ABSTRACT
The voice is remarkably resilient, self-healing, and capable of being trained to do almost anything. Healing is meant in both the literal and figurative senses. This chapter discusses vocal wellness. Healing is also about rehabituating, learning good fundamental behaviors, and developing solid foundations for more advanced work. The goal of the chapter is to gain a sense of a stage performer's whole voice. The chapter touches on all its component parts (breathing, tempo, rhythm, articulation, pitch, volume, quality), working to gain awareness and control. It discusses vocal health, vocal history, and vocal shrink in order to explain how behavior affects voice. Environmental and medical problems can also influence the voice. The most common categories and some examples include: allergies; hearing problems; conditions that alter the nasal passage (deviated septum, sinusitis, swollen adenoids); and throat conditions (post-nasal drip, swollen tonsils, pharyngitis).
