Chances are you use your voice every day. For those of us who use our voices professionally, it can be easy to take it for granted. Our voices are our livelihood, but how do we keep it going? These are my Seven Deadly Sins of the Professional Voice - a holistic approach starting with your personal lifestyle choices, to good vocal habits, and ending with your audience interactions. Some of these are my sins too, so don't be afraid to confess yours when they come!

1. The Unhealthy Lifestyle

Our first Sin! Before we can really begin our work, it is important to look at how we live our lives. Never forget: we are vocal athletes! And any athlete can tell you their training routine. Mine rests on three pillars: hydration, rest, and recovery.

When it comes down to it: anything that is healthy for your body is going to healthy for your voice. Water and electrolytes are essential to keeping our cells energized and ready to work for us. The voice works the exact same way: the musculature, cartilage, mucus membranes, and systems all require hydration to perform at their peak. A good indicator of hydration is to pee pale; too dark means you're dehydrated and clear means you're drinking too much water.

Rest is not just sleep. As vocal athletes we have to recharge frequently and this requires making sure to get enough rest time. You must take this opportunity to listen to your voice and respond accordingly. Nonverbal practice, in my opinion, is the skill of a true professional. There is never any reason to use your voice full out everyday - just as a marathon runner does not run a marathon daily to train. There was a time in my life where I could sing my six hour rehearsal, go home and party with my college roommates, and go back to do it over again everyday............I don't even know who that guy is anymore, he is long gone! Now, it's a balance between expression and recuperation, when to give and when to react.

So that's all fine and great but HOW do you manage to practice and rest? Here are some tricks I like to use:

• Marking - It's a way of going through the motions of what needs to be done with ease - singing quieter or down the octave, speaking instead of singing, etc. But be warned: singing or speaking quietly, yet improperly, can also cause the voice to give out without warning - no whispering!
• Lip Syncing - This one is great if you're feeling ill. I don't always have access to a coach, and sometimes I just want to focus on the acting side of things. It's useful to me to rehearse them separately and slowly merge the two actions. So I take a recording, mouth along, and just focus on my physicality.
• Mental Practice - If you've never done this one it'll take some personal practice to get right. In my music, I continue my lip syncing method but I take it to another level: I sit with the sheet music, no recording, and nonverbally 'sing' through my material. I place my mouth and body exactly as I would if I were singing aloud and go through how I think I'd want to do it. To really be secure in this practice you have to have a real understanding of your technique. It's hard but definitely worth the effort. Here is a link to a phenomenal TED Talk on Mental Practice.

Last we have recovery. This actually becomes an extension of rest but creates an environment for healing. These are the hardest moments I have as an emerging artist because it requires sacrifice. It means not talking on the phone too much, having to plan fun around my performance schedule, and dealing with a lot of FOMO. Just to be clear, I have a lot of fun in my life but things tend to lack spontaneity. But through making smart choices and maintaining healthy vocal habits I am able to enjoy the best of both worlds.

2. Poor Technique

My voice teacher in undergrad used to say "If you can scream and you can shit, then you can sing!" And you know what? He ain't wrong! I have a background in Nursing from a previous life. I learned the complete Anatomy & Physiology of the human body and it was paramount in my development of vocal technique. Because of this background, I knew my teacher was right: the muscles you use to scream loud and the muscles you use to go to the bathroom are all the same ones you need to sing properly, just the order of operations changes. Awareness of your pelvic floor, abdominal and thoracic cavities, respiratory system, nervous system, skeletal structure. I have a very procedural view on the voice - it physically only works one way - but not all approaches are created equal, so find the one that works for you!

For non-singers, learning proper voice technique is guaranteed to improve stamina while speaking, prevents "giving out" or hoarseness, and allows for a shorter recovery time between gigs. Whether you are a professional singer or speaker, here are some helpful ways to begin learning and creating good vocal habits:

• Voice Techniques - To start off, read a book! The Naked Voice: A Holistic Approach To Singing, Singing: The Mechanism and the Technic, The Diagnosis & Correction of Vocal Faults, The Structure of Singing: System and Art in Vocal Technique. These are invaluable resources and should be on the shelf of anyones library.
• Movement Techniques - Singers and speakers must have a keen mental awareness of our relevant anatomy and physiology. It's difficult but there are a ton of movement based techniques that bring further awareness to how your body creates sound: Alexander Technique, Feldenkreis Method, Linkleder, and Dalcroze Eurythmics are all methods to help link your brain to your body.
• Voice Therapy - This subject tends to be a rather taboo subject in the singing world for two reasons: 1. it implies that you do not have proper technique and 2. we're just stigmatized into silence. In September 2017 I sustained a vocal injury as a result of Viral Laryngitis. I got sick and got hurt, period. I saw an Ear, Nose, & Throat doctor and a Speech Pathologist and learned exercises to let my breath and body guide my sound combined with techniques to reduce swelling. It completely changed how I prepare and treat my voice before, during, and after singing. For more about an ENT in your area, click for the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Find An ENT!
  

3. Personal Interpretation vs Artistic Integrity

Ok, you've read the books and you've started playing with ways to explore your voice in a new capacity. We are on the brink of really making art here, but first we have to consider interpretation versus integrity.

Real talk? This is my biggest Sin. I'm trained as a classical performing artist, it takes a ton of research, practice, and time. Naturally, my interpretation of a work becomes personal and I try to enter the rehearsal process with as many ideas as I can. I remember doing an international music festival one summer and I had a real issue with the quality of work we were putting out. I eventually got into an argument with the director of the program and I was not invited back. This hurt me because I was really proud of the effort I put into preparing myself, and it felt like it was literally all being thrown out the window.

But my zealousness was a direct result of insecurities with my colleagues. I've been singing professionally for about six years now and each time I have gone through this process my insecurities diminish more. Awareness and collaboration is crucial to overcoming this Sin.

4. Performance vs Characterization

How do you make your audiences connect with you? You show them your deepest truths, for better or worse. It can be terrifying and incredibly vulnerable but it's insanely liberating too so don't be afraid to try.

The origins of singing are linked to the Notre Dame de Paris, where priests had to intone the Catholic Mass for a large congregation to hear. Singing, from day one, has been about communication. In my work, I am employed to interpret the music from previous centuries. But through my interpretation, I must create drama and express it through my medium. Remember, music is the vehicle driving the story forward. It goes beyond music for music's sake. Non-singers? Your voice is the vehicle and it does go beyond speaking just to hear yourself talk.

5. Forgetting Your Reputation

Anyone that requires an audience, of any sort, is going to demand a professional attitude at all times. My reputation reaches my coworkers before I ever meet them. In fact, I am more likely to be hired for being easy to work with than for my singing abilities. In my experience, the people who are difficult, mean, or egotistical are usually the most insecure.

Three things that will immediately discredit you, regardless of your expertise, are tantrums, gossip, and demands. I've seen it first hand but there is a very famous example in the opera world of a soprano named Kathleen Battle. I'll let you read about her here but at some point, I think we've all had a moment of weakness. It happens, and we have to forgive each other when it does. But when your REPUTATION becomes notorious, maybe think about why you chose to take the stage in the first place.

6. The Selfish Artist

In my training, there is a constant opinion on whether we should sing selfishly or for others. It is a strange thing to consider but it makes a difference. I decided several years ago that I am, unapologetically, a selfish singer. I sing to express, to dramatize, to create a visceral connection but it must always come from a place of personal truth. And there is a very big difference between a selfish singer and a selfish artist.

The selfish artist sings only for the applause. It's always disappointing to watch people who do well for the wrong reasons and miss every artistic opportunity. My number one rule to new performers in etiquette is that there is no "you're welcome" on the stage, only "thank you". We can tell from the moment we see you so try to remember your intent before you step out from the wings.

7. The Diva/Divo

Our final Sin is that of the self-declared diva/divo, or the prima donna. For the love of all that is holy and sacred BE HUMBLE AND BE NICE TO EVERYONE. It's easy to be intimidated and then overcompensate to prove your worth. But this is guaranteed to rub people the wrong way.

I can cite a myriad of instances of singers in productions who act like this but it all boils down to the same thing: A diva is not an artist, is not a respected collaborator, and is least likely to be re-hired for future work.

There you have it! These are my The Seven Deadly Sins of the Professional Voice. I hope it comes as no surprise that our Sins are more than our sound. Our voices are our livelihoods and it is important to treat them as such, holistically. By no means am I immune to any of these. It takes some finesse but no matter how you communicate or who your audience is, heeding these will always cast you in positive light. Be sure to share your Sins in the comments!

In bocca al lupo! Good Luck!