We go through school being able to add up, spell and learn important facts but sadly schools don't teach us how to use our voice effectively. One aspect rarely taught in schools is resonance but why should we teach this and what is it?
Believe it or not, our body is like the soundboard of a guitar! Pluck a string without the beautiful wood hollow and the string is flat and dead. Pluck the string with the wood cavity behind and you hear that beautiful 'Dongggggg!' The wood is similar to your bones and cartilage, and the hollow cavity is the chest, throat, mouth and sinuses. Combining these all creates a huge resonating force within our body.
But what does resonating correctly throughout our body do for us? As in the soundboard of a guitar resonance throughout our body creates a richness or tone to our voice. This the secret that actors have to sustain their voices for a three-hour performance and also make their voices bearable to the audience for so long. It is also best kept secret of radio presenters. Listen to the radio and you will quickly realise those voices that are appealing and those that aren't. The microphone sadly does not lie! It is more than likely that your are attracted to the rich syrupy tones.
So what does this mean for children and education? If we taught resonance in schools we would help many children to have a more rounded, rich and appealing voices. Our voice is probably one of the most important tools for our success in the future - good communicators generally do well in their careers. Voice as a subject? Wow! How forward-thinking! Schools that have a drama programme with speech training clearly will be on to a winner!
However the answer lies deeper than the vibration of the sound around the body as explained above. Resonating creates a vibration within your body. This vibration can calm you and make your feel in touch with yourself and instant relaxation can quickly come from practising this voice technique. Calmness of mind and body is truly good for us!
The Helen O'Grady Drama Academy's Drama course teaches children to resonate from an early age. No wonder the children in the Academy are so well adjusted and with beautiful voices.
For more information about our Academy in Cape Town head to our website www.dramaafrica.com or telephone 021 6747478
The photos below are from our drama studio in Rondebosch where Dana, our wonderful teacher, develops a deep resonance within all these children.
Believe it or not, our body is like the soundboard of a guitar! Pluck a string without the beautiful wood hollow and the string is flat and dead. Pluck the string with the wood cavity behind and you hear that beautiful 'Dongggggg!' The wood is similar to your bones and cartilage, and the hollow cavity is the chest, throat, mouth and sinuses. Combining these all creates a huge resonating force within our body.
But what does resonating correctly throughout our body do for us? As in the soundboard of a guitar resonance throughout our body creates a richness or tone to our voice. This the secret that actors have to sustain their voices for a three-hour performance and also make their voices bearable to the audience for so long. It is also best kept secret of radio presenters. Listen to the radio and you will quickly realise those voices that are appealing and those that aren't. The microphone sadly does not lie! It is more than likely that your are attracted to the rich syrupy tones.
So what does this mean for children and education? If we taught resonance in schools we would help many children to have a more rounded, rich and appealing voices. Our voice is probably one of the most important tools for our success in the future - good communicators generally do well in their careers. Voice as a subject? Wow! How forward-thinking! Schools that have a drama programme with speech training clearly will be on to a winner!
However the answer lies deeper than the vibration of the sound around the body as explained above. Resonating creates a vibration within your body. This vibration can calm you and make your feel in touch with yourself and instant relaxation can quickly come from practising this voice technique. Calmness of mind and body is truly good for us!
The Helen O'Grady Drama Academy's Drama course teaches children to resonate from an early age. No wonder the children in the Academy are so well adjusted and with beautiful voices.
For more information about our Academy in Cape Town head to our website www.dramaafrica.com or telephone 021 6747478
The photos below are from our drama studio in Rondebosch where Dana, our wonderful teacher, develops a deep resonance within all these children.
Comments
Post a Comment