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March
1st, 2008
Find your natural
dynamic speaking
voice and maintain it!
| Vocal Tip of the Month! |
Find
your natural dynamic speaking voice on a laugh! Yes, you read
right. Laughing is not only known for its health benefits. It is
also beneficial to your voice. Laughing naturally places the
resonance of your voice right where they belong in the front of your
face. It engages your support and helps you relax. Let
your laughter guide you towards finding your healthy voice. Try the
following exercise:
Step 1
1) Stand up straight.
2) Breathe deeply.
3) Pretend to laugh as naturally as possible on the vowel "a" as in ah,
ah, ah! If this is difficult, you can also try to mimic Santa
Claus' laugh on "o" as in ho, ho, ho!
4) Listen carefully to the sound of your voice and try to feel where
the sound places itself. Hopefully, you will feel something
happening around your nose and cheek area; all around your sinuses for
this matter. The voice should be placed in the mask
as discussed in the last February newsletter. Laughing also
engages your diaphragm and encourages correct support and breath
management.
5) Breathe in and laugh again!
Step 2
1) Continue to stand and breathe deeply!
2) Now, say numbers from 1 to 10 between your simulated laughter.
For example, ah, ah, ah, "1", pause, ah, ah, ah, "2", pause, ah, ah, ah, "3", pause, etc...
Step 3
1) Still standing up, take another big breath.
2) Count from 1 to 10 without pretending to laugh beforehand.
Maintain your resonance forward around your nose and cheeks.
Remember: you only have one set of vocal cords and consequently only
one voice. The speaking voice and the laughing voice are the
same. Try to speak focusing your voice the same way you would
laughing and it will project itself more easily without straining.
Good luck! |
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Interesting
Facts
The
human voice is one of the smallest instruments on earth but it amazes
by its
versatility and power. It vibrates approximately 261 times per
second to create (in conjuncton with the rest of the vocal box) a
panoply of sounds like no other
conventional music instrument.
Have you ever wondered what the vocal cords in action look like?
Click on the links below to listen to some remarkable vocal prowess:
a) Jaime Vendera breaks glass with his voice alone on Mythbusters.
b) Yodeling*
c) Tibetan voice harmonics**
d) Adam Lopez world record holder sings a C# above the piano keys.
e) Andre-Philippe Gagnon: a world-renowned impressionist and comedian
*http://www.yodelcourse.com/level10/level10.html
**http://www.healingvoices.net/music.html
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| What's Happening? |
As some of you might already be aware, I started to write a book specifically to help teachers find and maintain their natural dynamic speaking voice last
summer. I'm happy to report that the writing process is almost
over and I have already started editing. I'd like to thank Meagan Ruszyk who has recently accepted to work with me on this project.
In the last few months, I have met several singers that have also shown
interest in my website and voice strategies. Therefore, I would
like to take this opportunity to welcome them all to the discussion
even though the newsletter is primarily addressed to teachers.
Singers: take what you can from this newsletter and sing your
heart out!
Please continue to e-mail me your feedback. I enjoy reading your thoughts and answer your questions!
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Relevant
Links
Voice
Yourself in the Classroom
Valerie Bastien
The Voice
Connection |
| Inspiring Quotes and Stories... |
To
keep with the theme this month, I'll try to make you laugh with this
video of myself singing opera with my late dog Neptune. We had a
special connection; I loved to sing opera and he loved to howl to
accompany me. This video is about 10 years old and he was only a
puppy then. Before you ask, I'd like to specify that he always
shook his tail with excitement and sported a happy expression
while doing this with me. Everthing seemed to indicate that he
enjoyed howling while I was singing and that I wasn't hurting his
ears!!
Me and my dog "singing"!
Enjoy!
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