Jade’s Story

Jade (Age: 18-24)

I love teaching kids how to sing and leading general music classes while singing fun songs!

SINGING PRACTICE

Jade is a music teacher who enjoys listening and singing along to music and singing along. She practiced at a pre-professional level as an undergraduate student but does not “formally practice anymore.”

JADE’S STORY

Jade began experiencing symptoms of POTS in July 2020 amid an unexpected onset of vertigo.

[While] the completely spinning sensation went away, the “floaty feeling” never did. Symptoms I’d had for my whole life (chronic back and neck pain, fatigue, car sickness) worsened and I developed new ones (blood sugar weirdness, headaches, dizziness) that caused me concern. I was greatly unwell for a long time after my official diagnosis in December of 2020 and struggled to keep up with my music education degree. Though I eventually graduated with very high grades, the whole experience left me drained and I don’t think I will ever recover from the burnout or regain my love for singing again. My symptoms have improved since then after slowly working up to tolerating exercise (mainly running), which is my main hobby now. 

I wanted to encourage you to highlight all stories that are submitted, even if they are not very "empowering". Mine is not. Some of us have just been beat down by our diagnosis and it's unrealistic to paint the picture that all singers with POTS are strong warriors who are overcoming battles to achieve what they love everyday. Some of us are just defeated and pissed off that this field became so inaccessible to them so fast. Personally, I'm mad at the world about it and have had to give it up in order to avoid the mental turmoil of fighting for my accommodations, fighting to fit in, fighting to stay standing, and fighting with the judgment of others. 

Has your singing practice or pursuit of singing shifted in any way since your diagnosis/onset of symptoms? 

Not too long ago, I was practicing at a pre-professional level as an undergraduate music education major in college. Now, I am looking for music teaching jobs hoping to use my voice for elementary general music lessons or for leading choir rehearsals with older students. I don’t enjoy performing anymore, but I like to listen to music I enjoy and sing along with it for pleasure. I rarely ‘formally’ practice anymore. 

Before POTS, I had hope that I could improve and be happy with myself as a professional singer. Afterwards, it seemed like there was never time to work on anything else (ie tongue tension, range) other than trying to find ways to successfully sing with POTS. After lessons and practicing, I would be hoarse. Standing in choir gave me a marathon-level workout. I sang every single week for two semesters in studio class before my recital because I knew my brain fog was so bad, I wouldn’t be able to memorize my repertoire (most of which I’d been singing for 2-4 years) if I didn’t start then. It seemed like I wasted all of college watching nothing improve because I was just fighting for a good day where I sounded and felt like myself. Even though I succeeded in many instances, got into the top choirs, and had a successful recital (with a sinus infection that lasted 3 weeks because of course), I just cannot see myself doing it anymore because the stress of navigating all of that impacted me so poorly.

Very much so. I often felt like my air wasn’t flowing right when standing still, but you can’t just pace around on stage every second of a song. My voice started getting these “blips” that weren’t cracks, but instances where I’d choke on my sound randomly which made me very insecure about performing for others and singing in my top-level choir. This made me feel like I was the worst on there. I experienced crazy vocal fatigue. The chronic pain in my neck and back made it difficult to sit while singing and holding music in choir, but my POTS made me feel like I’d just ran a marathon when I stood in choir too. 

JADE’S ADVICE

Accommodations: 

My voice teacher and I were stumped so we really didn’t know what to do. I’m sure she would’ve been open to it. In choir, I didn’t want to look like the weakest link so I just powered through. 

For singers: 

Explore other hobbies as well. If singing is all you love, the days you just can’t do it will really hurt. 

For professionals working with singers with these conditions: 

Please don’t assume your students are just making up excuses.