Voice and Speech I

Catalog description

The primary objective of this course is to develop a clear, open, efficiently produced voice and consistently good Neutral American articulation. Emphasis is placed on vocal projection, ensuring that students can speak with power and clarity in various settings. The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is introduced to enhance aural perception, visual signaling, kinesthetic awareness, and as a valuable tool for future speech and dialect work. The IPA training aids in training the ear, enabling students to be precise in their use of sounds and providing them with a method for approaching future work. Additionally, the IPA training provides strong visual cues to phonemes and connects kinesthetic learning through the distinct movements of the articulators. Relaxation, optimal breathing, and the correct placement of every sound in spoken English are the basic principles underlying the entire course. Foundations are set for the awareness, experience, and practice of a free, relaxed, supported, and authentic voice unencumbered by habitual patterns. This approach allows a connected expression of thought, breath, emotion, voice, and speech to unify and emerge. While teaching the specific uses acceptable in good American speech through IPA study, variations used by individual students that result from regionalism and articulation problems will be identified. All students are given specific drills to overcome personal speech inaccuracies. Almost all class sessions include unison group drills led by the teacher, one-on-one work between teacher and student, and solo expositions by each student.