<p>I have my University of Michigan audition on Friday. I have worked for months in perfect health on my songs. All of a sudden tonight, at my last minute lesson, I started getting REALLY hoarse. I wasn't over singing, and then, I started cracking on almost every other note. I have NEVER cracked when singing these songs before. I'm really nervous, my throats bothering me, but I don't feel sick. I need tips ASAP. I have a humidifier, steamer, coughdrops and throatcoat. But any other tips?</p>
<p>I'm so sorry this is happening. It sounds like you are doing the right things. I'm no expert but I have heard that total vocal rest can work miracles in a fairly short period - if you don't feel sick, perhaps it is vocal fatigue, something that can be made worse by stress. My daughter had to postpone one of her auditions at the last minute when she got sick. The school was very accommodating but I don't know that they all would be. It might be a good idea to check to see if that is possible.</p>
<p>Edited to add that my D's audition was for vocal performance not MT so voice was the only thing being judged. This factors in on a decision whether to try to re-schedule or not.</p>
<p>Sometimes allergies can be the culprit. You might try a nasal wash such as a neti-pot or the Neil Med system, both available in most drugstores. I don't know if you know alot about allergies, but many cause post nasal drip which can play real havoc with the voice.
Also Musinex can be of real help in these cases. Stay warm, stay out of wind and drafts and don't speak unless you really have to. And drink LOTS of water. No yelling or singing for a few days. Also if you use throat or cough drops make sure they do not have menthol in them. Also if you use a personal steamer make sure you do not use the menthol pads that come with them.
Good Luck!</p>
<p>Steam with water only every 3-4 hours. Apples have pectin, good for the throat so I have heard apples and asian pears help. There is an old remedy lots of older professional singers use which is to gargle with Alkalol every 4hours or so but it does contain a tiny amount of menthol so I'm not sure if you should try it if you can find it. It helped my D. Also, cough drops with slippery elm are very helpful, try Whole Foods for that. Last resort: last summer my D was in porfessional summer stock and one of the principles was told to eat greasy bacon or swallow a half a shot glass of mineral oil to coat the chords. STEAM STEAM STEAM to keep those chords hydrated if you decide t go through with the audition.</p>
<p>FYI, Alkalol comes in a brown bottle similar to hydrogen peroxide and is located in the same area in drugstores that carry it. It is billed, from the bottle, as "A Topical Soothing Mucus Solvent and Cleaner" and can be applied directly to the throat with a q- tip or can be gargled. My D gargled with it.</p>
<p>Roxalia, its by Boiron. Its a homeopathic medicine. You can get it at whole foods. It really helps me. Also, singers saving grace. And water, water, WATER. Just keep drinking it!! Dont speak, and dont whisper. Do lip trills to gage if your chords are coming together. Your chords maybe swollen due to dehydration or overuse. It may be stress.</p>
<p>It is my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) that the things we eat and drink never directly touch the vocal cords, so I don't know what drinking mineral oil will do for your voice. It could have you running to the bathroom, however. LOL</p>
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It is my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) that the things we eat and drink never directly touch the vocal cords, so I don't know what drinking mineral oil will do for your voice.
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<p>musicmom, I think you're right. I seem to recall CoachC, who is the expert, mentioning this several times on CC.</p>
<p>I am a fan of mashing ginger root up (a garlic press works), and boiling it in hot water. Pour to mixture into a cup and mix in honey.</p>
<p>Slippery elm cough drops, and steaming with a personal steam inhaler, without menthol or anything is also helpful. Lots of water, and vocal rest...</p>
<p>When I was singing professionally, sometimes I would "lose" my voice just before big events and auditions. Stress can be a huge factor. Tension can cause cracking. And tension can make you horse... what did your voice teacher say?</p>
<p>If you gargle, do it gently. Gargling can be hard on the vocal cords - bangs them together. Try not to cough and try not to clear your throat - these things can stress already stressed cords. If you take something for pain, only take Tylenol - nothing with aspirin.</p>
<p>The only way to get moisture into the vocal cords for real, apparently, is to drink a lot of water. In other words, consume enough water so that your pee is very light in color. (Sorry to be so descriptive!) </p>
<p>And do NOT whisper. Whispering, the experts say, is one of the hardest thing on one's voice. </p>
<p>Consider rescheduling the audition, if you have time to do so and none of these remedies work. My D was sick for her first four auditions and got nothing, and for the last four, when she was healthy, she did really well.</p>
<p>Showmom-- I have a Vicks Personal Steam Inhaler and it works like a charm! It cost me about $30 but it is worth every penny! I would recommend it to anyone. Steam works better than anything else I've ever tried for a worn out voice.</p>