A Healthy Voice To Start a Voice-Over Career

After a long time of arduous vocal training and a handful of samples submitted, Audrey finally landed a voice-over job at a local recording studio.

She cherished this first time opportunity ever since she felt that becoming a voice talent was her passion and her professional goal. She couldn´t contain her excitement so she spent a lot of time on the phone telling her family and friends about her recent achievement.

And so, the chance she was waiting for had finally come for her as the dubber of a new cartoon series. But just as she was about to record the first line, she couldn’t speak above a hoarse whisper. Just a trickle of voice came out of her mouth. She tried again and failed. She was very frustrated and went home. Now she’s thinking that she disappointed her employer and in fact she did. She might never get the job again.

Getting into the voice-over industry is not easy; let alone landing a good job. One cannot easily ignore there is a lot of competition out there. So being an active voice actor should never be taken for granted.

Your voice is what keeps you glued to that opportunity. So it’s only natural that you should take care of the thing that helps you earn a living. In other words a healthy voice is the very first step to a successful voice-over career.

So how do you take care of your voice? There are a lot of ways! In this article, we will share some tips you can follow to keep your voice healthy and ready for action.

Norman Hogikyan and his colleagues from the University of Michigan, Health System put together a list of tips. Some of them are:

• Drink a lot of water and minimize your intake of alcohol and caffeine. Alcohol and caffeine dehydrates your body and you need a balanced lubrication in your throat area as your vocal cords vibrate very fast when in use.

 Photo Courtesy of Greg Riegler Photography

• Enjoy taking “vocal naps”. Vocal naps are the only times your voice can rest. Try not talking and speaking for a couple of minutes or even during your lunch break.
• Smoking is a no-no. It can increase the possibility of having an unpleasant hoarse voice, let alone a lung cancer.
• Avoid abusive vocal activities such as yelling and screaming. If your voice feels dry, tired, and hoarse, make it rest. These are signs that your vocal cords are irritated.
• Humidify your environment as it is good for your voice to have moisture.

There are also exercises that will help you achieve a more flexible voice but without compromising its health. There are a few exercises that can be found in the website SpeedUpCareer:

• The simple humming is a very good exercise to get that deep voice effect.
• Having control with your larynx is the key to having a great voice. You can do this by placing your index finger in the ridge (just above the Adam’s apple) and pronounce the word “drum”. Try varying your voice and control the vibration that comes with each pronunciation.
• The “lip roll” is also another great exercise not only for your voice but for your mouth as well. Press your cheeks with your hands together, hard enough to feel your teeth. Then, blow through your mouth while chanting the five vowels.

These are just some really helpful tips for your voice’s health. If you have your personal tips that are not included here, feel free to comment below and share it with us!