Why You Should Warm Up Your Voice: Essential Tips for Singers

Do vocal warm ups really make a difference? Why can't we just warm up as we go? We're going to be singing anyway so what's the point of singing separately just to "warm up"?

I'm sure most musicians have asked themselves these questions at some point. At times in my life I have chosen not to warm up thinking it would be fine and wouldn't make much of a difference and most of the time, it was totally fine and I didn't really notice. However, as I get older, the more I realize that the purpose of a vocal warm up goes beyond simply warming up my voice, and is just as important as warming up before a game of soccer or a gymnastics competition.

Over time I have learned that warming up my voice also means preparing my mind, body AND voice. So for example, massaging your jaw and relaxing your face muscles, doing lip trills to help send a little energizing buzzzzzz through your face, or even stretching out your neck. All these practices can contribute to an effective warm up that helps prepare you for your day of singing.

So what happens when we don't warm up before singing? An obvious answer to this is that your voice will likely not sound as good at the start. You might sound more rigid, your voice may crack, your range will be smaller, and you may feel strained in your vocal folds, leading to potential damage.

Of course, skipping a warm up here and there will likely not cause any dramatic impacts, but even 5 minutes of warm up is much better than none at all! What's your favourite vocal warm up?