NIDCD

Vocal Warm-Ups and Cool-Downs

Athletes always warm-up their muscles before athletic events. Football players exercise lightly at first and then work up to the ‘game level’ of muscle energy and flexibility gradually.  Runners always stretch leg muscles first so they will be flexible when the race starts and not injure muscles. 

The same is true for voices of actors, teachers, singers and other professional voice users.  Many of us are VOCAL ATHLETES.  We may talk for vocal ‘marathons’, talk more loudly than usual, use highly animated, high-energy voicing or use pitches, which are very high or low.  In any of these situations, it is important to warm up the vocal muscles before the ‘vocal’ game.  Vocal muscles are also easily injured if nor warmed up and cooled down before and after the vocal performance. Your voice professional will help you determine the exact warm-up exercises, how many and how long. 

FIRST, remember the vocal focus exercises?  Good focus moves the source of the voice from the throat and possible strain to the oral and nasal cavities where relaxation and vocal quality are improved.  So, it will help you get started properly if you use “mm, nn, or ing” as your warm up sounds. 

SECOND, when your voice is louder, you will use more vocal energy.   So during the first part of the warm up, you will use a voice between quiet and moderate.  As you warm up, loudness may be increased. 

THIRD, you will choose the easiest, least demanding pitches as you begin the warm up exercise.  These pitches are about three or four pitches above your lowest pitch or about at your “um hmm” pitch which we discussed earlier.  Then you will gradually stretch the vocal folds as you raise the pitches. 

1. Start with “mm,nn or ing” sounds to guarantee good relaxed vocal focus. 

2. Start with fairly quiet voicing and then increase loudness gradually. 

3. Start with lower pitches and gradually raise the pitches. Later in the warm up, make the pitch changes more challenging.