Philosophy
Start with YOU
"Everyone possesses a voice capable of expressing whatever gamut of emotion, complexity of mood, and subtlety of thought they experience" - Kristin Linklater
Most of us are born with a free and open voice but social pressure and mis-education often restrains our best natural sound. It is important to acknowledge how we perceive our voice and where we might like to improve.
Acknowledge Your Strengths
Anyone with the ability to breathe and modulate sound by releasing vibration through the vocal tract (that is is say with a functioning vocal apparatus) already has the basic tools needed to reveal an authentic, open voice. In some ways your voice works for you and in other ways it doesn't. Old habits and remembered criticisms can get in the way as you seek to change the way you feel about your own voice. By starting with what works well, you can set yourself up for greater progress. We tend to succeed more when we work from a place of strength.
Develop Goals
When you work on your voice, it is crucial to maintain a sense of curiosity and desire to achieve progress. Set up a personal challenge by identifying what matters to you most and visualize yourself doing it with a free and open voice.
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Prepare for a public presentation or an audition
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Learn a new dialect or reduce a regional accent
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Improve the strength and resonance of your voice
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Learn to deal with Stage Fright and other kinds of performance anxiety
Identify Your Blocks
For most of us a 'block' can often betray our best intentions in speech. These blocks can be emotional, psychological, physiological or often a combination of all three. A dry throat, 'butterflies', or a physiological habit of clenching your stomach when you speak may be causing you to have a thinner, trembling or restrained quality of voice. But this habit may be rooted in an emotional desire to look 'good' or a psychological need to brace for assault when facing the "hostile" stares of the audience.
