“If you don’t take care of your vocal cords, the world will not help you.” – Joanna Cazden
On this episode of Speaking Of… I’m joined by my colleague, Joanna Cazden. Joanna is a speech pathologist, with a specialty in vocal health. She’s also a singer and a certified teacher of Fitzmaurice Voicework, so she has a well-rounded approach of marrying health and technique with performance. In this episode, I ask Joanna questions from YOU, our listeners. We cover everything from which type of tea is best for your voice to what vocal nodules are to what tongue tension could be telling us.
Interview Highlights:
The process for taking care of your voice during (and after) a respiratory sickness.
Whether tea with lemon or tea with honey is better for your voice.
The surprising answer to taking care of your voice when you’re performing in eight shows a week. (Hint: it’s not necessarily directly related to your voice.)
Anecdotes around how stress affects the voice.
What vocal cord dysfunction is.
What vocal nodules and polyps are, and how to treat them.
What post-nasal drip is, and what to do about it.
What to do (or not do) about habitual swallowing.
How internal awareness can backfire on us, and how to counter this.
Why it might be useful to ignore your breathing.
What to do about tongue tension.
Featured on the Show:
Joanna Cazden | Website | Everyday Voice Care | Blog on Vocal Health
Fitzmaurice Voicework | Website
National Jewish Health | Vocal Cord Dysfunction