29 April 2013

Miss Pronunciation Loves Tricky diːz

 Miss Pronunciation XXII

 Cookie Monster and Ernie knew slight tap of the tongue can go a long way. In two word combinations we often use, it can go completely unarticulated:

Used to - juːzd tuː

Supposed to - səpouzd tuː

This dull articulation seems to have become the norm: quite often in marking papers, I see spelling reflecting this (suppose to or use to).


I know - it’s tempting to take the easy way out. However, muscularity prevails and for Miss P, those pesky d’s must be fully realised.

24 April 2013

The Warm Up Problem......

 




  For sometime now there has been something really irking me about the way in which the warm up for the voice and body is being prescribed. As a result of my (until quite recently) traditional theatre education and discipline, I have been letting this irksome entity lurk on the periphery of my consciousness - perhaps too scared to address it because of the Pandora’s Box it might open, perhaps because it might undermine so much of my work up until now.

    I remember trying to address this, probably somewhat clumsily, during my studies in becoming a Voice Coach. I was shot down in flames. The very nature of what I was doing was seen to be time wasting or insignificant, compared to the standard load of raspberry blowing, OOT AWT AHT and general repetition of class learning exercises that I was expected to lead. It has taken me until now to again brave this work.

    I have been lucky enough to work as a performer and a Voice Coach with Nate Gilkes - a Musical Director of great skill and passion. His pre-performance preparation is part of the performance - the performance itself is merely an extension of the creativity, of the exploration, of the openness of body & voice and our visceral connection to the space. It is an astonishing way to work, and there is no time for anxiety, just process.

    Through my intuition and exploration this is something that I have brought into the realms of my teaching space. Exercises must be done - those new neural pathways forged by repetition are important - but all in the context of exploration and above all, curiosity. A clear framework is set - those of you who have studied with me are aware of the rewards of the 3 point focus. And within this framework we move within a sensory exploration of smell, touch, balance, taste, space, listening and, of course, voice - all with a view to enliven and encourage the pathways of intuition and curiosity. 

    When we stop compartmentalising our creativity and our core skill learning (as is traditionally the case) and stimulate the tendrils of artistry, teasing them into our skills work we see massive changes in the discipline of actors. I have seen lazy student-actors working this way becoming active participants in their own work and education; I have observed professional actors able to maintain their skills, whereas they previously let them languish, only brushing them up for auditions or seasons; and I have witnessed myself become a far better teacher with far greater resources of both energy and passion for following my intuition.

2 April 2013

Miss Pronunciation XXI

Miss Pronunciation Performs.....

It happened four times in the last month, from different sources. A plague of it.

The word PERFORMANCE: pə fɔː mənts

Only not.......

It articulated itself as PREFORMANCE - 
prə fɔː mənts

I have a lot of love for my actors, I really do - but this is our profession folks: get it right. 


1 April 2013

Voice in Sickness

 I found myself in pickle last week. 
I developed an infection through the throat and chest. Normally, I would cancel my private students, use this time for vocal rest and alter my group classes for minimal speaking.
Unfortunately, it happens to be the very start of the teaching year, so pulling out my trusty John Clarke, Sounds of Australia rainy day option DVD, would label me as pretty shabby.
To add to misfortune, I was doing a very vocally demanding show - in fact 8 of them. In four days. Near midnight. In a dusty spore ridden basement if a gaol. There is no understudy and the show is a sell out.
So..... How to manage my voice? 
Carefully. 
Very carefully. 
This is what I have been doing for my own voice. It may sound like a lot of rigamarole, but the last thing I need is a lost voice or (dare I mention it it?) nodules:
- I booked a session with my speech path to make sure there were no real underlying issues (apart from snot/phlegm/infection....sexy).
- I made myself a voice kit including gaviscon (for light reflux management that might aggravate the vocal folds and pharynx); Fess - nasal spray for clearing out gunk after dusty basement scenes); grape seed oil - - for a quick swish around the teeth, allowing some secretions to get into the saliva and oil the vocal folds; Betadine throat gargle - to eliminate further bacterial infection; difflam - anti-inflammatory lozenges for use only AFTER performance (you don't want to compound voice problems by numbing the area during), hydrolyte sachets - to make sure vocal folds were kept sufficiently hydrated by maximum water intake during the day. 
- I bought stacks of pineapple juice to sip throughout the performance.
- I completely rested the voice during the day when I was not working. Yes, this meant forgoing social activities.
- Semi-supine - making sure tension was not playing a part in restricting my voice.
- Giving myself a limit. This means making a cut off point where you simply must stop. Mine for example is if parts of the voice start to disappear and I need to strain to get them - or if there is pain.That is my stop point, the danger point and it is important it is observed. 
- In my teaching I used a piano or clapping to get attention.
- I always give myself a good warm up, but to really start slowly and listen to what the body is telling you.
I am a voice professional. If I lose my voice, I can't make a living. If I lose my voice - or even parts of it - I cannot lead by example. Most importantly, of I lose my voice, my trust in my body and impulse as an actor will be undermined, and this is the greatest asset I have.