Nutrition in Singing with Duncan Rock

Does acid reflux impact your singing performance?

Perhaps you’ve searched the internet and found multiple articles on “The 10 Foods Singers Should Avoid” or medications promising to cure reflux.

But before you start making radical changes to your diet, you might want to listen to this episode’s guest. Duncan Rock is an acclaimed operatic baritone who’s performed with the Metropolitan Opera, The Royal Opera House, English National Opera, and Glyndebourne Festival Opera for over a decade.

More importantly, he’s a nutritionist and registered exercise professional with a Masters degree in Human Nutrition. He now uses his dual passions for singing and health to help performers maintain their health as they enjoy long, successful careers.

According to Duncan, much of what allows singers and performers stay healthy comes not from a specialized exercise regimen or dietary supplements, but a common-sense approach to diet and personal fitness. His holistic take on healthy living makes his advice easy to follow and highly effective for vocal coaches and their students.  

Listen as Duncan shares his expertise in nutrition and physiotherapy, and learn:

1. (4:32) How a music scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama jumpstarted Duncan’s decade-long career as a professional opera singer.
2. (5:31) How the 2020 pandemic caused Duncan to switch gears and begin working as a nutritionist for the Voice Care Centre in London.
3. (7:21) How Duncan’s personal experiences with dieticians shaped his common-sense views towards nutrition and healthy diets.  
4. (10:05) Why Duncan initially wasn’t interested in working as a nutritionist for singers — and how this changed. 
5. (15:27) Why good, old fashioned advice on health and nutrition is the most valuable information you can receive in this age of polarized nutritional content.
6. (16:47) Why singers should maintain balanced diets in an industry with performers like Luciano Pavarotti who don’t always follow healthy eating habits. 
7. (20:43) What research says about how our diets affect our body composition, and how this affects our vocal performance. 
8. (23:22) Why being underweight can potentially be more damaging than being overweight or obese.
9. (25:36) How nutritionist advice can help performing singers deal with stress and weakened immune systems.
10. (28:42) The link between eating well and exercising
11. (33:33) The common-sense approach to managing acid reflux.
12. (37:36) The problems caused by myths surrounding singer nutrition
13. (39:55) How the body positivity movement can place negative pressure on singers and performers who change their appearance by adopting healthier habits. 
14. (53:44) How vocal coaches benefit from a basic understanding of vocal nutrition in their classrooms.

Get more nutritional advice from Duncan by visiting his website. Interested in a more in-depth consultation? Connect with him via email at [email protected]. 

You can also download Duncan’s IVA webinar, Nutrition and Exercise for Singers — The Missing Link in Vocal Health and Longevity — from the Institute of Vocal Advancement.

Tom and Heather have a lot of fascinating guests like Duncan lined up for our podcast! Make sure you meet them all by following us on the Vocal Advancement Podcast and see them by subscribing to our YouTube channel! 

Is there a teacher, performer, or researcher you think would make a great guest on our show? Email us at [email protected] and let us know!

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