VOCAL SKILLS AND HOW TO IMPROVE

To keep people’s attention, you need to have a voice that moves easily over your whole range in a natural way.  Working with the resonance exercises throughout your range will help you to achieve this.

Exercise:

• Breathe in, then release your voice on a long slow Ha, sliding from the very top of your range down to the bottom.
• Don’t push up the high note at the beginning.  Take it from that gentle, child’s voice you used in Exercise 3.
• Repeat as many times as you like, but always choose to breathe into your lower ribs, diaphragm and abdomen first.
• Send your voice away from you into the distance.  Look at a spot across the room and focus the energy of your voice to that point.  Try to keep the vocal energy up and out without pushing it.
• Choose to keep your throat and mouth open all the way to the end of the sound.

Articulate the words you speak – make them have energy and clarity.

Exercise:

Move your tongue around in your mouth and with the tip explore every corner.

• Stick the front of your tongue out of your mouth – just as far as it’s comfortable.
• Make a point with the tip, then flatten it.  Alternate between pointing and flattening a few times.
• Make small circles with the tip in both directions.
• Make big circles using the whole tongue.
• When you have finished, relax the jaw and connect to your breathing.

 Exercise:

• Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your forehead.
• Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your nose.
• Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your lips.
• Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your chest.
• Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance into your abdomen.
• Count to 10 aloud and focus the resonance on to the top of your head.
• Repeat and try to feel the resonance in al the areas at once. 
• You should now feel that your voice is fuller and more colourful.

Exercise:

• Count to 10 in a ‘sing-song’ way swooping and sliding around all the notes of your voice.
• Use the whole range: high middle and low notes.
• At the same time, imagine the resonance of your voice moving all around your body.
• Then count to 10 normally and you will feel that you have more range in your voice.
• It will sound more interesting and expressive.