AAU28D: Set Reading 5- Besides cultivating good habits of voice and speech production, how can we actively care for and maximise the use of our voices in terms of modifying our lifestyle and environment?

Bunch (2009) mentions that the balancing of muscular activity within the larynx as well as the opposing muscles is vital in maximizing the efficiency of voice production. An example that was brought up was about how singers that perform every single night, working hard to make themselves heard for long hours in a smoke-filled environment will often get their voices affected. The voice of such singers suffers from long-term chronic misuse and being in an environment filled with smoke and alcoholic beverages do little to alleviate the situation.

CityCost (2017, March). Nightclub picture.

The example is brilliant because such places are often known to accommodate drug dealing so anyone who has to be there for a prolonged period of time will inevitably be at higher risk of substance abuse. In order to adequately care for our voice, the most important thing we can do is to isolate ourselves from all factors like smoke, alcohol, drugs, voice misuse and lack of rest to the best of our abilities!

Too much of anything is never a good thing. As such, we can aim to strike a balance by eating a variety of healthy food and trying out different kinds of fruit juice each time instead of sticking solely to what we usually consume. Another important thing is to make sure that we get the medication for respiratory diseases instead of letting the situation drag on to ensure that no permanent damage is done to our voice!

CityCost (2017, March). ‘Smoky Disco’ ups the immersive in a new nightclub experience coming to Tokyo. Retrieved 2018, November 13, from https://www.city-cost.com/blogs/City-Cost/Gya7G-living_tokyo_shibuya-ku

Bunch, M. (2009). Dynamics of the Singing Voice (4^th ed.). Wien: Springer-Verlag, pp. 123–137.