makes them unique?
• Go deep into the meaning of the songs you are practicing. Search for the main emotions in them, and tune into those emotions. Discover the message that each song has for you and in which part of your body they resonate.
• Research about different styles of music. Classical, contemporary, music in different languages, music from all over the world. Learn about the cultural significance of music in different parts of the world. Listen to new songs!
• Practice the chords of the songs on the guitar or piano so you can accompany yourself with an instrument.

As you can see, there are so many things you can still do when your voice is not feeling well. There is always something more to learn and discover, so keep in mind that practicing vocal technique is actually just a very small part of the training!

Ready to start your singing lessons in Auckland (North Shore)? CONTACT ME. Online singing lessons also available 🙂

Singing lessons in Auckland and online available for adults, teenagers and kids. We use holistic techniques that truly free your voice from deep within.

Image by Yoel Ben-Avraham