Everyday Music...

I did one of my importance of voice lectures yesterday at Gold and at Sapphire I did one of those impassioned speeches I occasionally lapse into about energy, instinct, specificity and the old favourite of driving through to the end of the line.

I thought I’d follow it up with a blog as I think there’s so much going on in sessions it’s hard to retain everything we talk about and I feel this is important enough to require additional reflection upon, or at least give you the chance to do so... 

Your voice is one of your most powerful attributes…with it you can make feel people feel wonderful, create change, champion causes, diffuse conflict, you can pursue dreams, debate complex ideas, you can stand your ground or admit you’re wrong, it enables you to express empathy, sympathy, loyalty love…it allows you to take your place in the world and move forward with your life…your voice can literally change the world or at least your world so it makes sense to learn to use it to it’s potential.

Obviously all the things the voice can do in real life are multiplied for the actor…it is through your voice that your character achieves their ambitions or dies in the trying…your voice gives life to the stories we tell in the Christmas plays…your voice raises awareness of our cultural heritage in the Miners Play…your voice gives a platform for the writer who envisions the speeches but cannot make them heard…

Developing the voice involves thought and graft but gratifyingly even just a little thought and graft makes a difference…a difference on stage and a difference in life…good communication skills make the difference between happiness and frustration, between success and disappointment…so Yew Tree Youth Theatre think about the following aspects of voice and if you can find the motivation (which I hope you will) do something to increase your prowess in them:

Physicality – to eliminate restriction -work towards a tension free body – joints and muscles should be engaged yet free…find relaxation and use it…know where your individual sights of tension are but be aware of others that might develop…rotate joints, tense and release muscles…focus on alignment

Breath – to support the voice – use the ribs and the intercostal muscles – avoid tension and restriction in the chest and shoulders – work to increase breath capacity and control

Face – to awaken the mechanics and spaces within it that animate the voice – move it, stretch it, contract it, loosen the jaw, massage and stimulate the sinuses and the muscles

Projection – to support and amplify the voice – work the diaphragm…strengthen it…engage your entire body with the voice to give it richness.  Use the spaces and gaps in your body to find resonance

Articulation – to give definition to the voice – exercise the moving parts that make the sounds of words – the lips, tongue, teeth, soft palate, jaw, cheeks, think about the beginning, middle, ends of words and the sounds that make them

Intonation – to give shape to the voice – use and extend your range, sing, speak, experiment, play aeroplanes!

That’s the basics but in addition to mastering those have the following in mind.   Know who you are talking to at all times…each line, every word and also the impact you are trying to have on them.  Remember that every word is important but some are more important that others.  Have colour, light and shade in your mind as you use your voice for that is the way to paint pictures in the listeners mind.  However perhaps the most important thing to do is enjoy your voice and experimenting with it and the voices of others…there is an everyday music in voice that gives pleasure to anyone who takes the time to listen…