Job Discussion Forums

[deezy]

Hi...wonder if anyone can help here. I have been asked to advise a couple of teachers who are finding that their voices are suffering after a day's teaching. (please don't come back about teacher talking time...they teach young kids and have to raise their voices to be heard!). This is a genuine problem for both of them.

Can anyone advise on techniques to reduce voice tiredness?

Thanks
deezy

[GambateBingBangBOOM]

Sounds like they're not projecting from their diaphragm (stomach area). If they do that their volume will go way, way up- around 60%.

Here's a link for a vocal page:
http://www.jazzboulevard.com/bksample.htm



Other than that, the old Catholic teacher with a ruler bit works well.

[Gordon]

Why don't they learn to play a recorder? They could a few songs quickly, would save their voices and kids love songs.

[spidey]

WATER....drink lots of water!

[zaneth]

My mother was a teacher. Once she got laryngitis and had to spend the whole day whispering. All the students reacted by being very quiet and whispering back to her. After that laryngitis became a recurring problem for her.

[Captain Yossarian]

It helps to warm-up your vocal chords in the morning!

Avoid dairy products as these can coat your larynx and invest in some dustless chalk - though you may have to get that shipped over.

[Captain Yossarian]

These are the top tips from a guide to increasing vocal range without losing/damaging your voice.

1 Don't smoke.
2 Drink herb tea with/lemon & honey & a bit of cayenne pepper, when there's a sore throat.
3 Stay away from too many dairy products. They create mucous.
4 A glass of wine before singing when under stress is not a bad idea, but not more than one.
5 Eating before singing is not a good idea. Try not to eat within an hour of singing.
6 Warm-ups: always a necessity before any performance.
7 Any kind of drugs, including coffee are not recommended especially
8 Record your singing before singing (including performing), whenever possible.
9 Don't go without sleep.
10 Drink a lot of water (Hydration is essential.)
Don't become a slave to stress; stress tightens the vocal cords.
Do get a solid night's sleep (at least 8 hours) and eat regularly.

[dmb]

I know the OP said not to mention TTT, but I will. On a few occasions I have pretended to lose my voice. It makes an interesting lesson and of course 100% STT.

[Boy Wonder]

Don't Lose your voice teaching kids!!!
Why shout ?.....whisper........i find they generally listen when i turn down the volume.....!
Alternatively.....a good rap on the knuckles with a metal ruler also quietens down the little rats!

[Celeste]

As well as being an EFL teacher, I also teach singing (I have a degree in theatre and trained as an opera singer for 5 years - strange how life ends up, isn't it?) I find that most of my students can only sing for about 40 minutes without their voice tiring out. As their technique gets better, they can sing longer. Speaking loudly to a group is more physically taxing than singing. There are a few things that you can do-

To limber up your voice, do some strecthing exercises for it such as yawning loudly. Try saying HA in the lowest sound possible and HE through the highest most nasal part of your voice. Alternat the two with some yawning.

NEVER SCREAM. If you haven't noticed, screaming hurts because it is actually doing damage to your vocal chords. If you need to speak in a very loud voice, use your lowest possible register so as to give a baritone shout rather than a blood curdling scream. (Imagine scraped knees- that is what you are doing to your vocal chords when you scream.)

Drink lots. Avoid caffeine as it can be drying. Lemon and honey are both good. Lemon thins mucous and honey lubricates as well as acts as a slight antibiotic, so it is good for throats sore or otherwise. Stay away from milk - it creates thick mucous. If you find your throat sticky and you often have to clear it, then you might try dill pickles. THey do a great job of thinning mucous quickly.

Stand straight with your sternum high and don't hold your stomach in - give your diaphragm space to work. Breath properly - don't allow yourself to push out the end of your breath to get to the end of a sentence when reading aloud. Instead, practice speaking like a broadcaster - put in phrasing marks and breath in those places.

Relax and get enough time away from speaking. If you are talking a lot during the day, you need to have enough recovery time. If friends want you to socialize with them opt for something that doesn't require a lot of talking like a movie.

Stay away from smoke and other pollutants. Don't smoke cigarettes, and as well watch out for chemical pollutants such as perfumes, cleaning products, and air fresheners; they can all irritate the vocal chords.

Hope this helps - take care.

[deezy]

Thanks everyone! Great feedback, cheers! That gives me enough information to give advice. It's up to the teachers then to work on reducing the strain on their vocal chords.

I searched a few sites, and found that the largest proportion of people who suffer from vocal chord damage are...guess....teachers!

[Stephen Jones]

As an old headmaster of mine said: "Noisy teachers make noisy classes".

Your friend should never be talking above the din. If somebody else is talking wait until everybody's quiet. If he has to wait the whole hour, wait the whole hour.

Also your friend needs to be trained to throw his voice. He should find an elocution teacher. [/b]

[zaneth]

I was noticing the other day what a strain speaking the local language is to me.