1. A crucial instrument in your performance
THE VOICE
A crucial instrument in your performance

2. Your voice as a dramatic tool
It must be heard by everyone in the audience.
It must convey the character you are playing- not you!
It must convey what your character thinks and feels

3. Diaphragmatic Breathing
Essential for any stage voice
Makes full use of the power of your diaphragm
Increases breath capacity
Improves breath control, allowing you to sustain your breath longer

4. The diaphragm
As you breathe in, the diaphragm lowers and your chest expands, increasing lung capacity.

5. The diaphragm
As you breathe out, the diaphragm relaxes and your chest contracts, pushing out the air.

6. Making and Shaping Sounds
Vowels are formed by resonators: the hard palate, soft palate, throat, chest, and sinuses
Open and flexible resonators improve the voice’s resonance and enriches vocal sound
Consonants are formed by articulators: jaw, lips, tongue, teeth, and soft palate
Your skill with effective vowels and consonants increases your articulation: the ability to be understood

7. Effective consonants: tongue twisters
The big black bug bled bad blood on the barn floor
Burnt toast, toy boats
Aluminum, linoleum, chrysanthemum, germanium
The sick sixth sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick
I can think of six thin things and of six thick things, too.

8. Inflection
Variety in speech is call inflection. It makes the voice expressive and interesting.
Pitch ( high or low)
Volume (soft or loud)
Tempo ( how fast or slow)
Phrasing ( how your speech is divided)
Quality ( shrill, nasal, raspy, breathy, booming, etc.)

9. Steps to Good Vocal Health
Drink lots of water - Keeps vocal chords moist, clears phlegm, reduces abrasion.
Never skip warm-ups – 5-10 minutes limbers up voice, stretches vocal chords.
Wash hands to avoid picking up viruses.
Avoid smoking – decreases ung capacity, diminishes range, and roughens tone quality. Damage is often irreversible.