I had just started regular vocal practice and felt all the muscles of my vocal apparatus toning up, when my son infected me, and my throat treacherously turned red 🤒

As you remember from my post on vocal hygiene, singing in this state is not the best idea. But that doesn't mean you need to cancel vocal lessons if you feel fine.

I'm sharing my TOP-3 exercises that you can do even when your vocal apparatus is not "in shape." In case it comes in handy for you too 👇🏻

1. PHRASING ANALYSIS

What can first give you away as an inexperienced vocalist, even if you hit all the notes and have no issues with sense of rhythm? Of course, the lack of well-constructed phrasing in a song. By understanding where each phrase begins and ends, what meaning it carries, and which words are most important during performance, you have the opportunity to convey your emotions and story to the listener's heart. The first stages of working on phrasing do not require singing – it's working with text, which can be done even when you are unwell.

2. RHYTHM

Studies on the development of a sense of rhythm have shown that the process goes fastest when you not only sing but also incorporate other physical actions into exercises: tossing a ball, drawing lines on paper, clapping, or stomping. Sore throat? It's the perfect time to practice syncopations and triplets.

3. STRELNIKOVA BREATHING EXERCISES

This is one of the few sets of exercises that allows you to keep the muscles of the respiratory system toned even when you are sick (if you don't have a fever or contraindications from a doctor). I am convinced that performing these exercises helped me avoid severe lung complications when I was very ill with COVID for a long time.

Of course, this is not a complete list of what you can do in vocal lessons when you have a sore throat; the list could go on for a long time. But these three points are usually the ones I lack time for the most, so I always start with them.

Do you cancel vocal lessons when you are slightly ill? Share in the comments👇🏻