Becoming a Vocal Athlete: Part II

How Much Should I Practice?

Recently one of my students posted a note on FaceBook about being so pleased with his vocal progress. When I asked him about it and to what did he attribute it, he replied, "Well, I am practicing every day now." That's in addition to whatever singing he already does.

As teachers we emphasize the importance of regular practice, but singing every day is not enough. For a singer's body to transform into an optimum singing "athlete", he/she needs to delicately push the limits of the voice. One needs to create the physical demands that will cause the body to adapt and change. At the same time, one must not push the voice too much.

So, how do we know how much is just right? Singing and practicing until the throat begins to feel tired is a good guideline. One will feel that the voice is less flexible in dynamic levels, range, and color. The voice may feel heavy. It should not, however, feel strained or begin to sound edgy or hoarse. That's pushing too far.

Aim for a "good" tired in each practice session. Depending on your body and the level at which you are at on any given day, the length of time will vary for each individual and from day to day.

Next: How to use the principle of "Muscle Specificity."

Becoming a Vocal Athlete: Part I

Why do we need to practice? One can look to exercise physiology for some of the answers. Conditioning the body for singing is like conditioning an athlete's body for any sport. One must "build up" one's body through time with repeated and specific exercises in order to achieve optimum singing ability. This is the first in a series of posts on how principles from exercise physiology can be applied to the voice

The body wants to conserve its current state. Before the body will make physiological changes it must "believe" it is going to need those changes for a long time. It yields its current state only over time and with repeated demand.

Here are just some of the physical changes that occur with regular singing and the time it takes for the body to begin those changes:

• 3 months: The body begins to transform the processes that inhibit the signals that stimulate the muscles. This allows muscles to respond more readily when called upon.
• 6 months: The Body begins to increase the number of mitochondria (microscopic "energy factories" that supply muscles with fuel to contract).
• 12 months1: The body starts to increase the ability to circulate, deliver, and use oxygen during intense muscular contractions. This help to develop extended range as well as sostenuto, intense, and continuous singing.
• 15 months: The body beings to grow more capillaries that reach teh muscles used in singing over time, increasing the blood supply and the oxygen available for the muscles to process energy and ward off fatigue.

Not only do we, as singers, need to practice regulary, but we must continue to do so over a long period of time to even begin to affect change! So let's get going and sing!!

(Excerpted from Excellence in Singing by Robert Caldwell and Joan Wall, Caldwell Publishing, 2001, Vol. 3).