Finally after months of cold weather and dull days, Spring looks like it's here! Here at Green Bay we have been dusting away the cobwebs and getting ready for an exciting new year. Jo's Larder has brought a stunning new array of products and our Honeysuckers are also continuing to be really popular, particularly with singers.

Green Bay Manuka Honeysuckers are ideal for those trying to look after their voice. they are the world's first Manuka honey lozenge and contain many unique properties that kill bacteria which causes sore throats. Our lozenges soothe your throat without numbing it, leaving you ready to sing.

Honeysuckers also prevent the throat and mouth from drying, and can facilitate good digestion- not to mention the fact that they are delicious and portable and come in five different flavours;  a natural and effective way to help protect your voice!

 

So if you have some Spring concerts or gigs coming up,  here are some more tips for keeping your voices in tip top condition.

1. Don't be a chatterbox! Like the rest of your body, you voice needs sufficient rest! If you abuse your speaking voice it will directly affect your signing. So don't shout at the footballers on your TV during the World Cup or at your husband. It all puts a strain on your voice which will hinder your singing. 

2. Drink viscous teas! Tea made from Slippery Elm Bark will coat your throat and soothe it. Yogi tea's Throat Comfort is a healthy organic tea that should be part of your vocal care routine. Try and avoid dairy before a performance. It coats the throat making it more difficult to sing and easier to strain your voice. It's best to avoid dairy the day of singing competitions or other such events. 

3. Don't eat junk! You need to be well to sing well. If you are poorly you won't be able to practise and if you soldier on and practise anyway when bunged up, you may cause unnecessary damage to your voice! Our advice: eat healthily and avoid processed and junk food.

4. Avoid over-the-counter local anaesthetic medication for the throat. These tend to reduce nerve sensitivity in our throat and also create numbness, making our voice more susceptible to damage.

5. Water, water, water! Any water you drink goes first to your stomach, liver, kidneys etc - it's only excess water after that which goes to your saliva and vocal folds, so if you're not drinking enough water your voice won't be properly hydrated. Professional singers and actors can drink 4 litres a day in addition to the water they get from their meals. Teachers should sip water often, a lot more than many do. Also try and breathe with your mouth shut to avoid drying out your vocal chords especially if it's a hot day.

 

If you have any more useful tips or singing stories, let us know! Reviews and testimonials are always welcome and we greatly appreciate all feedback. Also remember to use your special singing discount when buying our Honeysuckers! Scroll down to the bottom for the discount code.

 

Testimonials...

Chrissie Hammond- Lead Singer in Cheetah & Actress in Musical Theatre 

For some time I played Grizabella in Cats. Its a vocally challenging role as the voice needs to be in optimum shape nightly. Although some vocal sweets will help a tired or compromised voice in an emergency, ultimately the usual ingredients have a dehydrating and quite stripping effect on the chords.   I had always found Manuka honey helpful, but  inconvenient whilst travelling, so was delighted when I came across the Honeysuckers.   A revelation and a solution!  

They provide a non dehydrating antibacterial treatment, (there's always a lurgy ready to pounce) whilst they sooth and lubricate topically. There's just nothing in them that's anti-vocal.  They've become a valuable part of maintaining vocal health. When I ran out of them in Germany last year, I had some sent over and guarded them fiercely!  

They are great in studios too, when you're facing a long recording day.

For singers, they're like a vocal survival kit in a sweet!

www.ralphallwood.com

 

 I think the lozenges are absolutely delicious, and so does my sister. I won't presume from my ignorance to say anything medical about their benefits to the voice, but the sense of well-being they give certainly won't hinder good singing!

Ria Keen- Vocal Coach

www.riakeen.net

 

 My preference was for the lemon ones, closely followed by the berries. I used them on several occasions to help soothe a sore and infected throat when teaching singing, and found them to have a soothing effect.

 

Tom Last - St. John's College Chorister

Eleven-year-old Tom Last has been a chorister in the world-famous choir of St John’s College, Cambridge for four years and sings up to twenty hours per week.

 Singing aggravates throat conditions. I get a sore throat which goes into a slightly barking cough for three to four days.  Once I have a cough, I can’t get above a D.  I try to do my best, but the note doesn’t really happen. However I have found that taking Honeysuckers for a sore throat can really help.  The average throat sweet makes my voice feel better for a short period of time, but then I can feel terrible again shortly after, whereas Honeysuckers make my voice feel good while I’m singing and they seem to make it better longer term.

My favourite flavour is Blackcurrant Bliss and they go down well with all my friends too- if I share them around with the other choristers, they’ll go in a minute! 

 

 

Sally Rivers -  Record Label Acclaimed Vocal Coach & Session Singer 

www.coachingwithsoul.co.uk

www.thesessionsinger.co.uk

 I'm an industrial voice user! I spend my days nurturing & inspiring singers in my role as vocal coach (often speaking for hours non stop!). At the weekends, I rock out with Sally Rivers & The Big Bash Band & in amongst all that, I am a busy mum to two very active boys!

In my role as session singer, I am often expected to sing for many hours without a break & it is essential I maintain the clarity of my voice. I've always taken the care of my voice very seriously & have taken Manuka honey for years. I am delighted to have discovered Honeysuckers - They taste divine & are perfect for when you are on the go. I generally don't recommend the use of lozenges to singers as they are nearly always packed with sugar & chemicals, but at last we can have something that might actually do us good! I love Honeysuckers. 

 

 

 

 

Line Hilton - Top vocal coach and highest qualified SLS teacher in the UK

www.singvocalstudio.com

 I'm already huge fan of Manuka honey as a medicinal remedy for throat infections etc. Honeysucker's recently helped me through a long day of teaching voice. I was experiencing a dry and scratchy throat at what turned out to be the start of a cold and I wondered if my voice would last through the day. I notice immediate relief after sucking on two Honeysucker lozenges and my voice made it through to the end of the teaching day without conking out. I have already been recommending the Honeysucker range to my vocal students. My personal preference is Blackcurrent Bliss! 

 

Bee in for a Discount...

Don't forget to type in this code in the shop during payment to receive a discount on all of our Honeysucker flavours!

DISCOUNT CODE: VOCALCARE15

Green Bay's Vocal Care Range :