A voice diary can be a great way for singers to truly know their instrument and prioritise their vocal health.

The human voice is a wondrous – yet mysterious – thing.

As we can’t see the voice mechanism in action, when something doesn’t feel or sound right, it can be difficult to pinpoint what the issue is (and if it’s serious).

However, there is a simple way for a singer to gain a greater understanding of how their instrument works.

And with that knowledge, you can then build a regime best suited to the individual needs of your voice.

As speech and language pathologist Dr Lori Sonnenberg explains on the Singing Teachers Talk podcast, a voice diary (also known as a voice journal) can be a helpful tool.

Knowledge is power

“Self-monitoring is probably the number one thing we can all do as protectors and keepers of our own vocal health,” the singing voice specialist says.

By noting down how the voice is functioning, along with variables such as vocal load, diet, hydration, sleep and hormonal changes, over time you’ll develop a better picture of what your voice needs to thrive.

“If we don’t do the work to understand those variations, then we don’t know how to respond to them,” Dr Sonnenberg says.

“It requires trial and error. It’s about finding that perfect little recipe of what’s too much and what’s not enough, and how much warm up and cool down and downtime you need during the day to balance all of that.”

Understanding your baseline

Having a deeper understanding of your voice means that when something goes awry – as it does for all pro and semi-pro singers at some point – you’re not scrambling around in the dark.

Dr Sonnenberg uses the example of experiencing a vocal health issue such as hoarseness or loss of range after a heavy performance schedule.

“It’s about being able to say, I know when it’s like this, I need to rest my voice. I can get back to baseline in a relatively short period of time – one to two days.

“But if it starts happening regularly, then that to me is a warning signal.

“If recovery starts to take longer, that’s when you start to think about something being amiss.

“If it starts taking, say, seven days to recover from overuse, and if that were to happen several times in a few months, that would make me get a little suspicious.”

Learn more

Listen to our full interview with Dr Sonnenberg on Singing Teachers Talk to learn:

• How she diagnoses muscle tension dysphonia (MTD).
  
  
• The importance of voice professionals to be mindful of the language they use when discussing vocal health issues such as MTD with singers.
  
  
• The audible signs of the condition.