Crucial Do's and Don'ts of Voice Training

Developing a strong, healthy voice takes time and consistent practice. Like any skill, there are certain best practices to follow that will help you improve efficiently and avoid injury. In voice training, being aware and listening closely to yourself as you practice is key.

As you work to expand your vocal range or abilities, keep these crucial do's and don'ts in mind. This guide covers Crucial Do's and Don'ts of Voice Training, and provide tips for staying playful and exploratory, setting realistic goals, listening attentively, and more.

With the right approach, you can unlock your full vocal potential.

Do Be Playful, Curious and Exploratory

One of the things we're trying to develop is general vocal rapport. General vocal rapport translates to all other forms of vocalization.

So if you're practicing voice feminization, don't be afraid to play with different accents. Don't be afraid to sing. Don't be afraid to mimic interesting character voices.

Being open to these different vocal experiences is part of what it means to learn voice. So keep yourself open; don't shut yourself off.

Allow yourself to explore what sounds you can produce. Keep your ear open, move through the vocal space, and you never know what you'll find in that process.

Don't Ignore Signs of Vocal Injury or Strain

It's important that you listen to what your body is telling you in terms of warning signals. Our ability to do new things with our voice comes from dexterity and agility, not strength or force.

Some obvious warning signs to watch out for are:

Getting really loud and strained when trying to push higher
Anything that sounds hoarse, strained, scratchy or fatiguing
Your voice feels tired very quickly

These are signs that something you are doing is too taxing. Vocal health is like mana in a video game - you have to wait for it to regenerate if you overexert. Listen to the warning signs to avoid vocal injury.

Do Set Realistic Milestones

A big component of any learning process is time. Don't get discouraged if you don't see fast results. Vocal development is often plateau-y with big breakthroughs followed by periods of plateauing.

During plateaus, explore, experiment, and get sharper at what you already can do. This opens up new abilities down the line. Understand that this is a journey - it takes most vocalists over a decade to develop their full potential.

Don't Avoid Challenges

See challenges and weaknesses as exciting opportunities to grow, not things to be ashamed of. Address and interact with them slowly and carefully to strengthen them. It's by making mistakes that you learn.

Listen to Yourself While Practicing

Voice learning is fundamentally an auditory process. Your ability to access new vocal spaces depends on your ability to listen to yourself and give feedback in real-time.

Even teachers can't give feedback as valuable as you can give yourself with the right listening tools. Teaching is about transferring those internal listening tools so you can guide your own practice.

Don't Obsess Over Exercises

Exercises are just opportunities to listen and explore your voice to extract lessons. They encourage interaction in a controlled setting. But don't overvalue repeating them vs. listening and applying what you learn.

Some physical coordination may need to be built, but mostly it's about developing awareness and control. Focus on listening to exercises to understand what your voice is doing rather than blindly repeating them.

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