When I went to Drama school we would start each lesson with a vocal warm-up and not just for the sake of it.
We were taught in a subject called Voice and Speech about the importance of warm ups akin to an athlete stretching before a race. However, once I got into radio there wasn’t a lot of warming up happening around the studios me included, rather a quick smoke, coffee or can of coke before a shift kicked off. Hardly, good practice in an industry that relies on your voice to be healthy and free of impediments.
It’s no surprise then in October 2013 when I was on a phone-call my voice suddenly became very croaky. I hadn’t had a sore throat and thought perhaps I was just tired, so I pushed through and it continued like that for a month. I wasn’t taking any notice of it and nor was anyone else despite virtually having no voice left by the time my shift finished at 9. I felt it was compromising the show as I sounded more and more like Marge’s sister Patty from The Simpsons, so I booked a Doctor’s appointment.
I started to panic when I was sent straight off to an ENT surgeon to be scoped, I thought there might be something there I didn’t want to deal with, but instead the surgeon found what he described as a “serious injury” for someone in my profession, one of my vocal folds had hemorrhaged. In fact it was the same injury that forced singer Adele to cancel her US tour in 2011.
An urgent appointment was made for me within 24 hours at Adelaide’s Voice Clinic. It was suggested the Speech Pathologist would insist on no talking so the surgeon advised to go home and remain silent until my appointment. The only problem was Tasmania’s George Bailey had just been named in the Australian team for the Ashes series against England and we had pre-recorded an interview with the man himself along with chats with various other Tassie players and well wishes. We had renamed Thursday “Georgeday”, I had to go to work. So I did!
Not a bright idea as it had been explained to me continuing to talk was like punching a bruise over and over again so I was advised not to speak for a week and then begin rehabilitation with a Speech Pathologist.
Once the hemorrhaged healed it took weeks of therapy to retrain my voice which for weeks was mildly to moderately rough and breathy and a return to work relied on having a clear, efficient and sustainable voice capable of handling being on-air.
It took 3 months but eventually I returned to the airways never again thinking a croaky voice sounded “kinda sexy” but more a sign that it needs looking after. And yes, I practice a vocal warm up now in the car on the way to work, there are plenty to source on the Internet it just needs to be factored in to your prep.
About the Author
For 15 years Kim Napier was the Kim part of the hugely successful Kim and Dave breakfast show on Hobart’s Heart 107.3.
But with an on-air partner in Hobart and a husband in Adelaide things were starting to unravel.
Read more by and about Kim here.