Preparing singers for careers in music

Patricia Feltmann,

Singing instructor

Tip of the month

After spending lots of time with students at performances and contests and having more advanced students in lessons, it has come to my attention that many of you have come to the mistaken idea that you no longer need to do much in the way of warm-ups before lessons or performances.

The reasons to warm-up are two-fold.  The first reason is to do exactly as the words imply, warm-up the voice.  Just like warm-ups before an athletic event, the muscles involved in singing need to be warmed up and gradually stretched.

Now, if you are just going to hum a little tune with no high or loud notes, the warm-up you get from just speaking may be sufficient.  But if you are going to go beyond that, a gradual stretching and warming of the muscles involved in singing is necessary.  You may be getting away with not doing this, but your voice will not respond as well and you could injure your delicate vocal chords, or even pull a muscle in your larynx.  It does happen.  And it usually happens suddenly, out of the blue.

The second reason for warm-ups is to practice skills that may not be required in the songs you are singing right now, but may be required in the future.  You may need to practice singing higher than your songs, singing staccato, singing classical, breathing exercises for longer phrases, staccato for strengthening your vocal chord closure muscles, different kinds of tone production, etc. 

In conclusion, if I ask you if you have warmed-up before your lesson, singing your song in the car on the way to the lesson does not count!  If you did a good warm-up at home, then sang a little on the way to the lesson, that does count.  If you did several warm-up exercises in the car before the lesson, then we just need to do a little bit more in the lesson, since you were sitting in the car, and may have been driving and only paying partial attention to your singing.

Before contests or performances where you have to sit around and wait for your turn, warming up in the car may help, but if you sit around for an hour waiting, you should do more warm-ups right before you perform.  Sirens in classical, then lean voice are easy to do when you have no access to a warm-up tape or CD.  Also, some staccato exercises or breathing exercises could be easily added.  Go find a place where you can sing a little and not disturb others and spend 5 minutes warming up.  It really will help!

Another note, the older you get, the more crucial warming up becomes.  Things warm up slower and the phrase “use it or lose it” becomes more true.  Get in the habit now, while you are young.

Warm-up exercises

September 2006