The document provides tips for taking care of one's voice. It recommends warming up the voice with gentle singing, resting the voice as much as possible, drinking plenty of room temperature water to keep vocal folds moist, limiting dairy and late night eating to prevent irritation, and using herbs, tea, and salt water gargles to soothe and moisturize vocal folds.

1. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOICE
1. Do not shout, speak against noise or cough violently.
2. Warm-up your voice frequently. Just as a pitcher needs
to warm up his arm before taking the mound, a singer needs to
loosen up his vocal folds/vocal chords to keep them in optimal
shape. Singing high and quiet loosens the folds. Just don’t
overdo it.
3. Rest your voice as often as possible.
4. Avoid speaking consistently at the wrong pitch.

2. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOICE
5. Resist the urge to clear your throat ; doing so
causes the folds of the throat to slam together causing
irritation.
6. Drink lots of (room temperature) water. Singers
need more water than the average person in order to keep the
vocal folds and the mucous membranes surrounding them moist. Aim
for 8 to 10 glasses everyday. Always drink water at room
temperature. Cold water can damage vocal folds.
7. Limit dairy products and eating late at night.
Dairy can cause mucus to build up in the throat leading to

3. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOICE
irritation. Eating and drinking before bed especially spicy or
greasy foods which might cause acid reflux. It could coat vocal
folds while you sleep.
8. Don’t whisper to save your voice! Studies show whispering
actually makes your vocal folds work 30% harder.
9. Take the herb slippery elm. Singers discovered this
more than a century ago which is a good way to coat the throat
and soothe tired vocal folds after a performance. Slippery elm
lozenges are available in health-food stores. If you have a
cough or cold, avoid antihistamines and menthol cough drops,
which dry out and irritate vocal folds.

4. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOICE
10. Turn off the AC. It can dry out the air and your vocal
folds.
11. Sleep with a humidifier by your bed especially before an
audition or performance. Vocal folds work best when moist. In
fact, you need to keep the surface of the folds slippery enough
to vibrate up to 1700 times per second!
12. Steam your throat regularly by holding your head
over a pot of hot water covering your head with a towel and
inhaling deeply.

5. HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR VOICE
13. Sip hot tea especially marshmallow-root or licorice tea.
Both contain mucilage, which has been proven to coat the throat
and soothe vocal folds. Drink it preventively and for relief
when you get a sore throat. Don’t add lemon to hot tea. It can
be drying.
14. Gargle with a mixture of warm salt water and ¼tsp
of baking soda to help keep the vocal folds moist. Gargle using
a high pitch. It forces your folds to contract, making it more
effective.
15. Limit caffeine, which can be drying to vocal folds.