Singing
With a Sore Throat
Should You Sing when Your
Throat is Sore?
I remember, back when I was
in the high school choir, my voice instructor
telling me about the dangers of singing with a sore
throat. In fact, I even watched a video of damaged
vocal chords.
The entire class took it to
heart and swore then and there that we would do
everything in our power not to destroy our vocal
chords as that poor girl on the video had done. Of
course, that went out the window when Friday night
rolled around and we were screaming at the football
game. But that's beside the point! So how do we
prevent the vocal cord damage?
How to Prevent Vocal Chord
Damage when Singing with a Sore Throat
There are several steps to
preventing vocal cord damage. The simplest is not
to sing
or shout when you
have a sore throat. Not only is singing with a sore
throat a painful experience, it is one that is
totally unnecessary.
Why should we try to sing
beautifully when, in reality, we feel terrible?
Don't even attempt it! It will only cause more harm
than good. It doesn't matter if you have a
performance to attend.
An important audition that
can't be postphoned might be an exception but even
then choose songs that are not too taxing on your
voice. Your music instructor will likely be the
most understanding and support your choice not to
sing in order to protect your vocal
chords.
One thing to remember is, to
become a professional singer, you need to do your
best to prevent a sore throat in the first place.
Drink a generous amount of water and don't sing or
shout too loudly.
There is always a time for
singing loudly, with the proper support, in order
to hit the really high notes. But don't do it for
too long at a time as it can cause damage. You
don't have to sing above the choir to be heard.
Often the way to your best performance is simply to
sing with the other choir members and not think
that the group is singing with you. Keep that in
mind.
Whether you are in an
ensemble, planning a karaoke night, or auditioning
for a local talent scout remember to be gentle with
your vocal chords. Always warm up slowly and
practice your breathing techniques every day.
We all would like to keep our
voices long enough to tell our grandchildren about
our performance in the play or some other stage.
And if we're lucky and take care, maybe even some
great grandchildren stories. So be nice to your
throat and take care of it when it is dry and sore.
Your audience will thank you for
it.
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