Schedule It!
May 13, 2019
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A budget is defined as a financial plan for a specific period, often an estimate of income and expenditure for a set period of time. In order to succeed, the budget must be “met” and expenses should not exceed money coming in. If this happens, a deficit occurs.
What does this have to do with VOICE? Well, it is important that we think of our voice like our money, and realize we are responsible for creating and maintaining a (vocal) budget in order to avoid a deficit (vocally, a deficit may reveal itself in the forms of dysphonia, pathologies, loss of voice, time off work, inability to use voice for your job, etc.). We must create and follow a vocal budget so we are aware of how we are using our voice, how much we are using our voice/the vocal demands we place on our voice daily, and the amount of care and rest we give to our voice daily as well.
If we had to pay for everything we said, sung, etc., (and there were no cash or checks—only credit card), and there were only two options (an air card and a muscle card), we must always choose to "pay" for our voice with the air card. AIR is the foundation for voice and powers the vocal folds, eliminating the need for muscle/strain and igniting the correct coordination of the subsystems of voice for optimal voice use and quality. If we instead choose to pay with our muscle card, voice use will “cost” us five times as much and we will quickly go over budget. The same goes for when we pay with our effort “card” versus our flow or resonance “cards”, our caffeine and alcohol cards versus our water cards, our "wing-it" card versus our warm-up-first card…and the list goes on and on.
What vocal demands are you putting on your voice daily? It is crucial to make a vocal schedule, especially if you are an occupational voice user. When do we follow through with our goals in life? Or accomplish necessary tasks? When we write them down (on paper or electronically). When do we even know what is going on or expected of us in our daily lives? When we write it down. How can you hold yourself (and your voice) accountable? You must create a vocal schedule. Voice is all about awareness (voice care, voice use, vocal demands, voice placement, etc.), and the only way to be aware of your voice and all contributory factors affecting it is to take ownership of your vocal success and create (and follow) a vocal schedule. Doing this will allow you to determine if there are times during the day where you can honor your voice by taking vocal naps (short periods of no talking). Doing this will also allow you to prioritize your most important vocal tasks and possibly reduce or eliminate unnecessary ones (by adjusting the expected "completion" date or even handling them via other forms of communication—written, non-verbal, etc.). Even the most famous and “perfect” voices need vocal naps. Imagine if you were told to go run 8+ hours on a treadmill. Our bodies were not made for this and without pristine care of the body, focused training, and breaks and/or “fuel” in between all of those required hours, the task would be impossible. Now, relate this example to your voice, and also realize your vocal folds and entire “voicebox” are both insanely more delicate than your body—and then consider how much is expected of your voice daily. As an occupational voice user, there must be a conscious effort to control your vocal demands—otherwise, they will control you—and your vocal budget will result in a deficit (this evidenced through the voice being worse voice at the end of the day, overall vocal fatigue, decreased vocal power or stamina, no voice at all, inability to use the voice how you want it, and the list could go on and on). Create and consistently be aware of your vocal schedule.
What are the best ways to "make vocal money"? Think: hydration, efficient voice use, elimination of irritation (throat clearing, coughing, yelling, reflux, sinus/allergy problems, etc.), vocal naps, warm-ups, vocal exercises and training, amplification (if/when applicable), and of course, 7-9 hours of sleep every night.
Will you end up with a balanced vocal budget? Or a deficit that sets you into a vocal downward spiral (since you have to keep up with vocal demands of daily life)? There is never a better time to prioritize your voice than right NOW. Will you be in control of how you “pay” for voice use and how you succumb to or purposefully manage your vocal demands? Find, own, exude, radiate, and FREE your voice. Don’t let your vocal demands damage your beautiful, unique, powerful, dynamic instrument. Budget and schedule for vocal success. Be your own vocal accountant and secretary; your vocal health, abilities, reliability, and success depend on it.
