SICK! 🤧 But the show must go on??

I used to have the immune system of an ox.

My friends and I would marvel as everyone got sick and I never caught a thing. Cold? Cough? Flu? Covid? Nope! Not me!

EL OH EL.

I swear, after I had my second baby in January of this year, my body said "We have done enough. Your immune system is closed."

This year has been a wild ride of illness for me. It feels like every 4-6 weeks I am struck down with something!

Maybe it's my body saying I need to rest... And there have been days (weeks!) this year where I've had to completely tap out, go to sleep, and recover. Which is not easy to do with two young children to take care of 😅

But when I feel a little better, maybe 50-70% of my usual self, and I certainly cannot waste another day in bed... what do I do then?

I know you've experienced this too: Not feeling your best and still having stuff (auditions, performances, etc) that you need to show up for.

Sometimes the show must go on!

 

As singers, what can we do when we're sick?

Before I get into my tips, a few caveats:

1. Listen to your body! You know yourself and your voice best. If you are struggling to phonate (make vocal sound) at ALL or feel an abrupt pain or severe change in your voice, you probably ought to sit this one out. Consult with your voice doctor (get connected with a great laryngologist in your area BEFORE you desperately need one!) or your voice teacher if you need an expert opinion to weigh in on your voice use.
2. If you are still contagious and at risk of spreading illness to other people, consider what you can do to mitigate that risk, OR, stay home.

As for me, I don't have performances to show up to, per se, but I do try my best not to cancel voice lessons when possible. Since I still mostly teach online, that makes the contagious germs element of this a non-issue; none of my students are going to get sick through the computer screen! And as for my voice use, I've gotten really creative in regards to teaching voice with minimal voice use. I share more about that in this TikTok video.

But as for you, what can you do when you're not feeling 100% but still have to sing?

My best tips for singing when sick:

1. Get comfortable giving only 60-70% of your effort: Chances are, your 60% is still pretty good, so don't push your voice past what it can deliver comfortably today.
2. Create a vocal budget: It's helpful to consider the "vocal budget" I have for the day. On a poor voice day and a budget of say, $5, I might only have $1 worth of effort to spend on my daily life chit-chat, so I can save $4 worth of effort for my show that night. My warm-up might cost me $1, and then I have $3 left for the actual performance. Song to song, I need to use my vocal budget wisely!
3. Efficient warm-up: See above! You don't have the luxury of stretching to the farthest reaches of your range or working out every vocal style you can do normally. Get in, get out, get it done. I'm a big fan of doing your full vocal warm-up several hours before you actually have to perform. Then take a rest, then do a 1-2 minute mini warm-up right before performing.
4. Build in vocal breaks: Vocal rest throughout the day is crucial! Hypothetically, you might be able to fit in 4-6 hours of voice use in a day with 30 to 60 minute breaks built in. But try to fit in 4-6 hours of constant voice use with no breaks? Good luck getting past the 60 minute mark! Build in your breaks ahead of time, or get creative on the fly.
5. Rely on others: Have backup vocalists or an ensemble singing with you? Rely on them to deliver the power. Teaching a class or directing a show? Utilize an assistant or a familiar student to do some of the vocal heavy lifting. Relying on others also means your voice TEAM: your teacher, doctor, or SLP. They can help make a personal game plan for your voice use and/or advise on whether you need to take a break.
6. Rest, hydrate, steam, repeat: The usual advice! There's no magic bullet here, but if warm tea feels nice, go for it. If using a personal steamer or nebulizer is something that's helped you in the past, don't quit now!

If you want more vocal health tips, tricks, and myth busting, we dive deep on the Broadway Vocal Coach Podcast. Check out episode 54 "Vocal Health and Technique with Sarah K Brown, SLP," and episode 10 "Vocal Health Mythbusting."

Anything you'd add to my tips? I know you've got opinions!

Hit reply and let me know 😘