Sore voice

Life Health & Fitness
1

Hi,

I teach English 19 hours a week. I’ve been getting sore throats and sinus problems. I think that my doctor is right - some of it is due to allergies.

But I also find my voice generally hurts. I endeavour to have lessons with more student-student talking time as a good teacher would. Although with 4 hours of Kindergarten a week - they need more drilling.

I’ve tried not to shout and now use a more normal volume.

BUT…Does anyone know of vocal exercises to strengthen my voice?

Any other advice on protecting my voice and using it effectively would be much appreciated.

Sincerely,

Asa.

2

“more drilling” is not what most linguistics would call useful for kindergarden classes. that’s behaviorism. but i digress …

i would make efforts to use your diaphragm (sp?) when you speak, which is the system around your belly. most singers use this, or they wouldn’t be singing at all after two weeks of concerts.

don’t drink cold water - warm is better (not hot.) some may disagree with this, but i have found it useful.

here is a link that i dug up - have not fully perused it, but seems helpful. good luck

lionsvoiceclinic.umn.edu/page4.htm

3

I try to avoid iced drinks or ice cream during the week. This has helped me keep a strong voice. I’m soflty spoken, but my teaching voice has adapted over time. I often used techniques like putting my finger over my lips for “SHHHHHH”, or complete silence, this surprisingly enough works better than yelling, because the chatty kid gets all embarrassed.

I never shout in class. When Saturday afternoon arrives, the first thing I do is to go to 7-11 and buy ice cream :stuck_out_tongue:

L :smiley:

4

i think it pays to know how to do it though, i honestly think i may have caused a hernia over time by doing that. i have heard of “dan-tian” breathing/diaphragm lessons for singers, might be worth looking into. also helps to have a good ear/nose/throat guy.

5

could be right - i had some singing lessons when still young, and the guy was pretty good. still try to use those methods to talk in front of classes. it doesn’t take all that long to learn how to do it, and you’ll save your voice a lot of strain.