Voice problems

[zcbm]

I am a 15 year old singer. I go to an arts school as a vocalist, and will be in a musical from September to January. A few days ago, while trying to belt out some higher notes, I hurt my voice. My voice is hoarse, and in the hollow of my throat, right between my collar bones, there is a burning sensation. My voice cracks occasionally, and I noticed a loss of one octave spanning across the past five months, and it gets tired really easily. I have put myself on vocal rest, and have been keeping the talking to a minimum. I also noticed that when I sing, my larynx goes up really high. What could this be? Will it go away? I know I strained my voice, but does it sound serious? Are there any exercises I can do to relax my voice, and use the right muscles to talk and sing? How long should I remain on vocal rest? Should I stop practicing for the play? I can't see a doctor until the end of September.

[zcbm]

Sorry, I'm a girl. My profile is wrong. Thank you, though.

[dricart]

You've lost an octave of range in about five months. You have to keep in mind that the male voice turns into a blank slate in terms of development/ maturity after you've fully gone through puberty. If you're still going through the process of puberty I would not concern yourself about the loss of range. I was a treble/ soprano in 7th/8th grade but by the time I was a sophomore in high school my voice had completely changed to a lower tenor, and at 19 now I'm a comfortable tenor with an extending range on the high end. Do you have a voice teacher? They would probably be the best to consult with on these issues. It's good that you've gone on vocal rest, but I would highly suggest getting scoped by an ENT specialist much sooner than September. It's possible you could have nodes, in which case the office will refer you to a speech pathologist and they'll give you a detailed rest schedule, as well as teach you how to speak in a healthier way to prevent nodes from developing in the future. Nodes almost always clear up with rest, so just remember: don't smoke, don't sing if it hurts, and stay hydrated forever and always!