The increasing amount of TV talent show auditions drawing massive crowds is a great thing.  We love to see who makes it, who doesn’t and root for our family, friends or just tv favorites.  But before their debut on stage these singers have to get through a grueling audition process.  There are hours…DAYS of standing in line in all kinds of weather.  Then there are the calls from the producer for an hour or so of crowd cheers and screams and of course, the constant temptation to sing along with your line mates at the top of your lungs.  It’s part of the experience, right?  Sure.  Have a blast.  It’s the least you deserve after all your efforts just to get in the door.  But before you get carried away, don’t forget why you’re there: to show off the best of what your voice has to offer.

Here’s how to make sure your voice is at it’s best by the time you get to the front of the line:

1.  Cheer with your hands, not your screams. If you’re a purest (and I am but I don’t expect you to be) cheer with fist pumps and not your voice and, if you’re not, keep it to “whooo’s”, not screams.  Screaming can cause swelling in the tissues around the vocal cords leaving them susceptible to damage, especially when you’re already sleep deprived.  A good rule of thumb is to cheer at no more of a level than you would in a group of say five or ten, not thousands.  Dance, jump, wave your arms…but protect your voice.  It’s why you’re there.

2.  Get and Stay hydrated. This is my weak point.  I NEED coffee when I’m up before dawn to stand in line, but it does dry you out.  Drink plenty of water while you’re in line.  Nominate a ‘line keeper’ (like a designated driver) to hold your place while you take the necessary potty breaks.  Yes, it’s a pain.  But when your body is hydrated your cords connect and abduct (open and close) much more smoothly, resulting in more notes that you nail to the wall.  And THAT’S always worth it.  If you’re not sure if you’re getting enough pick up one of these great water bottles.  Fill it up once – it’s all you need for a full day.

3.  Warm up…all the way. It’s as hard on your voice as it is for your body to be freezing or sweating in line for hours.  Remember that if your body is hotter or colder than usual when you get inside that affects your voice too.  This is when vocally warming up becomes absolutely essential.  I don’t mean singing through your song in the corner of the hallway either.  You want to do a warmup that gets all of the muscle groups surrounding the vocal cords up and running.  The bubble is the perfect warmup (more about the bubble here) because it warms up all of the facial plus the vocal muscles at the same time, but a good warmup can be as simple as humming on a low note and sliding it up, then down lower than the first note and higher than your first high notes.  Don’t skip the warmup.  Athlete’s don’t.  And you’ve just stepped into an arena filled with them.

4.  Don’t gunk up your throat. Ah the typical arena fair; french fries, fried fish, hamburgers.  Tasty?  Yes.  Ok to eat before what could be the most important audition of your lifetime?  NO.  Greasy food adds, well, grease to the back of your throat which can get in the way of the epiglottis (the ‘door’ that opens and closes between your windpipe where your vocal cords are and the food pipe where you think it’s all going).  Spicy food can cause acid in the throat that can irritate the voice or indigestion that will irritate everything else in your body.  Again, not a safe bet.  The best thing in the world to eat before an audition?  Fresh apples.  They’ve been known to cut down on excessive saliva and cut through natural gunk that can sit in the back of the throat.  Unfortunately you can’t sneak one in.  But look for them in the vendor areas.  You might luck out.  If you want to be on the safe side, bring along Thayers throat lozenges.  They have the double kicker of slippery elm (better than it sounds ) and licorice root, two knockout natural sources for curing a dry or gunky throat.  If you love the taste of black licorice you can also try what my moma fed us; Throat Discs. I can’t believe they still make them but they’re super yummy and do the job.

Follow these simple tips and you’ll have the best chance at showing them all that you can do.  Now just get out there, look ‘em in the eye and let your voice do the rest.

Have an audition experience?  Share it below.  You know we wanna know.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy

The demands of touring can wreak havoc on a singer, especially on their first major tour when they don’t yet know just how much their bad habits are going to work against their voice.   But the problems you hear in those live performances are just an exaggeration of the basic problems all singers face.  Here are the top 10 ways to avoid them:

10.  Get Some Rest Already

Physical fatigue has a really bad effect on the voice.  That’s what you’re hearing a lot of from singers on the road.  Sure you have to work with the situation you’re in but understanding just how important adequate rest is to performing your best might just make you turn in a bit earlier.  Nighty night.

9.  Watch Those Burritos

Spicy, greasy, milky or heavy foods (farewell Mr. Cheesecake; I knew you well) are big no-no’s when you’ve got a performance coming up.  Depending how sensitive your body is to what you eat you might want to avoid these foods several days before a performance.  The best advice;  eat a healthy, well balanced diet all the time.  For those rolling your eyes right now; back off the junk food before you sing.  It helps.  It really does.

8.  Make H20 Your Favorite Element

Your vocal cords are teeny tiny, slippery little suckers.  They vibrate so fast during speech (or singing) that it wasn’t even until the last year or so before they developed a camera that could slow down enough to see it.  But without adequate hydration, they can’t perform those incredible rolling waves of vibration nearly as well.  Keep them slippery.  Drink 8-10 glasses of water a day.  Not in the habit of drinking that much?  Don’t bet on that bottle of spring water during the show to cut it.  It can take a week or longer to rehydrate your body.  We’ll wait while you go get a glass.

7.  Get in Shape

Even if you don’t have to serve as your own backup dancer, the better shape you’re in, the more energy you have (and give) in your performance.  And and that little edge could mean turning those people who would rather play on their iPhones than really listen to you into loyal fans instead.

6. Don’t Rock ’till You See the Doc

When was the last time you saw an Ear, Nose and Throat doc.  Really?  It’s time.  Singers of all levels should make this an annual event to head off dangerous damage you might not see coming down the pike like acid reflux or signs that your technique might be slipping and physically compromising your voice.

5. Let’s Clear the Air

Smoke=bad.  It’s not even o.k. if you just inhale, Mr. Clinton.  If you tend to sing in smokey venues, start booking more outdoor ones or places that have a no smoking rule for the room where performances take place (some casino’s do this).  If you plan on singing for awhile you’ll be adding years to your voice.

4. Don’t Play with Pain

If you have pain while singing or after a show, somethings amiss in singersville.  See this article to find out if this means you.  Pain is not a part of being a singer, regardless of what style you sing.  Danger, Will Robinson.  Danger.

3. Save it for the Show

I’m not a big fan of the ‘I don’t sing the day of a performance’ mantra.  Sure, if you’re a mega star bombarded by hundreds of crazed screaming fans, maybe you want to keep it on the down low, but the basic principle is this:  Don’t be screaming or talking excessively when you have a demanding show coming up.  It’s damaging at worst, and taking from what you can do on stage at best.

2. Step Up Your Style

Working with a good vocal styling coach can help you develop a bag of styling tricks that are useful way beyond impressing that guy/girl that finally made it to hear you sing.  They allow you options at different difficulties to choose from so if you find yourself having an off night you can still thrill your audience while protecting your voice.  And you do want to thrill them, don’t you?

1. Teacher Knows Best

A qualified vocal technique instructor who understands how the anatomy of your voice works and can assess how your lifestyle and tendencies affect your vocal potential.  Regular vocal lessons should not only provide continuing growth in your skill level, they should also teach you how to best care for your voice in your specific situation and they provide a trusted resource to ask questions as they arise.  Find a good instructor and get started!

Got another tip to add?  Think I’m full of it?  Leave a comment at the top of this post.

Ready to take your voice to the next level? Check out online training at The Voice Club Academy