If you have aspirations of learning how to become a singer, then you probably already know that your voice is the most important factor. What many seem to forget, is that you must also take good care of your voice. Many singers for some reason don't see the importance of it and never take proper care of their voice. The thing is that you have to see your voice as an instrument that must be maintained and properly taken care of. There are many things you can do in terms of vocal care, and if you happen to be serious at all about becoming a singer then taking care of your voice will be of up most importance.
It really helps if you start to see your voice as an instrument. For example with a guitar, if you don't take care of your strings, the quality of it's sound will be off. Same can be said about any instrument that needs to be maintained, and therefore the same can be said about your voice. If you're a smoker, don't get proper rest, and drink a lot of caffeine for example, you'll notice the quality of your voice won't be as strong as it should. The people with the best voices aren't always the ones who are born with it. These people get to the point they're at with proper training, and maintenance of their voice, so don't let bad habits get in the way of an otherwise good voice.
So what are some ways to help maintain your voice? Well first off, a lot of people don't realize that your vocal chords are like muscles, and therefore need to be warmed up and cooled down. Along with warm up and cool down exercises, you should make sure you are well rested, and well hydrated. In terms of hydration this means drinking lots of water and avoiding caffeine, as caffeine will dehydrate your body. If you smoke, consider quitting because it will irritate your vocal chords and cause damage over time, and your voice may even deteriorate. Staying in shape and maintaining a proper diet is very important as well as many singer quickly realize once they start playing live a few times. It's one thing to be able to sing while standing, but you still have to be able to sing properly while moving around and performing, which will be hard to do if you're always losing your breath. In terms of what you can do while singing live, just make sure to keep good posture and breathing control. Also, on the day of a show avoid excessive talking or screaming.
It's actually not that hard to make sure your voice is properly taken care of, yet it gets overlooked very often by people learning how to become a singer. Just by following a few simple guidelines you can make sure voice will always be ready to go when you need it. Remember, your voice will make or break your career so do what you can to make sure it is in good shape.