Best Vocal Warm-ups for Television and Radio Broadcasters

The speaking voice is not the musical or singing voice, but it does share many of the same exercises and warm-ups singers routinely perform to open up their voices. These are handy vocal warm-ups needed for television and radio broadcasters. Try these six vocal warm-up exercises before going live on air with your next television or radio broadcast.

 

Best Vocal Warm-ups for Lips

Warm-ups one and two are the lip trill, audible here and visible here, and lip bubbles. Lip trills loosen up and tickle the whole face and get the lips vibrating and flexible.

Lip bubbles help you control breathing and air pressure, since they give immediate feedback. Lip bubbles help relax your throat and begin to end bad vocal habits. You can see and hear lip bubbles here.

 

Tongue

The tongue trill is our third warm-up, in which you move the vibration into your mouth and push your tongue against the roof of your mouth, rolling your ‘‘Rs’’ as though you were speaking with a Scottish brogue or Portuguese accent. You can hear and see this exercise here.

Another simple technique, useful for all vocal exercises, is to physically hold your tongue outside of your mouth, our fourth warm-up. This changes the familiar muscle tension that controls the tongue and removes the tongue itself from the exercise. You can see and hear this technique here.

 

Elevator Slides

Elevator Slides, warm-up No. 5, allow an announcer to smooth out the full range of a vocal register. You make a sound like a slow siren, using an “ah” sound, moving from low to high and back. Switch up the “ah” sound with “ee” and “ooh” to open up the sinuses, throat and nasal passage. Hear an elevator slide here.

 

Vocal Quality

A resonant voice in an announcer — male or female — is extremely seductive, compelling listeners to tune in to the sound. A relaxed throat, good breath control and a neutral posture help keep your voice deep and clear. Peter Baker, voiceover artist, recommends humming, warm-up No. 6, with your hand on your chest to feel the resonance.

 

Media Schools

Put your voice to work in a television broadcasting program or radio broadcasting and learn how to become a professional broadcaster. Contact the Media School nearest you today to learn more about the radio and TV broadcasting program that is best for you. Apply today and start training your voice for the career you want tomorrow.