Following last week’s revelation that Florence Welch is suffering from vocal damage, singer Sophie Garner, in conjunction with the VoxOp group, has launched a survey to monitor vocal injuries among performers.
The survey is being circulated to professional performers, music colleges and the Guild Hall, to encourage singers to check their vocal health and report any issues they may have.
The responses will be used to inform the work of the FORT charity (Fighting Oesophageal Reflux Together) and the NHS, which Garner believes should do more to help professional singers.
So far, responses have shown that 65 percent of singers suffer from a harmful condition called acid reflux, which affects vocal cords and, if left untreated, can lead to throat operations and loss of voice.
Garner, who has been performing for 18 years and had a vocal operation in 2010, told M: ‘I want to share my experience and advise up
The survey is being circulated to professional performers, music colleges and the Guild Hall, to encourage singers to check their vocal health and report any issues they may have.
The responses will be used to inform the work of the FORT charity (Fighting Oesophageal Reflux Together) and the NHS, which Garner believes should do more to help professional singers.
So far, responses have shown that 65 percent of singers suffer from a harmful condition called acid reflux, which affects vocal cords and, if left untreated, can lead to throat operations and loss of voice.
Garner, who has been performing for 18 years and had a vocal operation in 2010, told M: ‘I want to share my experience and advise up
and coming singers how to look after themselves, because many of them don’t. And I didn’t.'
‘But our instruments aren’t like a guitar or piano; we can’t bash them around and then find middle C the next day – we’ve only got one voice. Many singers abuse theirs and just aren’t aware of how to take care of it. If a keyboard goes wrong you take it to someone and they fix it or replace it, but it’s different with the voice.’
She set up VoxOp in 2011 to help performers with vocal injuries, and runs regular meetings for singers to share their experiences and help each other. The next one will take place in Hammersmith, London, on 19 July. For more information visit VoxOp.
The group is made up of rock and pop singers, jazz and classical performers, but Garner insists there are data protection rules in place to safeguard attendees’ identities.
‘With the case of Adele, as soon as people know you’re having a vocal operation, you’ve got this stigma attached that it’s game over for your career. And for some people in West End musicals, as soon as they’ve told somebody, they’re damaged goods,’ Garner explained.
‘So a lot is at stake. VoxOp is a place where people can share information. We have guest speakers that come to talk about voice related subjects.’
To take part in the survey, visit Survey Monkey.
‘But our instruments aren’t like a guitar or piano; we can’t bash them around and then find middle C the next day – we’ve only got one voice. Many singers abuse theirs and just aren’t aware of how to take care of it. If a keyboard goes wrong you take it to someone and they fix it or replace it, but it’s different with the voice.’
She set up VoxOp in 2011 to help performers with vocal injuries, and runs regular meetings for singers to share their experiences and help each other. The next one will take place in Hammersmith, London, on 19 July. For more information visit VoxOp.
The group is made up of rock and pop singers, jazz and classical performers, but Garner insists there are data protection rules in place to safeguard attendees’ identities.
‘With the case of Adele, as soon as people know you’re having a vocal operation, you’ve got this stigma attached that it’s game over for your career. And for some people in West End musicals, as soon as they’ve told somebody, they’re damaged goods,’ Garner explained.
‘So a lot is at stake. VoxOp is a place where people can share information. We have guest speakers that come to talk about voice related subjects.’
To take part in the survey, visit Survey Monkey.
