Abstract
The voice is an essential tool used personally and professionally by music teachers to model musical technique, give instructions, and engage socially. However, the vocal demands of music teaching can place educators at high risk for vocal fatigue and injury. Vocal health is an ongoing part of professional practice but can sometimes take a backseat to other demands of the classroom. Drawing from current literature and classroom experience, this article offers practical, flexible strategies to help reduce daily vocal load while maintaining high-quality music instruction. Strategies included in this article are: increasing awareness of vocal health and hygiene, pacing voice use through the “vocal clock,” using amplification devices, implementing student-centered music centers, and incorporating audio and visual teaching tools. Prioritizing vocal health can empower music educators to advocate for their needs and work toward creating a healthy teaching practice.
Introduction
The voice is arguably one of the most valuable personal and professional tools in a music teacher’s toolkit. Not only does the voice function as the most effective tool for modeling appropriate singing technique, but it is also the teaching tool daily employed by teachers to deliver instructions, tell stories, and engage socially outside of the classroom. However, constant voice use can put stress on the vocal cords (Hackworth, 2010). Some researchers suggest music teachers are four times more likely to incur a voice-related issue than their classroom teacher counterparts (Morrow & Connor, 2011). Because of the wide range of voice use in the general music classroom, music educators are at an even higher risk for voice problems than other professional voice users (Doherty & van Mersbergen, 2017; Roy et al., 2004).
For many years, the focus in vocal health research for teachers has been on the number of injuries and resulting treatments, but there is significantly less information about the prevention of voice disorders or injuries (Hackworth, 2023). It is important to care for the voice as a resource, in the same vein as for an instrument. Due to the high level of vocal demands of the music education profession, teachers may ignore caring for their voices until they experience a problem (Martin & Darnley, 2004). Unfortunately, because of the importance of the voice in the music classroom space, many teachers feel that it is their responsibility to “muscle through” voice concerns to provide quality music education, which can often lead to further damage or injury (Schmidt & Morrow, 2016, p. 120). However, Hackworth (2023) suggested that understanding and practicing care for the voice successfully keeps teachers’ voices healthy and has the potential to enhance the quality of teaching. Teachers who are struggling through hoarseness or other vocal production issues are modeling unhealthy voice use to their students and may likely not deliver clear communication despite their efforts.
While music teachers may take daily use of their voice for granted, it is vitally important to pay attention to its use (Martin & Darnley, 2004). During my career as an elementary general music teacher, I experienced a vocal injury and spent significant time rebuilding my voice and learning to pay attention to my own vocal health. Experiencing a vocal injury transformed my understanding of how important it is to take care of and advocate for vocal health in general music spaces. In addition to protecting our strongest tool and instrument, research indicated that vocal health, teacher effectiveness, and job satisfaction are strongly interconnected (Schmidt & Morrow, 2016). Thus, unhealthy voice use practices can negatively interfere with job performance, attendance, and burnout (Roy et al., 2004; Vilkman, 2004). Vocal fatigue and vocal injuries are a reality for the profession, but proper preparation and knowledge can aid in the avoidance of issues to allow for healthy and productive voice use.
Salvador (2010) and Scearce (2016) offered a crucial reminder for teachers who are frequently hoarse, experience pain when speaking or singing, or notice significant voice changes such as sudden shifts in range or difficulty phonating. They recommended scheduling an evaluation with an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist experienced in voice disorders and following the prescribed treatment. It is important to note that the strategies and suggestions outlined in this article are not intended to serve as treatments, nor do they represent an exhaustive list of strategies. Instead, they are offered as flexible options that allow general music teachers and voice users to choose what best fits their individual needs. It is intended that these suggestions serve as a resource for teachers and encourage them to prioritize vocal health through varied teaching approaches. The suggestions in this article are ways to reduce vocal load and give the voice a break. Suggestions include an awareness of vocal health and hygiene; vocal pacing through the vocal clock; use of amplification devices; crafting music centers; and use of audio and visual resources.
Awareness of Vocal Health and Hygiene
A person is considered to be vocally healthy if they can phonate or use their voice easily to meet the needs of their lifestyle and/or professional requirements (Sathyanarayan et al., 2019). Teachers are at a higher risk for voice injury due to the vocal demand, or vocal load, of daily teaching, with the potential for almost half of all educators in any field to face voice problems during their career (Verdolini & Ramig, 2001). With the acknowledgment that vocal problems or injuries are a possibility, an awareness of vocal health and hygiene has been encouraged as a preventive measure to protect the voice (Behlau & Oliveira, 2009; Hackworth, 2023; Timmermans et al., 2004).
Vocal hygiene is the practice of preventive care of the voice, while vocal health is the condition of the voice (Behlau & Oliveira, 2009). Vocal health and hygiene can be compared to dental health and hygiene, where dental hygiene practices such as brushing and flossing contribute to overall dental health. In the music education profession, vocal warm-ups, vocal rest, and hydration are hygiene practices to support vocal health, or the condition of the voice.
To practice vocal hygiene, general music teachers should create a daily regimen of good vocal habits that could include incorporating vocal warm-ups before speaking as well as singing, avoiding settings or situations that cause excessive vocal strain, and staying hydrated (UNC Voice, n.d.). Just as an awareness of physical health and the application of stretches and warm-ups are important for athletes, keeping track of voice status and incorporating appropriate vocal warm-ups and exercises are important for voice users. For example, paying attention to how the voice feels and sounds each day and using appropriate vocal pacing (the amount, type, and intensity of voice use) are important for maintaining vocal health (Scearce, 2016). Making time for 7 to 10 min of vocal function exercises (VFEs) before, during, or after teaching each day could improve vocal health (Cambridge University Hospitals, 2023; Collins, 2022; Roy et al., 2001), along with incorporating intentional periods of vocal rest (Manternach, 2015). Some VFEs include lip trills that involve gently buzzing lips as if imitating a horse and sustaining pitches while buzzing through warm-up patterns and/or sirens; concentrated vocal warm-ups focusing on breathing and sound production using short melodic phrases and/or focusing on consonant sounds such as [m] or [z] (Scheffel, 2024); and straw phonation, or using a drinking straw to guide airflow by phonating an “oo” sound through the straw, gliding through pitches at a comfortable pace (S. L. Hunter Speechworks, 2022). There are a variety of exercises to choose from to suit individual vocal needs (Cambridge University Hospitals, 2023). Knowledge of vocal health and hygiene can contribute to healthy music teaching practices, connecting daily routines to how teachers use and maintain their voices in classroom contexts (Hackworth, 2023). Awareness is often the first step for music teachers in advocating for their own vocal health (Scearce, 2016).
Vocal Pacing Through the Vocal Clock
General music teachers use their voices constantly. When the voice is not at its best, it is important to conserve energy as much as possible, reducing the amount of voice use during instruction. To avoid a “show must go on” mentality while still doing our jobs, being aware of daily vocal demands is vital. Scearce (2016), a board-certified speech pathologist who specializes in singing and performing voice services, suggests the idea of a “vocal clock” as a guide for vocal pacing to recognize how much time one spends using the voice each day. The vocal clock is described as the number of hours and minutes of voice use that a person can utilize each day before going into overuse (Scearce, 2016). For example, using proper vocal technique in a conversational setting uses far less minutes “off the clock” than speaking with a projected voice regardless of technique (Scearce, 2016, p. 252). A few realistic questions to consider when planning vocal pacing include: Do I sing in the car or talk on the phone when commuting to and from work? Do I have enough time to rest my voice before, during, and after school each day? How many classes per day require heavy voice use (such as concert preparation), and how many could be less voice use (such as centers or movement activities)? On days when the voice needs a rest, these questions are worth considering to give more time back to “the clock.” Scearce (2016) uses the metaphor of the voice as a bank account. “One wants to spend the interest and avoid dipping into the principal if at all possible” (p. 252).
In my teaching experience and at the height of my vocal injury, my “vocal clock” consisted of two of six classes with heavy vocal use and the remaining four of six with limited voice use, using several of the strategies listed in this article. I was also conscious of how much talking happened at lunchtime with my colleagues, and the demands on my voice during lunch duty. Using Scearce’s (2016) vocal clock strategy, I was able to advocate for myself about curriculum choices and feel empowered to discuss the importance of vocal rest in school settings. The latter included the need for a solo lunch setting a few days out of the week or requesting low vocal load school duties without feeling like I was not being a good colleague.
Speaking over background noise (Chen et al., 2010; Hunter et al., 2020), overexertion, prioritizing teaching tasks over vocal health (Stephenson, 2018) and projecting over large class sizes (Munier & Farrell, 2016) are common risk factors for voice injuries in the teaching profession. Some “sneaky” sources of heavy vocal load for general music teachers include various school duties, field day events, singing while commuting to and from work without proper vocal warm-up or after vocal overuse during the day, extensive rehearsal or practice, and proctoring read-aloud benchmark testing. Advocating for vocal health and hygiene does not require eliminating all of these activities but instead calls for awareness of vocal load demands and intentional advance planning to preserve wear and tear on the voice.
Amplification Devices
Music teachers will likely need to raise or elevate their voice over musical and non-musical sounds repeatedly throughout a typical school day. Speaking over background noise has consistently been reported as the highest vocal stressor for music teachers, regardless of choral, instrumental, or general specialty (Hackworth, 2006, 2009, 2010). Using an amplification device, or microphone, has been found to be an effective treatment and prevention tool for voice disorders by limiting the need for vocal intensity, or volume, of the voice (Morrow & Connor, 2011; Roy et al., 2003). Using a portable amplification device has also been shown to reduce stress levels as teachers reported not needing to strain their voices to be heard (Massie & Dillon, 2006).
Some school districts will provide amplification devices for teachers upon request, but portable microphones designed for use in smaller spaces can be purchased at many online retailers. The most beneficial amplification device for music teachers is a headset or head-worn microphone to allow for hands-free use, with the lavalier or lapel microphone as a secondary option. Some brands offer rechargeable strap-worn speaker systems that support hands-free microphone use and quick access to volume and recording controls. A microphone that features recording capabilities is a strong contender to maximize the use of the tool. Companies such as WinBridge (2025) have a dedicated section on their website titled “Voice Amplifiers for Teachers with Vocal Cord Strain” that offers starting point suggestions. WinBridge is one example with education in mind. A quick internet search or discussion with a school technology facilitator will likely yield a variety of amplification device resources. Amplification devices have been shown to have significant decreases in vocal intensity and vocal load for teachers, and an improvement in learning behaviors for students (Morrow & Conner, 2011). However, it is important to note that a microphone most often serves as a preventive or supportive measure in addition to health care and will not solve an underlying vocal issue that already exists (Salvador, 2010).
Music Centers
Centers are a great way to maintain a strong music curriculum while giving the voice a rest. Blair (2009) discussed three ways of “doing” in the music classroom: “doing,” “uninformed doing,” and “informed doing” (pp. 42–43). Blair describes “doing” as the most traditional way of participating in music class. Often teacher-led activities, “doing” involves students participating in music making but acting without full understanding through “uninformed doing,” or simply going along with teacher-led instruction. In contrast, “informed doing” involves students being personally involved in the music and music making, making decisions, and solving problems. In her scenario, as with many music classroom centers, the teacher trusts and enables the students to be at the center of their learning, interacting with musical concepts and each other (Blair, 2009). Through centers, students can enjoy a variety of materials and activities and have a sense of autonomy in their learning, while the teacher can take a break from heavy voice use. There are decades of precedents for centers, and in many ways, this established model allows students to shape their own curriculum while engaging in truly student-centered work (Hainen, 1977). An unexpected perk of this strategy is that once students are trained in the center procedures, the teacher has built-in substitute teacher plans and/or activities that travel well for teachers who travel from classroom to classroom.
It is important to establish routine procedures for centers, and to post them in the classroom or at each center for students to view. Once procedures are in place, the foundation is set for this activity and can add, change, and rotate curriculum-based activities all year-long. Center procedures could include establishing a set time for students to rotate between centers, where they clean up and move to a new center via a non-vocal sound cue, or students have the option to select one center for the duration of the class period. Perhaps students are allowed to free roam between centers. The choice is up to the individual teacher and the needs and complications of each classroom and group of students. Just like a typical lesson plan, when planning for centers, it is crucial to think through and uphold the procedures and processes students will need to follow to successfully complete the activity.
Once procedures are established, spend some time making or selecting pre-made centers that meet curriculum goals and objectives. There are many different avenues to creating centers in the classroom. I often downloaded free resources or purchased centers created by other teachers that included game boards, memory card games, or other pre-made activities that saved time and energy. Using centers is a helpful strategy for keeping a robust music curriculum and engaging for students while limiting voice use.
Center Ideas
Matching Centers
An inexpensive resource I found while creating recall centers were note cards and plastic eggs. Note cards can be used to create flash cards, memory sets, anything that could serve curriculum needs. Students enjoyed playing sets that I made or creating their own matching sets with notecards and markers. Sometimes the center activity included using the provided materials to create a game that would then be included in the center rotation on a long-term basis. Plastic eggs were another easy source for recall games. I purchased plastic eggs that were separated into two halves at a discount store and used a permanent marker to write questions and answers on the egg parts. For example, in a pitch-themed note reading set, students had to match the top part of the egg that contained a 5-line staff with a note head in the center to the bottom half of the egg with the note letter name. Other suggestions include creating sets with dynamic markings, families or categories of instruments, or even recorder or ukulele fingerings.
Instrument Categories
Another inexpensive center I found helpful tasked students with creating a “poster” of instrument families or a Hornbostel-Sachs 1 category. Using old catalogs that frequented my teacher mail, students were tasked with cutting out and gluing as many images of instruments to their paper as they liked. In addition to the posters, students were tasked with researching and writing their rationale for the categories and instrument selections on a separate sheet, or on the back of the poster. These served as assessment tools for this curriculum standard and conveniently became classroom or hallway decorations.
Listening Centers
Using CDs I had in my classroom I borrowed a headphone splitter from the tech department and students could listen to any of the music provided–and engage in the “ancient technology” of using a CD player. Other times students brought their classroom devices to the music room as modern streaming services allow the creation of private playlists which work well with 1:1 tech devices and individual headphones. This center is flexible and can feature music selected by the teacher, or music provided (and previously vetted) from students. A theme that students enjoyed was a compare and contrast activity where one piece of music was presented in various ways. For example, a class-favorite center began with Edvard Grieg’s In the Hall of the Mountain King performed by a symphony orchestra. Then, students listened to Hair Up from the DreamWorks film “Trolls,” which samples the original composition heavily. Then, students listened to In The Hall Of The Mountain King Dubstep Remix—Edvard Grieg DUBGENIE, a dubstep remix of the piece by Magicalpiggies Music available on YouTube. The center featured a Venn-diagram chart to fill out where students used academic vocabulary to explain the differences between the pieces.
“Remix”/Composition Center
Blair (2009) takes the listening experience described above a step further and suggests that students can create their own “remix” through listening, problem solving, and creating. In her example, students study classical music with repeated melodies and existing remixed pieces from examples such as the Blue Man Group. Then, they work with their group to determine how composers sample melodies, harmonies, or texture and manipulate music to create something new with reference to a pre-existing melody. Then, they compose their own remix of a tune (Blair, 2009, p. 44). This strategy could work with a large-scale project like Blair’s, or in smaller projects such as “name that tune” activities, semi-structured improvisation, and exploration of classroom instruments.
Reading Center
Using baskets separated by grade level, I collected books from our library and those in my classroom collection to give students an opportunity to read about music or related topics. These books included biographies, fiction books that contained musical elements, and books with the lyrics from songs learned in class.
Busted! Rhythm Game
This game has traveled around to so many educators that I am not sure who to credit with the original manifestation, but instructions can be found on Soundscape Music’s blog (Davis, 2013). “Busted!” involves students selecting a popsicle stick from a jar and answering a question (in my case, performing a rhythm pattern) displayed on the stick. The best part about this center is that students created the materials for me through instructions in a center prior to playing the game. Using popsicle sticks, younger students decorated one side of the stick with any design of their choosing using markers. Then the older students wrote rhythm patterns or rhythmic notation on the other side of the stick. Older students created one version with rhythm patterns appropriate for grades 3 to 5 and then created a game for younger students with rhythm patterns for grades 1 to 2. Once the jar is full of sticks the game is ready to be played. I used this game for rhythms, but it could also be used for pitch patterns, chord progressions, or anything that fits on the popsicle stick!
Classroom Technology
If students are able to bring classroom technology to the music room on a center day, there are many education-based symphony sites to explore (see https://kids.carnegiehall.org/, https://www.sfskids.org/, https://pbskids.org/games/music). Having devices in the classroom opens up new avenues for music technology exploration including composition sites such as Bandlab.com, https://musiclab.chromeexperiments.com/, Soundtrap.com or https://drumbit.app/. In addition to websites like these there are a magnitude of digital instrument apps and global music resources available with which a school technology facilitator would likely be able to assist. Advances in classroom technologies such as course websites or digital classroom spaces make it easy to share center instructions and procedures to run streamlined curriculum-based centers in the classroom and in virtual settings.
Audio and Visual Resources
It can feel limiting for general music teachers to use video clips, movies, or other media sources in the classroom, especially with the dreaded “they’re just showing a movie today” commentary. However, when the voice needs a break, audio and visual resources can serve as an effective alternative. Learners in our classrooms are media consumers, and research on the educational use of videos shows that use of video or other multimedia materials can increase learning (Kosterelioglu, 2016). Media resources such as a movie, video clip, or other moving-picture content can greatly enhance the teaching and learning experience when integrated intentionally into instruction.
Videos
Videos can provide useful material for students to engage in authentic content representations, but Mitra et al. (2010) suggested that to be the most effective, the video should be part of a blended learning approach that features a variety of text, discussion, and/or other teaching resources. A unit I found helpful was an annual “Musical Unit.” Guided by the music education curriculum in my state and the literacy standards from my classroom colleagues, students and I selected a recorded musical to watch at the end of each learning period. The video version, while shortened to fit our class and content needs, typically lasted a few class periods to watch and discuss. At the start of the unit, the class discussed musicals as a genre, the careers involved in creating a musical, and the importance of instrumental, lyrical, or applicable text contributions. Then, the class watched it together over the course of three to four 45-min class periods, with time for discussion and sequencing. Students kept a log of questions or connections that they wrote down during the viewing experience and we had rich discussions each week. It became an end-of-year tradition for my students that they looked forward to, and an unexpected intrinsic reward for fifth graders was to select the musical to watch for the year from a list of general-audience approved titles I provided. I created and posted anchor charts of the standards and content connections so students would stay engaged and understand the viewing opportunity as an educational experience. Mirroring Mitra et al.’s (2010) blended approach, students were able to make concrete curriculum connections through short bursts of vocal teaching from me, the provided video content, and engaged discussions with their peers while I was able to be on vocal rest for the majority of the class period.
The most difficult part of this strategy was getting over my insecurity about “showing a movie” during class. Some scholars believe that using video in education spaces might be a sign of lacking “intellectual rigor through oversimplification and an emphasis on entertainment” (Mitra et al., 2010, p. 406). However, video can be a valuable resource that when used intentionally can engage students in critical thinking (Bashman & Treadwell, 1995; Mitra et al., 2010). I timed the musical unit mentioned previously for the end of the school year when my voice truly needed a break after a year of heavy vocal load. The unit also coincided with a time that my students were experiencing high levels of state testing pressure and academic burnout. My voice received a well-deserved break, and students were able to relax and absorb music content. To make this unit possible I reframed my language and philosophy that I was not simply acting as a cinema for students and lapsing in my professional duties but instead using the film as a vehicle for enhancing relevant music content. I was able to replicate smaller scale versions of this experience at different points in the year featuring other programmatic works such as Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite and Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors.
Video streaming sites such as YouTube or TeacherTube can help balance teaching content with viewing experiences through shorter excerpts. There are numerous videos and clips that have been specifically made for educational purposes that provide robust content connections for students (Mitra et al., 2010). Symphonic performances, global music, and elaborate stage productions are only a click away through internet access. Incorporating listening examples throughout the lesson can provide short vocal breaks to help with vocal pacing. In addition to the plethora of music content available, demonstrating how to use the internet and streaming sites as musical resources is a great way to incorporate media literacy practices. Milicevic (2015) found that students are overloaded with “undigested information” through their access to infinite online resources (p. 656). Milicevic suggests that our goal as teachers in the information age is to provide well-chosen examples for students and stress the quality of information over quantity.
Recordings
An age-old adage of teaching is how many times teachers must repeat directions in the classroom. For music teachers especially, the voice is used for giving basic verbal directions and instructions while also modeling musical technique. Recordings can help lighten the vocal load and give time back to the “vocal clock” (Scearce, 2016). Instead of functioning as a human repeat button, record short singing examples when the voice feels strong and healthy to be played for students in class time. Or, ask a colleague to sing and record their voice to use as a reference. Use the recordings when the voice needs a break, especially when singing outside of a comfortable range or during a heavy vocal load day. This can be as simple as recording a plethora of solfege patterns for daily warm-ups or recording an entire pronunciation or singing guide track for a concert piece. A hidden bonus to this strategy: digital classroom pages can be used to upload these tracks for students to practice at home, in their classrooms, or with substitute teachers.
Avatars
Advanced technology has opened new avenues for digital representation. The use of avatars is no longer used only for gaming spaces but can also be used in the classroom. Avatars, or an electronic image that represents and/or may be manipulated by a computer user (Merriam-Webster, 2025) were used as education tools as early as 1997 when “Cosmo” (Lester et al., 1997), a cosmonaut avatar served as a pedagogical model to explain how the internet worked. In modern times, websites such as voki.com (https://l-www.voki.com/) have improved significantly and now have virtual teacher avatars designed for education spaces that feature a range of visual and auditory options. When using sites such as these, it is possible to create an avatar and upload typed text for the character to read out loud. Little research has been conducted on the use of singing through avatars, but the growing interest in virtual reality spaces is creating potential for this outcome (Ma et al., 2024). The intent with this strategy is to lighten the vocal load of speaking and reading instructions in the classroom, and to leave time in the “vocal clock” (Scearce, 2016) for vocal teaching demonstrations. This resource, along with recordings, could serve as an effective tool for a no- or low-voice use day.
Conclusion
According to Verdolini and Ramig (2001), “voice problems are common, and they matter” (p. 37). In a profession that depends heavily on the voice, music teachers must begin to view vocal health not as an optional consideration, but as a professional responsibility. While vocal fatigue and injury are common realities in music education, they are not inevitable. Increased awareness of vocal health and hygiene and the application of strategies that reduce vocal load while maintaining high-quality instruction are steps in the right direction. Prioritizing vocal health empowers educators to advocate for their needs and work toward creating positive, healthy, and supportive classroom environments where teachers and their vocal instrument can thrive.
Footnotes
Ethical Considerations
Ethical approval was not required.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Data Availability Statement
Data sharing not applicable to this article as no datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.