Liz Johnson has been teaching voice in the Nashville area for more than 20 years.
When her professional singer clients are feeling sick, many of them get their voice back using a simple exercise with a straw and a little bit of water in a cup.
"The first thing we want to do is get a cup of water and put a little bit of water in the bottom of the cup,” said Liz Johnson, a voice teacher and vocologist in Nashville.
After that, Johnson said people should simply hum through the straw into the water for 90 seconds to two minutes.
So, how does this work?
When you've got a scratchy voice, Johnson said that can be caused by swelling.
“Vocal cords might be inflamed or swollen, and so that causes the voice to not feel good and to not sound good,” Johnson said.
Johnson said this trick is backed by science.
"We're getting some back pressure inside the mouth and the throat, which helps the vocal folds to vibrate more efficiently. It's also bringing the vocal cords, or vocal folds, into better proximity to each other,” Johnson said.
Click here for more information from Johnson on healthy singing tips.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
My friend and colleague Carrie Sharp had a lot of fun last week, on an adventure to a country more than three thousand miles away! She’s back now – sharing her Adventures in Iceland through stories, and incredible images of this remarkably beautiful and unique island nation (kudos to Chief Photographer Catherine Steward)! But did you know Nashville has something very important in common with Iceland? Tourism! Here, Carrie explains how a volcanic eruption decades ago helped save the country’s economy from collapse!
-Rhori Johnston
