In today's episode, Alexa is once again joined by BAST founder Line Hilton, this time to discuss the best vocal exercises for sick voices. Listen in to find out what the differences are between a sick voice and a well one? How does working with a healthy student differ from that of a sick one? And what can we as singing teachers do to make things better for our students?
KEY TAKEAWAYS

Sometimes we don't hear things or notice things in our own voices, so having a singing teacher is very useful. It's good to have somebody there who points out, Oh, can you hear it's a bit breathy here, or do you notice the tension?
Sometimes vocal injuries are very obvious, sometimes it's much more subtle and it's more noticeable to the singer than it is to the external listener. This is why it’s important to have good communication with your students to find out exactly what they’re feeling.
A singing teacher can sometimes be better than a doctor because we understand the voice and how it should work.
Line will also support by giving other vocal health advice in terms of looking at diet, hydration, and looking at a nebulizer. Making sure that where possible the person's as healthy and fit as possible, and that if there's any reflux, that's being addressed, if there are any allergies, those are being addressed so the vocal folds aren't working with the pathology and other issues that may be making it even more difficult.
If the vocal folds are puffy because somebody's been over-muscling, then you do need to deal with the over-muscling first, because otherwise, the puffiness will continue to come back.
If Line is working with someone who's post-op, first of all, after obviously clearing that they're ready to get back into singing, she will ask them what's worked and what they've been doing so far. If they've been working with a vocal rehab coach or an SLT who knows how to work with singers.

 
BEST MOMENTS
‘It's always good to have a second pair of ears as well’
‘Extrinsic muscles are quite deep, and so you don't necessarily realise one of those deeper muscles is being hyper contracted and overworking’
‘I'll just gradually start to increase the range and get more challenging’
‘I’m always just checking in and changing one thing’
 
EPISODE RESOURCES
 BAST Training
Guest Website:

basttraining.com

Social Media:

@basttraining

Relevant Links & Mentions:

Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep. 62 How to Choose the Best Vocal Exercises with Line Hilton: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4dWJ0kU0g65yJIpgVVWP6I?si=5c4983e81ec84c57
Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep. 73 The Best Vocal Exercises for Laryngeal Stability with Line Hilton: https://open.spotify.com/episode/434D7YZ7hWphm1ebzDi9ku?si=fc488543ded04559
Dr Jenevora Williams: https://jenevorawilliams.com/
Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep. 75 Vocal Rehabilitation for Singers with Dr Jenevora Williams: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4MMPy91Bhy0u58P01PUXo9?si=b67efa92d1a84498
British Association of Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM): https://www.bapam.org.uk/
Voice Care Centre: https://voicecarecentre.co.uk/
Vibrant Voice: https://www.vibrantvoicetechnique.com/
Singing Teachers Talk Podcast: Ep. 32 The Bio-Psycho-Social Model with Stephen King: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4R13bvilWjwQnd9WOfTiVc?si=12271e4e200446b7
The Voice Clinic Handbook by Tom Harris & David Howard
Clinical Voice Disorders by Arnold Elvin Aronson
Anatomy of Voice by Blandine Calais-Germain & Francois Germain
Laryngeal Endoscopy and Voice Therapy by Sue Jones & Carrie Garrett
Principle of Voice Production by Ingo Titze
Vocology by Ingo Titze and Kathrine Verdolini-Abbott
The Voice Book by Kate DeVore and Star Cookman
The Performer’s Voice by Meredith Dame-Bunch
Vocal Health and Pedagogy (Volumes 1 & 2) by Robert T. Sataloff
British Voice Association (BVA): https://www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk/
National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS): https://www.nats.org/
Pan American Vocology Association (PAVA): https://pavavocolo