Vocal Warm-Up Exercises
Guided vocal warm-up before heavy voice use.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Do them in order and keep everything easy. A warm-up done with effort defeats itself, and lip trills in particular stop working the moment they are forced. The mmm-hmm card is the most useful one on the board — it locates the resonant placement using a sound the student already makes a hundred times a day. Five minutes before singing or presenting is the realistic dose.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentThe student uses resonant voice on their own. Listen without reminding.Log as correct
- Visual reminderTouch your own lips and nose to show where the buzz should be felt.Log as cued
- Verbal reminderSay a short reminder, such as 'Easy, forward buzz.'Log as cued
- ModelSay it yourself using the technique; the student copies, then tries the card again.Log as cued
Voice work belongs after an ENT examination. If hoarseness lasts or gets worse, stop and refer back to the physician.
Adjust it
Go back to hums or single words, and shorten each turn.
Move to longer turns, then conversation, then a noisier room.
Matching IEP goal
Student will use resonant voice in sentences in 8 of 10 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a visual reminder.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Twelve warm-up steps in order: gentle yawn-sigh five times; lip trills for ten seconds; hum on mmm and feel the buzz on your lips; hum up and down a five-note scale; mee, may, mah, moh, moo on one comfortable pitch; straw phonation for twenty seconds; say mmm-hmm like you are agreeing — that's your resonant spot. The last two cards are a five-minute full warm-up and a three-hum cool-down.
What to listen for
Listen for the buzz moving forward across the sequence. The hum, the trills and the straw all push the vibration toward the lips and face, and a student who can feel that has something to return to. The scale card asks for it up and down twice, and the second pass is usually easier than the first — which is the whole argument for warming up at all. Watch the mee-may-mah sequence, where the vowel changes and the placement often drifts back into the throat with it. Warming up is for a voice that is working normally. A student who has been hoarse for more than about four weeks should be examined by an ENT before a warm-up routine is the intervention.
Carrying it home
Five minutes before a performance or a long talking day is the whole programme. Lip trills and a couple of hums can happen in a car on the way, which is where they will actually get done.
What's in this activity
- Gentle yawn-sigh, 5 times.
- Lip trills (brrrr) for 10 seconds. Keep it easy.
- Hum on 'mmm' and feel the buzz on your lips.
- Hum up and down a five-note scale, twice.
- "Mee — may — mah — moh — moo" on one comfortable pitch.
- Straw phonation: hum through a straw for 20 seconds.
- Slide from low to high on 'ooo', then back down.
- Say 'mmm-hmm' like you're agreeing — that's your resonant spot.
- Count 1 to 5 with a forward, buzzy tone.
- Read one sentence keeping the buzz at the front of your face.
- Full warm-up: 5 minutes before singing or presenting.
- Cool down: 3 easy hums after heavy voice use.
Questions
- What ages is this for?
- Third through eighth grade, before singing, presenting or any heavy voice use.
- Is it free?
- Yes, all twelve steps are free to use with no account and no card.
- Does a warm-up really matter?
- For heavy voice use, yes — it moves the vibration forward and eases the folds into work rather than starting cold. Five minutes is enough, and doing it badly with effort is worse than not doing it.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.