Vocal Warm-Up Practices and Perceptions

in Vocalists: A Pilot Survey

*,†Allison Gish, *,†Melda Kunduk, ‡Loraine Sims, and †Andrew J. McWhorter, *yzBaton Rouge, Louisiana

Summary: Objectives. Investigated in a pilot study the type, duration, and frequency of vocal warm-up regimens in
the singing community using a survey.
Methods. One hundred seventeen participants completed an online survey. Participants included voice students from
undergraduate, masters, and doctoral music programs and professional singers.
Results. Fifty-four percent of participants reported always using vocal warm-up before singing. Twenty-two percent
of the participants used vocal cool down. The most preferred warm-up duration was of 5–10 minutes in duration. Despite
using vocal warm-up, 26% of the participants reported experiencing voice problems. Females tended to use vocal warm-
up more frequently than males. Females also tended to use longer warm-up sessions than males. Education of the
participants did not appear to have any noticeable effect on the vocal warm-up practices. The most commonly used
singing warm-up exercises were ascending/descending five-note scales, ascending/descending octave scales, legato
arpeggios, and glissandi.
Key Words: Vocal warm-up–Vocal cool-down–Vocal injury.

INTRODUCTION a warm-up regimen that can be used in future studies investigat-

Vocal warm-up exercises are believed to contribute to the ing the effect of vocal warm-up on the voice. The purpose of
prevention of vocal fold injury in professional voice users. For this pilot study is:
professional singers and students of singing, a regular vocal
warm-up regimen is considered essential.1,2 Despite the wide 1. To determine the duration and frequency of vocal warm-
and longstanding use of vocal warm-up in the singing commu- up sessions in singers.
nity, relatively little is known about how vocal warm-up 2. To examine the differences in vocal warm-up regimens
impacts the physiologic characteristics of the vocal folds and in singers from varying sociodemographic groups with
affects the acoustic parameters of the voice. Furthermore, there varying degrees of singing training.
is conflicting information in the vocal pedagogy literature about 3. To determine the most frequently used vocal warm-up
the most effective and widely used vocal warm-up exercises and exercises in the singing community.
the optimal frequency and duration of vocal warm-up sessions. 4. To examine singers’ perceptions of the role of vocal
Although singers consistently report that vocal warm-up warm-up in the prevention of vocal fold injury.
improves voice quality, previous research has failed to identify 5. To obtain preliminary data on the occurrence of vocal
how vocal warm-up affects the voice.3–6 Studies investigating fold injury in singers who use/do not use a vocal warm-
the effect of vocal warm-up on phonation threshold pressure up regimen.
have yielded conflicting results, whereas studying the effect of
vocal warm-up on acoustic parameters of the voice appears
promising. A significant limitation of previous studies is that MATERIALS AND METHODS
the warm-up regimens used varied considerably between the Participants
studies. Some studies used standardized warm-up protocols,3,4
After the approval of the study by the Louisiana State University
whereas others allowed participants to use a personalized
Institutional Review Board, adult vocalists were recruited via
warm-up routine.6 Furthermore, the duration of warm-up
e-mail to complete a web-based questionnaire. Undergraduate
protocols used in previous studies varied considerably, ranging
students, graduate students, and professional singers were tar-
between 7 and 30 minutes. This lack of consistency may be one
geted for the study. Additional participants were recruited
of the factors contributing to conflicting results between studies.
from the researchers’ social network of professional singers.
By studying the characteristics of vocal warm-up regimens
Participants were excluded if they had received less than
in the singing community, it will be possible to design
1 year of formal singing instruction at the time of completing
the survey.
Accepted for publication October 6, 2010.
Presented at the Voice Foundation’s 39th Annual Symposium: Care of the Professional
Each participant was asked to complete a web-based ques-
Voice in Philadelphia, PA on June 6, 2010. tionnaire developed by the investigators. Members of the voice
From the *Department of Communications Sciences and Disorders, Louisiana State
University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; yDepartment of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck
faculties at 136 universities in the United States and Canada
Surgery, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Our Lady of Lake Regional were contacted via e-mail to briefly describe the study, provide
Medical Center-Voice Center, Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and the zSchool of Music,
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
a hyperlink to the web-based questionnaire, and to request
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Melda Kunduk, Department of participation in the web-based questionnaire. Additionally,
Communication Sciences and Disorders, Louisiana State University, 64 Hatcher Hall,
Baton Rouge, LA 70893. E-mail: [email protected]
each voice instructor contacted was asked to forward the letter
Journal of Voice, Vol. 26, No. 1, pp. e1-e10 to vocal performance majors in his or her department. This
0892-1997/$36.00
Ó 2012 The Voice Foundation
recruitment letter was also sent to all members of the Southern
doi:10.1016/j.jvoice.2010.10.005 Region of the National Association of Teachers of Singing,
e2 Journal of Voice, Vol. 26, No. 1, 2012

which comprises professional singers and voice instructors 5. Risks associated with voice disorders: (a) smoking, (b)
from Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Additional partici- alcohol consumption, (c) caffeine consumption, (d) dehy-
pants were recruited from the investigator’s social network of dration, and (e) occupational-related risks (eg, working in
professional singers via an announcement posted on their Face- noisy and/or smoky environment).
book page. This announcement included the recruitment letter 6. History of voice problems: (a) presence of voice problems
described above and a hyperlink to the web-based questionnaire. within the past year, (b) frequency of voice problems
within the past year, and (c) duration of problematic voice
Description of the questionnaire episodes within the past year.
The questionnaire used in this study was developed using 7. Medical conditions associated with voice disorders (pres-
Survey Monkey, a web-based survey application. The crypto- ence, type, and frequency): (a) presence of gastroesoph-
graphic protocol Secure Sockets Layer was used to ensure the ageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and (b) allergies.
security of all data collected. The questionnaire consisted of
a combination of 69 closed- and open-set questions, with an
estimated completion time of 30 minutes. Most questions had Data analysis
a closed set of responses; however, for some questions, the Analyses are descriptive in nature. Vocal warm-up characteris-
participants were able to include written explanations of tics (ie, type, duration, and frequency) of all participants were
responses (eg, if participants selected the option ‘‘other,’’ they presented. Vocal warm-up characteristics were investigated
were encouraged to explain this response). The questionnaire across genders, ages, education levels, and singing experience
addressed characteristics of vocal warm-up in singers, includ- of participants.
ing whether singers consistently use a warm-up regimen, fre-
quency of warm-up sessions, average length of warm-up RESULTS
sessions, and types of exercises/tasks used during a typical One hundred eighty-eight people participated in the study, and
warm-up session. For the question concerning types of exer- 117 of the respondents completed the questionnaire, potentially
cises/tasks used in typical vocal warm-up sessions, an extensive because of the length of the survey. For data analysis purposes,
list of exercises described in vocal pedagogy and speech- the 117 complete responses were used. Sociodemographic
language pathology literature was provided, and participants characteristics of the participants are presented in Table 1.
selected all exercises they use in their warm-up regimens. To
examine differences in vocal warm-up regimens in singers Frequency and duration of vocal warm-up
with varying degrees of formal training, questions concerning Fifty-four percent of the participants reported that they always
the length of time the singer has been enrolled in formal complete a vocal warm-up before singing. Distribution of re-
voice/singing lessons were included. Questions to determine ported frequency of using vocal warm-up among the partici-
the presence, frequency, and duration of current and past voice pants is shown in Table 2. Distribution of participants’ typical
problems were also included so that preliminary data on the ef- warm-up duration is given in Table 3. Warm-up sessions of
fect of vocal warm-up on vocal fold injury prevention could be 5–10 minutes in duration were used by the largest number of
obtained. Additionally, specific voice-related questions were participants (32%) in this study. Only one subject reported
asked to reveal behavioral and medical factors, which may con- using warm-up sessions lasting longer than 30 minutes. The fre-
tribute to voice problems. In the section that follows, topics/ quency and duration of participants’ vocal warm-up regimens
questions that were covered in the questionnaire are outlined. were further examined according to age, gender, educational
classification, singing experience, and geographic region. Re-
1. Sociodemographic characteristics: (a) age, (b) gender, (c) sults are shown in Tables 2 and 3.
current education level (eg, freshman, first-year masters The list of vocal activities in which participants used a vocal
candidate, third-year doctoral candidate), (d) number of warm-up before participating is listed in Figure 1. More partic-
years enrolled in formal voice instruction, and (e) geo- ipants indicated completion of a vocal warm-up before solo
graphic region. singing activities than ensemble singing (eg, choir perfor-
2. Vocal warm-up regimen characteristics: (a) use of a vocal mance) or speaking activities. For solo singing activities, usage
warm-up regimen, (b) frequency of vocal warm-up ses- of vocal warm-up among the participants ranged from 75% (be-
sions, (c) duration of vocal warm-up sessions, (d) types fore a private voice lesson) to 90% (before a brief solo singing
of exercises/tasks used during a typical vocal warm-up appearance). For ensemble singing activities, warm-up comple-
session, and (e) use of a vocal cool-down after singing. tion ranged from 29% (before opera chorus participation) to
3. Perceptions about vocal warm-up: (a) beliefs about the 62% (before choir concert participation).
necessity and importance of vocal warm-up, (b) beliefs
about the role of warm-up in the prevention of vocal Types of vocal warm-up exercises
fold injury, and (c) perception of if/how vocal warm-up Participants were asked to describe the types of nonsinging
affects the voice. exercises used during a typical vocal warm-up session; results
4. Daily vocal use (type and frequency): (a) solo singing, (b) are shown in Figure 2. The most commonly used nonsinging
choral singing, (c) speaking, (d) loud talking, and (e) warm-up exercises were stretching exercises for the face/
shouting/screaming. neck/shoulder muscles (62%), breathing exercises (55%), and
Allison Gish, et al Vocal Warm-Up Practices and Perceptions e3

consonants, alternating vowels, syllables, words, and phrases).

TABLE 1.
Sociodemographic Characteristics of Participants
Of particular interest was participants’ use of lip and tongue
Regarding Their Gender, Age, Education, Number of trills and nasal consonants /m/ and /n/ (Table 5). Lip and tongue
Years of Singing Experience, and Geographic Location trills were most commonly used during the glissando (42%) and
the ascending/descending five-note scale sung at a rapid tempo
Sociodemographic
(38%). Nasal consonants /m/ and /n/ were used less frequently
Characteristics Number
with 15% of the participants indicating use of this method
of Participants of Participants
for the glissando and the ascending/descending octave scale.
Gender Participants were also asked to rate the perceived difficulty of
Male 36 the exercise on a scale of 1–5 (1: least difficult and 5: the
Female 81
most difficult) (Table 6). The singing warm-up exercise rated
Age (y) as the least difficult by participants was the ascending/descend-
18–30 46 ing five-note scale sung at a rapid tempo. The singing exercises
31–40 21 rated as the most difficult by participants was the messa di voce
41+ 50 sung at a high pitch.
Educational classification Participants were asked to describe the sequence of their typ-
Undergraduate student 28 ical vocal warm-up regimen. Forty-four percent of participants
Masters student 29 reported that their vocal warm-up regimen follows the same se-
Doctoral student 13 quence of singing exercises each day, whereas 56% reported that
Completed undergraduate 9 sequence of singing exercises varies from day to day. The partic-
Completed masters 7 ipants who reported following the same sequence of singing ex-
Completed doctorate 31
ercises each day were asked to indicate which singing exercises
Number of years since first enrolled in formal voice study they completed first and last in a warm-up session (Figure 3).
1–4 9 The most frequently indicated singing exercises as the first com-
5–10 34 pleted were ascending/descending five-note scales sung at
>10 74 a rapid tempo or at a slow tempo. The most frequently indicated
Geographic region exercises as the last exercise completed were the ascending/de-
Southern United States 65 scending arpeggios sung in the staccato style or the legato style.
Northeastern United States 15
Midwestern United States 16 Use of vocal cool-down
Western United States 16 To gain preliminary data on the use of vocal cool-down in
International 5 vocalists, participants were asked to indicate whether they
Number of participants: 117. complete a vocal cool-down after singing. Only 26 participants
reported that they use a vocal cool-down after singing. Most
postural alignment and general stretching exercises (50%).The who indicated that they use a vocal cool-down after singing
least commonly used nonsinging warm-up exercises were gen- were females, aged 41 and older, with more than 10 years of
eral aerobic exercise (21%) and laryngeal massage (14%). Only singing experience.
8% of the participants reported that they do not use nonsinging
tasks as part of their vocal warm-up regimens. Vocal warm-up perceptions
The next part of the questionnaire asked participants to The next section of the questionnaire addressed participants’
describe the types of singing exercises they used (Table 4) as perceptions about the importance of vocal warm-up and its effect
part of their vocal warm-up regimens. Thirteen exercises de- on the voice (Table 7). Most participants agreed strongly that
scribed in the vocal pedagogy literature were included in the voice warm-up is important (72%), their voices are more coop-
questionnaire. For each exercise, participants were asked how erative after warm-up (74%), and that their voices are more flex-
often they use the exercise and on what vowel(s) or voiced ible after warm-up (70%). Fewer participants agreed strongly
consonants they typically sing the exercise. The most com- that vocal warm-up aids in the prevention of vocal injury (39%).
monly used singing exercise was the ascending/descending
five-note scale sung at a rapid tempo (52%). Other always Occurrence of voice problems
used singing exercises included the ascending/descending oc- Thirty participants (26%) reported that they had experienced
tave scale sung at a rapid tempo (32%), the ascending/descend- voice problems in the past year. Fifty-three percent of these
ing arpeggio sung legato (25%), and the glissando (21%). The participants reported always using vocal warm-up (Table 2).
least commonly used singing exercise was the chromatic scale Thirty-seven percent of these participants were in age group
followed by the messa di voce sung at a high, medium, and low 1, 10% were in age group 2, and 53% were in age group 3;
pitch (3%) and ascending/descending thirds (4%). 37% were males and 63% were females; 43% were students.
For each singing exercise represented in the questionnaire, For 73% of the participants in this group, 10 or more years
participants were asked to indicate which methods they used had elapsed since their first voice lesson. The most used
in executing each exercise (eg, different vowels, preceding warm-up duration in these 30 participants (Table 3) was 5–10
e4 Journal of Voice, Vol. 26, No. 1, 2012

TABLE 2.
Vocal Warm-Up Frequency Among Participants Across Genders, Age Groups, Educational Status, Singing Experience,
Geographic Region, and Vocal Health Status
Frequency of Vocal Warm-Up

Do You Currently Use a Vocal Warm-up Before Singing?

Sociodemographic
Characteristics of Participants (N) Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never
All participants (117) 63 41 11 2 0
Male participants (36) 12 17 6 1
Female participants (81) 51 24 5 1
Age group 1: 18–30 (46) 20 18 8 0
Age group 2: 31–40 (21) 12 7 1 1
Age group 3: 41+ (50) 31 16 2 1
Student (70) 36 25 9 0
Nonstudent (47) 27 16 2 2
1–4 y singing experience (9) 3 4 2 0
5–10 y singing experience (34) 17 11 5 1
>10 y singing experience (74) 43 26 4 1
Southern United States (65) 35 21 9 0
Northeastern United States (15) 7 6 1 1
Midwestern United States (16) 10 5 0 1
Western United States (16) 8 7 1 0
International (5) 3 2 0 0
Participants with reported 16 11 3 0
voice problems (30)

minutes. Six participants in this group reported using a vocal tempo (47%) and the ascending/descending octave scale sung
cool-down after singing. The most commonly used singing at a rapid tempo (30%) (Table 8). The least commonly used
exercises by the participants with reported voice problems singing exercises were the chromatic scale and ascending/des-
was the ascending/descending five-note scale sung at a rapid cending thirds.

TABLE 3.
Vocal Warm-Up Duration Among Participants Across Genders, Age Groups, Educational Status, Singing Experience,
Geographic Region, and Vocal Health Status
Duration of Vocal Warm-Up

How Long Does Your Typical Vocal Warm-up Last?

Sociodemographic
Characteristics of Participants (N) <5 min 5–10 min 10–15 min 15–20 min 20–25 min 25–30 min >30 min
All participants (117) 14 37 29 26 6 4 1
Male participants (36) 6 10 11 8 1 0 0
Female participants (81) 8 27 18 18 5 4 1
Age group 1: 18–30 (46) 8 14 10 11 3 0 0
Age group 2: 31–40 (21) 2 8 5 5 1 0 0
Age group 3: 41+ (50) 4 15 14 10 2 4 1
Student (70) 10 22 19 13 4 2 0
Nonstudent (47) 4 15 10 13 2 2 1
1–4 y singing experience (9) 2 2 3 1 1 0 0
5–10 y singing experience (34) 5 10 9 9 1 0 0
>10 y singing experience (74) 7 25 17 16 4 4 1
Southern United States (65) 9 23 14 13 3 2 1
Northeastern United States (15) 2 4 4 3 1 1 0
Midwestern United States (16) 1 6 3 4 2 0 0
Western United States (16) 1 3 7 4 0 1 0
International (5) 1 1 1 2 0 0 0
Participants with reported 4 9 6 8 0 2 1
voice problems (30)
Allison Gish, et al Vocal Warm-Up Practices and Perceptions e5

FIGURE 1. Distribution of vocal activities in which participants warm up before participating (number of participants: 117).
DISCUSSION in females (24%). However, most participants who reported
The first goal of this pilot study was to determine frequency and voice problems also reported GERD and allergy symptoms.
duration of vocal warm-up sessions in singers and to examine Therefore, future studies are needed to determine the effects
the differences in vocal warm-up regimens in singers from vary- of frequency/duration of vocal warm-up and other factors,
ing sociodemographic groups with varying degrees of singing such as GERD and allergies to vocal injury in singers.
training. All participants reported that they currently use a vocal This study’s findings suggest that duration of vocal warm-up
warm-up before singing with varying frequency and duration. varies considerably among singers, with warm-up sessions
Although only 53% of all participants always used vocal ranging from less than 5 minutes to more than 30 minutes
warm-up (Table 2), another 34% reported using a warm-up (Table 3). This variability in vocal warm-up regimens was ap-
usually before singing. The findings of this study support the parent in previous studies reporting on effects of vocal warm-
notion that regular vocal warm-up is considered essential by up.3–6 The vocal warm-up duration most used by the participants
most singers, as described in the literature.1,2 in this study was 5–10 minutes. Five female participants
The findings of this study suggest that if a participant is a fe- reported using warm-up regimens lasting 25 minutes or longer,
male, aged 31 years and older with 10 or more years of singing and three of these participants reported having experienced
experience, she is more likely to always use a vocal warm-up voice problems in the past year. Miller1,9 cautioned against the
before singing. Smith et al7 found that in female teachers voice use of vocal warm-up regimens lasting longer than 30 minutes.
problems were more likely to be present than in males. A more Further studies are needed to determine if vocal warm-up ses-
recent study investigating the incidence of voice problems sions in excess of 30 minutes have a negative impact on vocal
among different occupations in San Juan, Puerto Rico also health or if singers with voice problems need to use longer vocal
found that females were more likely to report voice problems warm-up to prepare their instrument for performance.
than males.8 Studies reporting more voice problems in female Surveyed singers were asked to identify vocal activities in
speakers might be the incentive for female singers to use vocal which they warm up before participating (Figure 1). The results
warm-up more frequently than males. In the present study, suggest a trend that they are more likely to complete a vocal
voice problems appeared to occur more in males (31%) than warm-up before solo singing activities and less likely to

FIGURE 2. Distribution of nonsinging warm-up exercises among participants (number of participants: 117).
e6 Journal of Voice, Vol. 26, No. 1, 2012

TABLE 4.
Distribution of Singing Warm-Up Exercises Used by Participants
How Often Do You Use Each Singing Exercise
as Part of Your Warm-Up Regimen?

Singing Warm-Up Exercises Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never

Glissando 24 24 32 24 13
Ascending/descending five-note scale, rapid tempo 61 27 17 7 4
Ascending/descending five-note scale, slow tempo 20 16 29 28 23
Ascending/descending scale spanning one octave, 38 30 31 9 9
rapid tempo
Ascending/descending scale spanning one octave, 6 11 20 26 53
slow tempo
Ascending/descending arpeggio, legato 29 30 29 16 13
Ascending/descending arpeggio, staccato 12 20 19 24 42
Messa di voce, low-range pitch 4 13 17 33 50
Messa di voce, mid-range pitch 4 14 39 21 38
Messa di voce, high-range pitch 4 10 20 27 56
Ascending/descending thirds 5 19 31 17 45
Descending triplet motive 9 19 31 12 46
Chromatic scale 0 4 26 22 65
Number of participants: 117.

warm up before ensemble singing. It appears that singers rarely the face, head, neck, and the respiratory muscles. Given that
complete a vocal warm-up before extended periods of speaking. these are the muscles most used during singing, this result is
Thirty-two percent of the participants reported warming up expected. This finding is consistent with Goldberg’s2 recom-
before teaching voice lessons, which was classified as a speak- mendation that vocal warm-up should include ‘‘stretching exer-
ing activity in the questionnaire. It is important to note that cises for both body and voice.’’ Although general aerobic
although teaching voice lessons require extended periods of exercise has been described in the literature,1,9,10 relatively
speaking, it also frequently requires the instructor to demon- few participants (21%) reported using general aerobic exercise
strate singing examples, which may explain the higher percent- as part of their vocal warm-up regimens.
age of participants completing a vocal warm-up as compared This study’s findings showed that of the queried exercises,
with the other speaking tasks. there are four singing exercises most commonly used by singers
Among the nonsinging warm-up exercises (Figure 2), singers (Table 4). They are ascending/descending five-note scales, as-
are most likely to complete exercises that target the muscles of cending/descending octave scales, ascending/descending legato

TABLE 5.
Use of Nasal Consonants and Lip/Tongue Trills in Singing Warm-Up Exercises by Participants
How Do You Sing This Exercise?

On the Nasal On a Lip/Tongue

Singing Warm-Up Exercises Consonant /m/ or /n/ Trill
Glissando 17 49
Ascending/descending five-note scale, rapid tempo 17 45
Ascending/descending five-note scale, slow tempo 17 30
Ascending/descending scale spanning one octave, rapid tempo 9 22
Ascending/descending scale spanning one octave, slow tempo 6 10
Ascending/Descending Arpeggio, legato 8 14
Ascending/descending arpeggio, staccato 1 2
Messa di voce, low-range pitch 4 2
Messa di voce, mid-range pitch 5 1
Messa di voce, high-range pitch 1 1
Ascending/descending thirds 5 7
Descending triplet motive 5 3
Chromatic scale 2 1
Number of participants: 117.
Allison Gish, et al Vocal Warm-Up Practices and Perceptions e7

TABLE 6.
Perceived Difficulty of Singing Warm-Up Exercises Used by Participants
On a Typical Day, How Difficult is This
Exercise for You? (l ¼ Easiest; 5 ¼ Most Difficult)

I Do Not Use
Singing Warm-Up Exercises 1 2 3 4 5 This Exercise
Glissando 54 34 8 3 0 18
Ascending/descending five-note scale, rapid tempo 70 35 6 2 0 4
Ascending/descending five-note scale, slow tempo 45 29 17 4 0 22
Ascending/descending scale spanning one octave, 30 43 27 8 0 9
rapid tempo
Ascending/descending scale spanning one octave, 19 25 15 5 0 53
slow tempo
Ascending/descending arpeggio, legato 32 41 26 4 1 13
Ascending/descending arpeggio, staccato 16 31 18 9 0 43
Messa di voce, low-range pitch 12 20 16 13 4 52
Messa di voce, mid-range pitch 13 34 20 10 2 38
Messa di voce, high-range pitch 4 21 11 18 8 55
Ascending/descending thirds 20 22 19 11 2 43
Descending triplet motive 24 20 19 8 0 46
Chromatic scale 11 14 12 12 6 62
Number of participants: 117.

arpeggios, and glissandi. Each of these exercises serves as targeting variations in loudness (ie, messa di voce), sung in the
a mechanism for stretching the vocal folds, as the singer moves staccato style, and comprising more complex musical patterns
from a low pitch to a high pitch; and, with the exception of the (ie, ascending/descending thirds and descending triplet motive)
glissando, each targets agility and vocal flexibility. In addition, were less commonly used. These trends were similar between
these four exercises were all ranked as being relatively easy participants of varying age, gender, and singing experience level.
(Table 6). These findings support Miller’s9 statement that ‘‘heavy Participants described varying methods for executing each
vocalization should never form part of the warm-up series.’’ Of exercise (eg, different vowels, preceding consonants, alternating
the 51 singers who used a fixed warm-up regimen, 31 indicated vowels, syllables, words, and phrases). Given their emphasis in
that they complete the five-note ascending/descending scale, at the literature, surprisingly few participants reported using nasal
either a fast or slow tempo, first (Figure 3). This result further consonants /m/ or /n/ or lip and tongue trills as part of their vocal
supports the recommendation that the vocal warm-up should warm-up regimen (Table 5). Lip and tongue trills, exercises de-
progress from easy to more difficult exercises.1,9 Exercises scribed in the literature as a means of improving resonance,11,12

FIGURE 3. First/last singing exercise completed during participants’ warm-up regimens (number of participants: 51).
e8 Journal of Voice, Vol. 26, No. 1, 2012

TABLE 7.
Vocal Warm-Up Perceptions Among Participants
For Each Statement, Select the One Answer
That Best Describes Your Feeling/Opinion

Strongly Neutral/No Strongly

Vocal Warm-Up Perceptions Agree Agree Opinion Disagree Disagree
Perceptions about importance of vocal warm-up
It is important to warm up before singing. 84 28 4 1 0
Singers who do not warm up are more likely to injure 46 45 15 9 2
their voices.
If I do not warm up before singing, I could hurt my voice. 34 40 24 11 6
I am not sure why I am supposed to warm up my voice. 0 2 8 24 82
I only warm up because my voice teacher tells me to. 1 3 12 35 65
Perceptions about the effects of vocal warm-up on the voice
My voice is more cooperative after I warm up. 87 21 6 3 0
I feel more confident about my voice after I warm up. 73 29 10 4 1
It is easier to sing my highest notes after I warm up. 80 22 8 5 1
It is easier to sing my lowest notes after I warm up. 50 19 19 24 5
My voice is more flexible after I warm up. 82 28 2 3 0
My voice feels tired after I warm up. 1 7 13 38 58
I feel more mentally focused after I warm up. 62 37 14 4 0
Number of participants: 117.

were used by up to 49 participants. Fewer participants indicated more years of singing experience appear to be more likely to
the use of the nasal consonants /m/ or /n/, as described in the use a vocal cool-down after singing. This limited data did sug-
literature.9,13 For both nasal consonants and lip and tongue gested similar trend in use of vocal cool-down between singers
trills, participants were more likely to use them with the four with and without voice problems. Further research on the effect
most commonly used exercises found in this study. of vocal cool-down on vocal health could lead to better under-
Twenty-six participants reported using a vocal cool-down af- standing of this exercise in vocal health in singers.
ter singing. Females, as with frequency of vocal warm-up, were The next goal of the present study was to examine singers’
more likely to use a vocal cool-down than males. Female partic- perceptions of the role of vocal warm-up in the prevention of
ipants, aged 41 years and older, who are students with 10 or vocal fold injury. The vast majority of participants use vocal

TABLE 8.
Distribution of Singing Exercises Used by Participants With Reported Voice Problems
How Often Do You Use Each Singing Exercise
as Part of Your Warm-Up Regimen?

Singing Warm-Up Exercises Always Usually Sometimes Rarely Never

Glissando 8 5 7 6 4
Ascending/descending five-note scale, rapid tempo 14 8 7 0 1
Ascending/descending five-note scale, slow tempo 7 3 7 5 8
Ascending/descending scale spanning one octave, 9 8 9 2 2
rapid tempo
Ascending/descending scale spanning one octave, 2 0 6 5 17
slow tempo
Ascending/descending arpeggio, legato 4 15 3 3 5
Ascending/descending arpeggio, staccato 2 8 4 4 12
Messa di voce, low-range pitch 2 5 2 6 15
Messa di voce, mid-range pitch 1 6 7 3 13
Messa di voce, high-range pitch 1 2 3 8 16
Ascending/descending thirds 0 6 11 1 12
Descending triplet motive 2 6 6 4 12
Chromatic scale 0 1 3 4 22
Number of participants: 30.
Allison Gish, et al Vocal Warm-Up Practices and Perceptions e9

warm-up not because their teachers tell them but because they
TABLE 9.
strongly believe that it is important to warm up before singing Suggested Vocal Warm-Up Regimen for Future Research
and because their voices are more cooperative following vocal Studies
warm-up. They also report that following a vocal warm-up, it is
easier to sing higher notes and their voices are more flexible. Suggested Vocal Warm-Up Regimen
Some participants strongly agreed that if they did not do vocal Duration 5–15 min (56%)
warm up they could hurt their voices. Additionally, the findings Nonsinging 1. Stretching exercises targeting the
suggest that singers believe vocal warm-up improves voice exercises face/head/neck muscles (62%)
quality and mental focus for singing. This finding is consistent 2. Breathing exercises (55%)
with perceptions of vocal warm-up described in vocal pedagogy 3. Postural alignment exercises (50%)
literature.2,9
Singing 1. Five-note scale (52%)
The final goal of this study was to obtain preliminary data on exercises 2. Octave scale (32%)
the occurrence of vocal fold injury in singers who use/do not 3. Arpeggio, legato (25%)
use a vocal warm-up regimen. Because all of the singers who 4. Glissando (21%)
participated in this study reported using a vocal warm-up before Number of participants: 117.
singing, it was not possible to determine if using a vocal warm- Percentages are based on participants’ responses; for singing exercises,
up plays a role in the prevention of vocal injury. On the other only ‘‘always’’ responses are used.
hand, 30 participants reported experiencing voice problems in
the past year despite using a vocal warm-up before singing.
In this group, 16 participants always used vocal warm-up, were very experienced singers, having received more than 10
and their preference of duration of 5–15 minutes warm-up ses- years of formal voice training. Future studies should recruit
sions was similar to the participants who did not report voice singers with less than 5 years of formal voice training and
problems. The top four most commonly used vocal warm-up singers with no formal voice training should be surveyed to
exercises (ie, five-note scale, octave scale, legato arpeggio, determine how their vocal warm-up regimens differ from
and glissando) were also identical in both groups. However, the more experienced singers examined in this study. Addition-
77% of participants with voice problems reported allergies ally, participants were not asked what style of singing (eg,
(compared with 56% of those without voice problems) and classical, musical theater, pop, and so forth) they typically
one or more symptoms of GERD (compared with 38% of those use when performing or to identify their voice classifications
without voice problems). Furthermore, when asked to describe (ie, soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and baritone/bass). A future
his/her voice problems, many participants emphasized upper study will be of interest to determine if there is a style- or voice
respiratory symptoms and GERD as the cause of their voice classification-specific vocal warm-up regimen to ensure vocal
difficulties. The literature describes both conditions as known health in professional singers. Future survey studies should
contributors to dysphonia,14 which could explain why these also offer open-ended questions to determine if singers are
participants experienced voice problems. The results of this using nontraditional vocal warm-up techniques, such as Titze’s
study suggest that although vocal warm-up is perceived by semi-occluded vocal tract exercises.
singers to improve voice quality and flexibility, vocal health
and hygiene factors, such as allergies and GERD, are contribut-
ing factors to voice problems in singers, despite the regular use CONCLUSIONS
of a vocal warm-up. These findings highlight the importance of A significant limitation of previous studies is that the warm-up
further educating singers about the prevention and management regimens used varied considerably between the studies, and the
of allergy and GERD symptoms. results of these studies also varied considerably. The results of
this study suggest that the warm-up protocols used in some
Limitations of present study/implications for future previous studies did not represent the most commonly used
research exercises in singers. This study found that, indeed, singers’
This pilot study’s findings on vocal warm-up practices in vocal warm-up regimens are diverse in duration, exercises
singers warrant future studies. All participants in this study re- used, and the way in which exercises are used (eg, the vowels
ported that they use a vocal warm-up before singing. This could on which vocalizes are sung, the order in which exercises are
indicate a possible selection bias because singers who do not sung, and so forth). However, the results of this study reveal
use vocal warm-up may have declined to volunteer for this rea- several characteristics of singers’ warm-up regimens that may
son. It was also not possible to determine if using a vocal warm- be incorporated when designing warm-up regimens to be
up plays a role in the prevention of vocal injury. Future studies used in future studies on the effect of vocal warm-up on the vo-
investigating singers who are seen at a voice clinic because of cal mechanism (Table 9). This study’s findings suggest that the
their voice problems are of interest because they may reveal warm-up regimens should be between 5 and 10 minutes dura-
the frequency, duration, and type of vocal warm-up regimen tion and should use simple vocalizes, including ascending/des-
in the disordered singing population and allow comparison cending five-note scales, ascending/descending octave scales,
with the present study population. This survey targeted singers ascending/descending arpeggios, and glissandi. The warm-up
with at least 1 year of formal voice study, and most participants should also include nonsinging exercises targeting the face,
e10 Journal of Voice, Vol. 26, No. 1, 2012

head, and neck muscles, breathing exercises, and postural 6. Amir O, Amir N, Michaeli O. Evaluating the influence of warmup on
alignment exercises. singing voice quality using acoustic measures. J Voice. 2005;19:252–260.
7. Smith E, Kirchner HL, Taylor M, Hoffman H, Lemke JH. Voice problems
Acknowledgments among teachers: differences by gender and teaching characteristics. J Voice.
1998;12:328–334.
Funding for this project was provided by an American Speech, 8. Villanueva-Reyes A. Voice disorders in the metropolitan area of San Juan,
Language, and Hearing Association Students Preparing for Puerto Rico: profiles of occupational groups. J Voice. 2011;25:83–87.
Academic and Research Careers (SPARC) Award. The authors 9. Miller R. Healthy singing In: Miller R, ed. The Structure of Singing:
thank the survey respondents for generously giving their time to System and Art in Vocal Technique. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning,
participate in this study. Inc; 1996;218–239.
10. McHenry M, Johnson J, Foshea B. The effect of specific versus combined
warm-up strategies on the voice. J Voice. 2009;23:572–576.
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