<p>So I've got some kind of cold/flu. Fever, body aches, stuffy nose, post nasal drip. I've got an audition for Ithaca on Saturday and Buffalo state sunday, for Music education.
I believe these are the last dates, so theres no possibility of rescheduling.
I'm doing lots of water, sleep, humidifier, and coldeze zinc thingies.
Do I inform the schools that I am sick? Or will that sound like an excuse?
what do I do??</p>
<p>I don’t know what you should tell the schools - maybe contact them and tell them you’re definitely willing to come, but that you are terribly sick. (like a forewarning)</p>
<p>But if you have a cough, I can tell you how to get rid of it in five mins. :)</p>
<p>Before going to sleep, put a thick layer of vicks on the bottom of your feet and cover them with socks. You’ll stop coughing right away and sleep like a baby, on top of it 
It does actually work :)</p>
<p>A concurrent thread is here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/658121-what-do-about-flu-survival-handbook-advice-please.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/658121-what-do-about-flu-survival-handbook-advice-please.html</a></p>
<p>From an instrumentalist’s standpoint it may make sense to try. From a vocal standpoint, you don’t want to damage the instrument. You can contact the schools, contingent on your travel timing, giving them some time to react. There may be an alternative, such as using your prescreening submission or a cd submission as an alternative.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for that tip Sev!! I’m going to pass it along to my son:)</p>
<p>thanks for the help, but unfortunately the cold settled right down in my chest and my chords are insanely swollen. Short of a miracle I have to cancel both auditions for this weekend.
boo colds.</p>
<p>I’m so sorry to hear that. My D’s colds always settle into her chest - she has a state competition coming up in about 10 days for which she feels ill prepared because a chest cold kept her from singing for the better part of 3 weeks and she is just getting her top range back. She hates performing when she’s not at her best but the experience will still be helpful. Are you taking Mucinex? If you can get by without a cough suppressant, try to do so. The coughing will help break it up. Use non Menthol lozenges, tea, whatever else you can to help with the cough. The quandry for singers is that the coughing inflames the vocal cords so it’s damned if you do, damned if you don’t. Keep up the steaming.</p>
<p>xoxtinysingerxox - please take care not to injure yourself while you are sick. The Mucinex has helped my D as well as massive amounts of water and steaming.</p>
<p>She had no voice last Friday when she was going on as Eponine in Les Miz. She has been on vocal rest all this week and will perform tonight through Sunday which is the last day of the run. The rest has really helped her voice.</p>
<p>Can you rest your voice at least today and tomorrow and then see how you feel?</p>
<p>This isn’t a moment for home remedies in my mind…can you consult your doctor? DD (wind player) actually had pneumonia during her auditons, but good medical care helped ENORMOUSLY!</p>
<p>Yes, I agree about seeing a doctor. My D went twice during her bout for them to at least listen to her chest for any signs of bronchitis or pneumonia. She had bronchitis a couple of years ago that knocked her voice out for almost 6 weeks. She is scared to death of that repeating. The problem with seeing a doctor who doesn’t understand singing is balancing their recommendations with regard to decongestants, cough suppressants, etc. It’s hard to balance drying the cords with the ability to breath and sleep.</p>
<p>Yeah I’ve been sleeping with the humidifier. And drinking at least 60 oz of water. and vocal rest. i took mucinex, but it makes me want to cough it up, which hurts like HELL. and is tearing my chords up. there will be no singing this weekend. I have gotten through 7 auditions without getting sick, so I will be thankful for that.</p>
<p>That is the quandary with the cough. You want to cough that stuff up but coughing slams together your vocal cords. Clearing your throat isn’t even good for the cords. Completely suppressing the cough, it is my understanding, can lead to other problems. My D’s doctor didn’t have the magic answer to that one. She said it was best to cough it up, but that if it interfered with sleep, she needed the suppressant. She coughed so much, she pulled the muscles in her chest. She still has a little nagging cough and gunkiness and it’s been over a month.</p>
<p>Please do call the schools- they may be willing to let you come another time. You are not the first in history to have to cancel due to illness. Maybe with a note from the Dr. saying you are on vocal rest? Or, do you have a pre-screen CD that you needed for any other schools that they might be willing to listen to instead? Don’t give up!</p>
<p>Please be careful with that humidifier. You might want to toss it and get a new one. A friend developed pneumonia, hospitalized, home again and thought–I’ll put that humidifier right next to me for good recovery. Instant relapse due to bacteria in the internal windings of the mechanism.</p>
<p>Also, I posted on the other thread about Relenza–the new Tamiflu. Tamiflu is no longer effective against Influenza A strains which have become resistant. The new drug of choice is Relenza, which is an inhaled powder going right into the lungs. It is definitely pulling my DS out of the woods and hopefully back onto his legs in time for Sunday’s audition, though he will be woefully underpracticed and out of shape. Glad to know you nailed so many auditions before these last two. I wish we could say the same, but the upcoming are DS’s first and only ones.</p>
<p>Since you’re down to the last dates, you are probably going to have to show up, even if you are not 100%. Take a copy of your CD to both (I don’t think that either school requires a pre-screening CD, but take one with you by all means). You are too late for the “emergency” video audition at Ithaca too… That being said, go on vocal rest, immediately- don’t talk, write if you need to deal with someone. If the faculty is good, they will recognize that you are ill, so when you are finished singing, give them the CD and ask them to listen to that as it will give a better representation of your singing. If by any chance you are in an audition situation where you can’t speak directly to your panel, just give it to the person who announces you along with the same request. I don’t think you’re the first person they’ve ever encountered who has come up ill at the last minute(WHY do they do these things during the height of cold and flu season??), so they should be understanding. I wish you the best of luck and hope that the next 36 hours will give you needed time to feel better.</p>
<p>Ah, further suggestion: we contacted the admissions office directly today just to describe the situation on the off chance there might be an alternative. They were very kind and helpful and said (which we already knew) that this was the last audition date and the prof whose studio DS hopes for had made special arrangements to be there to hear him. However, they did say they would let the faculty know that DS has been ill. (as an update, the dr’s office phoned this morning and said the strep culture looks positive, definitive dx and rx to follow) I think trying to work something out with admissions might be your best (and only) option; at the very least, the faculty will be apprised of your condition.</p>
<p>Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>DD auditioned at one when she was coming out of strep. Fortunately she had been on antibiotics for 5 days. She went, did the rest of the day and for the audition they had her sing a little and she gave them her CD. They did not want her to strain. Any place that would is probably not somewhere you want to be. They heard enough to tell it was her and then accepted the CD. She was accepted there and it was a conservatory.</p>