most commonly given voice notes and how to avoid them

HOW WILL IT WORK? The day will be divided into the essential and inter-connected work around a) support b) clarity and c) ease. Practical exercises will build into a simple but effective “kit” for the performer to use on the day and beyond whether on stage, screen or in the studio.

WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF IT? Experience, deeper understanding, handouts to develop or enhance: a) breath and physical support for the voice to free it up for audibility in a range of tones and situations b) honesty and authenticity to enhance clearer thinking and speaking c) ways to avoid straining, constricting and pushing the voice

6 hours

WHAT IS IT?

This is an advanced workshop for those who have voice training to learn to scream, shout, sustain emotionally heightened text in performance and play a range of pain without damaging their voice.

HOW WILL IT WORK?

Yvonne will work through essential skills to support the voice and show a range of techniques to handle various challenges for stage, screen or in the studio. Handouts will be given and a methodology will be built up through the day for the performer to become self-sufficient.

6 hours

Day One
Yvonne will take you through a full day of learning, listening and developing new skills. Time will be taken to apply them to both imitating established voices and also creating and inventing from scratch. Group size: 15 maximum
Using this tried and tested approach you will begin to accurately analyse and then reproducing other voices, heighten your listening skills and create countless voices from scratch. The work will stimulate a huge repertoire of voices for animation, computer games, preparation for a voice reel, or more subtle work for screen or stage work.
Day Two
“into the studio”
building on day one and on into the recording booth. Group size no more than 7
Day Three
“fine-tuning skills and working to the professional finish”
heightening and refining skills and building on days one and two – the whole day is spent in the studio with a smaller group of no more than 7

Why do I start well but take a “geographical tour” of other places?!!! Where do I begin? What am I listening for? How do I get the right sounds? What about the different rhythms and tunes? What about those vowels … and what happens to the consonants? How can I sound “real”? How do I keep it going?

You CAN do accents. This one day workshop will cover how to approach an accent, practice it and stay believable.

It will include how to change your:

– “body talk”

– tune and rhythm

– tone and vocal “culture”

– vowels and consonants

It will also help with how to source good samples to work from.

6 hours

Dry mouth? Tight voice? Feel ill? Can’t think as clearly? Feel the pressure?
We are all have ‘nerves’ – the trick is not to let ‘nerves’ have YOU.
Regardless of track record and experience, once that “trigger” goes and the adrenalin starts pumping, the pressure is on. Some of us get a dry mouth, or shake, or feel ill, or don’t work to our best standard, some of us lose vocal performance, some of us can’t think creatively and some of us … well, some of us wonder why we keep putting ourselves through it…!

If you want to know how to work with them and not be thrown by them, this short practical workshop will give you several different strategies for dealing with “nerves”.

3 hours.

“Two tickets to Llanfairpwllgwyngyll-gogerychwyrndrobwll-llantysilio-gogogoch, please”

Whether you want some tips to “up” your reading skills or whether you want time to explore a series of approaches to working quickly and creatively with a range of scripts /“texts”, this workshop will cover a wide selection of material and tap into some hidden areas in your talent. It will also give you 3 top tips for sight or “cold” reading. The most experienced artist or actor will be able to benefit from this half day, practical workshop. You may bring your own scripts along or just explore the selection that will be have here for you.

3 hours.

Yvonne offers a range of one day, half day or short courses to cover:

Voice: physical ease, breath support, vocal resonance and range, articulation and vocal health

Text: (Greek / Medieval / Shakespeare / Jacobean / Restoration / Chekhov / Nineteenth Century / Twentieth century / modern / etc)

All work is personally designed to meet the needs of an individual performer or a production.

• Vocal power and projection
• Physical ease
• How to deal with stage fright
• Breath support for voice
• Pitch range
• Vocal variety and expressiveness
• Resonance and tone
• Clarity
• How to increase vocal stamina and fitness
• Voice and relationship with other performance skills (e.g. dance / acrobatics / combat/ song)
• How to find the best warm up
• How to do the most effective cool downs
• Vocal health and hygiene
• Dialect coaching
• Accent neutralisation
• Audition coaching
• Interview coaching
• Acoustic challenges in different spaces
• Building “character voices”
• “Vocal extremes”
• Devised work for voice and text
• Working with a microphone
• Stage fright and how to manage performance pressure
• Voice acting / studio experience
• Dealing with vocal fatigue
• From read through to opening night
• Rehearsal support within production context
• Show support during the run
• Company warm ups
• One to one coaching