Jenevora's Running Commentary Episode 4: Is Rest Always Best?

What is the best way to recover from vocal fatigue? Is resting the voice the best option, or are there other things we can consider? In this episode I’m exploring vocal fatigue and voice recovery, and why rest alone is not always the most effective strategy. The first step is understanding what caused the fatigue, whether that is shouting at a sports match, heavy classroom voice use, a demanding performance schedule, or stacking performing with teaching. If you can reduce the cause, you reduce the load on the system. Then we look at an idea borrowed from sports science. For many soft tissue injuries, older advice focused on rest and immobilisation. More recent approaches emphasise gentle movement because stretch and massage can reduce inflammation and reduce the likelihood of scar tissue forming. So how do we apply that to vocal folds? We cannot stretch and massage them directly, but we can use very gentle slides through the range on a semi-occluded vocal tract, such as a buzz, lip trill, tongue trill, or puppy cheeks. Done lightly, these can act as a kind of stretch and massage and have been shown to reduce inflammation more effectively than complete vocal rest. Finally, I zoom out to whole-body recovery. Sleep is essential, but fitness matters too. Research suggests that physically fit singers recover from injury more quickly than singers who are not as fit. The takeaway is simple: rest matters, but rest alone may not always be best. Jenevora’s Running Commentary is a series of short chats and ideas about singing and teaching singing, named after the place where I do a lot of my thinking: on a run. References: Verdolini-Abbott, K., Li, N. Y. K., Branski, R., Rosen, C. A., Grillo, E., Steinhauer, K., & Hebda, P. (2012). Vocal Exercise May Attenuate Acute Vocal Fold Inflammation. Journal of Voice, 26(6) Nanjundeswaran, C., VanSwearingen, J., & Verdolini Abbott, K. (2017). Metabolic mechanisms of vocal fatigue. Journal of Voice, 31(3). Chapters 0:00 Intro 0:16 What caused the fatigue (reduce the load) 0:57 Is rest always best? 1:05 Sports science analogy (soft tissue recovery) 1:27 Stretch and massage reduce inflammation and scar risk 1:44 How to “stretch and massage” vocal folds safely 1:49 Gentle slides on SOVT (buzz, lip trill, tongue trill, puppy cheeks) 2:36 Whole-body recovery (sleep and fitness) 3:26 Recap About Dr Jenevora Williams Dr Jenevora Williams is a voice science PhD and singing teacher specialising in vocal health and voice pedagogy, with particular expertise in young and developing voices. She was the first singing teacher in the UK to be awarded a PhD in voice science, and received the 2010 BVA Van Lawrence Prize for her contribution to voice research. Jenevora’s work spans research, teaching and professional training, and this channel shares practical, evidence-led ideas for singers, teachers and voice practitioners. Work with Jenevora in three ways 1:1 work (sessions and mentoring) Personalised support for singers and voice professionals. This can include vocal technique, vocal health strategy, teaching challenges, and rehabilitation-informed work. Evolving Voice (courses and training) Training and resources designed to support young voices and the people who work with them, including singing teachers, choir leaders and practitioners. Vocal Health Education (training pathways for voice professionals) VHE provides structured education in vocal health and rehabilitation for voice professionals around the world, from foundational training through to advanced specialist pathways.