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I was recently cast as the lead in my school's musical. I normally sing bass 2 but will be singing up and beyond my range for this show. The problem I always seem to have is that my voice deteriorates extremely quickly. I sing in so many other groups at my school besides our musical, and I will not be dropping any of those any time soon. Some of my friends seem to have an "iron voice." No matter what they do, how loud they scream, how sick they are etc., they NEVER lose their voices. I on the other hand baby my voice. I drink so much water in a day, use a humidifier, drink hot tea, and warm up like none other, yet I always am the first person to lose my voice. I've talked to my director about it and he has no solid answer for me. I am really scared for this musical as it is a long one and I want to do well but also have very little vocal endurance. How can I fix this? Does anybody know any vocal exercises to increase my vocal endurance? How do I "develop" an Iron Voice?

Todd Wilcox
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  • So, you're looking for a cast iron voice..? – Tim Dec 27 '22 at 18:37
  • My experience is that, if I my push my voice to the edge of my range, my singing is (obviously) worse and I am more likely to strain or even temporarily lose my voice. I'm not sure taking on that lead role is a wise decision. – Dekkadeci Dec 27 '22 at 18:51
  • I'm not a vocalist so I'm going to let others answer. But in many situations, our perceptions of others can be skewed. Maybe they *seem* like they can mistreat their voice and get away with it, maybe they even brag that they can, but maybe they're wrong. I'm guessing the notion that you can do *anything* and survive might be chasing a fallacy. But I'm guessing that one *can* build vocal endurance, so I'll let others speak to that. My guess is it's just like other forms of physical endurance: gradual exercise over a long time, without overdoing it. – Andy Bonner Dec 27 '22 at 19:06
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    Does this answer your question? [How can I increase my vocal endurance and sing longer without getting hoarse and losing my voice?](https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/31583/how-can-i-increase-my-vocal-endurance-and-sing-longer-without-getting-hoarse-and). Or maybe [How can I safely extend my vocal range?](https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/804/how-can-i-safely-extend-my-vocal-range)? – PiedPiper Dec 27 '22 at 19:58
  • Do you also baby your voice while you're singing? Hydration and warmups are good but it's how you're actually singing that is important. Also make sure you are getting plenty of sleep. – Todd Wilcox Dec 27 '22 at 20:20
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    @Tim "Sorry, conductor. My voice is rusty." – Aaron Dec 28 '22 at 01:32
  • @It'sHEDLEY - I know it's Christmas, but let's not allow ourselves too much levity! – Tim Dec 28 '22 at 16:51
  • @Tim So "too much levity" includes puns about heavy metal(s)? – Aaron Dec 28 '22 at 17:35
  • @It'sHEDLEY - the powers that be may well come down on us like a sledgehammer, so, have a guess... – Tim Dec 28 '22 at 18:10
  • @Tim I was just being IRON-ic. – Aaron Dec 28 '22 at 19:28
  • @It'sHEDLEY - it'll get moved to META(l), but that's somewhat hammer-chewer, not professional... – Tim Dec 29 '22 at 08:56

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