If you’re a human on Earth, you’ll find some things in your life to shout about. So how do you do that without trashing your voice?

1. Hydrate ahead of time. Your vocal folds are incredibly sensitive to how much and what you’ve been drinking. Drinking extra water in the hours and days before a big event will help your voice last longer. Drinking alcohol is going to dry it out, and wear it out, faster.

2. Hydrate during. Bring a water bottle if the venue allows them.

3. Take lozenges with you. Licorice, slippery elm, marshmallow root and honey are all soothing for the throat. Avoid alcohol, menthol and eucalyptus (they’re known to be irritating).

4. Choose your moments. Yelling is effective because it’s at a different level of intensity than what’s going on around it. If it’s so loud you can’t hear yourself, shouting isn’t helping your cause or your team, it’s only hurting you. Take a break and chime back in when you have a chance of being heard.

5. Take turns with the people around you. If a chant is being repeated over and over, join in every other time, or every third time, or every fourth time.

6. Remember to “lift with your legs.” The more vocal energy you want to produce, the deeper and lower into your body you need to look to for support. Feel your feet on the ground, your knees slightly bent, lots of width across your low back – make yourself strong like a mountain from the ground up. If you’d like personalized help with this, reach out for a lesson!

And, last but not least,

7. Stop before you’re tired. Clap your hands, stomp your feet, rattle some cans instead. Maybe you’ve heard, “if you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated“? The same is true for vocal fatigue. If your voice feels tired, it’s past time to stop using it.

Remember that your voice is a muscle – it will give out if it’s over-worked, and it will get stronger with repeated, healthy exercise. If you’d like help with that, I’m here for you, just reach out for a lesson.