Why Singers Should Practice in the Morning

Years ago, I complained to my vocal coach that my voice did not want to cooperate with me on Sunday mornings when I sang for worship, even though I could sing well in my practice times. On Sunday mornings, my voice would feel tired and groggy, the high notes felt challenging, and I felt, well… frustrated. I was straining to sing things that were usually easier for me, and I much preferred singing for evening services, when my voice felt nimble and free! 

My coach very wisely pointed out something I hadn’t thought of—that I needed to change my lifestyle. This was before we had kids, when Jason and I would stay up late and sleep in whenever we could; and although I did have a consistent vocal exercise routine in place, I would almost always practice in the afternoon or evening, when I had been awake for a long time.

Here’s what my coach told me—that if I wanted my voice to feel and sound better on Sunday mornings, that I needed to sing on other mornings in the week. Sundays couldn’t be the anomaly.

No wonder my voice wasn’t cooperating… it was saying, “What’s going on?! Usually we are in bed resting right now!”

To be honest, I don’t think I took his advice. I’m pretty sure I kept right on straining my voice Sunday after Sunday. The change he was suggesting was inconvenient and uncomfortable (I liked staying up late and sleeping in!). 

If I could go back and talk to my younger self, I would say “stop being so FOOLISH!”

Proverbs 1:7 says that “fools despise wisdom and instruction”, and verse 32 says that “the complacency of fools will destroy them.”

See—it wasn’t just that my voice wasn’t sounding as good on Sundays… I was actually straining my vocal cords… pushing way too hard on my tired voice… and for singers, that is a huge no-no because it can result in damage to our voices! 

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and we are encouraged in scripture to be good stewards of what the Lord has given us. I wasn’t being a good steward of my voice, nor was I being responsible with the assignment I had as a worship leader in my church. 

Thank God for His mercy. 

And that things finally changed! 

Years later, when I had kids and I was naturally getting up earlier in the morning (because they were up!)—that’s when I finally started doing my vocal workouts and practicing my singing in the mornings.

And let me tell you—I absolutely saw a direct result in the way my voice felt and sounded on Sunday mornings when I was on my worship team. My voice felt, well… regular on Sundays! In a good way! My body was now used to being awake and to singing much earlier in the day. My coach was right. It was wisdom.

If this wisdom applies to you, take it! As worship vocalists, singing in the morning is the norm for most of us, so it’s important that we set our voices up for success by doing our warmups and singing practice on other mornings in the week. 

Where does it fit, you say? Do some vocal warmups in the shower. As you’re getting ready for the day. While you’re cleaning up the breakfast dishes. On the way to work.

Try it and let me know how it goes for you (don’t expect an overnight change though—give it a few weeks!). I am confident that you will experience good results too!