1) Get enough sleep nightly. Your voice box is made of muscles that get tired with use, and the time for them to be repaired is while you’re sleeping, just like the other muscles in your body. Get 7/8 hours of sleep a night to give them time to repair and strengthen.
2) Drink enough water daily. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water every day. If you consume caffeine, alcohol, or other diuretics, increase your water intake accordingly.
3) Always protect your voice. Don’t scream over the crowds to your friends at social or sporting events. Always sing or speak with a microphone, no matter how small the audience. Give yourself times of vocal rest daily.
5) If you lose your voice, stay silent, and don’t whisper. Whispering can hurt your voice. Vocal rest is the only way to heal your vocal cords.
6) Get educated. There are proper and improper ways to sing and speak for crowds. A few lessons from a professional vocal coach will go a long way to ensure healthy habits in your career.
Raised on her family’s goat and cattle ranch in the Texas hill country, Jamie loved spending time with animals and was always drawn to the arts. An avid reader who loved to write, draw, and sing, she found joy in her small town’s community theatre at age 10, began competitive choral singing in school at age 13, started on-camera acting in commercials and TV in high school, and by the time she graduated from college, was enjoying a career as a singer/songwriter in the vibrant Americana music scene in the Texas southwest.
After several years in Los Angeles and thousands of live music performances, countless commercials, and three original music albums later, Jamie arrived in Chicago, where she worked as a recording artist and actor in the field of Voice Over. Side by side with her music producer husband, she started the Miss Jamie’s Farm kids music show in 2013, after the arrival of their first child.
Now, with daily live music shows across Illinois as Miss Jamie From the Farm, and as the voice of many national brands as Jamie Blythe, Voiceover, Jamie spends her time creating videos for www.MooooTube.com, writing books, recording songs, and helping to run her talent agency for family entertainment, Midwest Talent Wranglers, LLC, all with her husband and two young daughters by her side.
Though far from her family’s ranch in small town Texas, Jamie loves being able to bring “life down on the farm” to the children and families of Chicago and beyond.
As someone who did not use my voice correctly as a tour guide resulting in having to have vocal cord surgery, I really appreciate these tips from Jamie. Keep them coming!