West End Kids – Official Blog

Do you find that you sometimes croak when you sing, meaning you feel you have to clear your throat a lot?

A croaky voice can be caused by a number of things, but more often than not, it is not a sign of anything being really wrong, just a build up of mucous which is coating your vocal cords. If you have been ill recently with a cold or the flu, then this will most probably be the reason. You might also have eaten something that has caused an excess build up of mucous.

Some say that you should never clear your throat, but excess mucous inhibits free vocal cord coordination. The trick is to find a way to clear your throat without irritating it. Do a gentle “whispered cough” (without tone) and then swallow. Repeat. If this doesn’t work, you need to deal with the excess mucous production. Squeeze a 1/4 of a lemon in a tall glass of water and sip over about 20 minutes. This should cut through a lot of the excess mucous. Furthermore, watch your dairy intake… especially cheese. You should never eat it on the day of a performance!