VOICE

Variety
Harmer, J. (2007) mentions that it is important for teachers to vary the quality of their voices and the volume they speak at, according to the type of lesson and the type of activity. The keyword is ‘variety’. Our voices can be varied along a number of parameters: volume (how loud or softly we speak), pace (how quickly or slowly we speak, and how we use pausing), pitch (how high or low in our voice range we go), modulation (how we adjust the tone of our voice to convey a mood). If your voice is too high pitched, it can sometimes sound desperate, apologetic, and it seems as if you are asking students for permission when you are giving directions. The key to making the voice more interesting is to practice varying the above mentioned parameters. Remember that a tired voice can rarely be an interesting voice.

Conservation
The most common problem associated with the untrained voice is a lack of knowledge of good breathing habits. Breathing properly means being relaxed (in the shoulders, for example, and not slumped backwards or forwards), and using the lower abdomen to help expand the rib cage, thus filling the lungs with air. If breath is consistently only taken into the upper region of the lung, then the foundation support needed to expel the air will be insufficient. This leads to constrictions in the throat that will inhibit the voice. This is a very frequent problem in teachers’ voices. As Rodenberg, P. (1997) describes, ‘your support power suddenly meets blocks and constrictions in the throat and mouth. It is in these areas that we hold and distort our potential power and freedom. That stream of supported air finds itself fully or partially trapped as it tries to place itself in the face.’

Tension in the chest and neck creates insufficient support from the breath and can cause the raising of the larynx in the vocal tract. A further lack of understanding of pitch or resonant quality can cause habitual speaking on a note above each individual’s optimum pitch. Consequently, some voices can be thin or monotonous, others sharp and shrill; all quite inadequate for the work your voice has to do.

Good voice production is not enough in itself. Once good flexibility has been achieved, you move into the area of voice delivery, to explore how to make the voice sound more expressive. Insufficient experience in speaking to large groups can lead to a rapid delivery of speaking too fast, which contributes to a lack of clarity in expressing ideas and putting over information. Instructions, explanations and story reading may well be dull and monotonous, lacking in vitality and imagination. This is not always caused by a lack of imagination on our part; it may result from the absence of physical techniques to make the voice work in the required manner.

Voice maintenance activities
The following exercises are not only for teachers, but can be implemented in the classroom as part of pronunciation or speaking lessons. Your students will benefit from these and at the same time have fun. Be prepared for some noise!

"Alan Maley recommends some voice maintenance exercises. The quickest activity of all is to YAWN. When you yawn, the muscles controlling the aperture at the back of your throat are stretched to the utmost. "

Alan Maley recommends some voice maintenance exercises. The quickest activity of all is to YAWN. When you yawn, the muscles controlling the aperture at the back of your throat are stretched to the utmost.

Another very quick way to get ready for using your voice, is to flop over loosely from the waist and to come up again slowly on a long breath. When you are standing straight again, your body will be in alignment. Then raise your shoulders as high as possible, and let them drop. Do this two or three times. Then roll your head three times to the right and three times to the left. Take three or four deep breaths, pulling the air right down inside you, and releasing slowly.

Breathing, incorporating some tone and pitch exercises
Charlyn Wessels recommends some of the following breathing exercises and vocal warm-ups.

Place your fingers on your ribs with the thumbs behind, pointing towards the spine, three or four inches above the waist just in front of the armpits. Breathe silently and feel the movement of your chest. Breathe laterally, i.e. outwards and not up. Do this for five minutes.

Next relax your jaws by breathing in through your nose, and , silently, release the breath through your mouth. Inhale for three counts, hold it for three, and exhale for three. Do this for a further five minutes.

From the above exercise, go into the following tone exercise:

• Inhale, and let out the breath on a long AAAAAAAAAAH.
• Inhale, and let out the breath on a long OOOOOOOOOOH.
• Inhale, and let out the breath on a long EEEEEEEEEEEEE.
• Do the same with MMMMMMMMM and NNNNNNNNN.
• Now practise combinations of the above with a rising and falling pitch, i.e. start low, and make the voice climb as high as possible; start high and make the voice fall as low as possible. Use a full breath for these pitch exercises. Repeat each combination at least three times.

Vocal warm-ups
Each of the following vocal warm-ups should be repeated five times, with increasing speed and volume. Choose a different one every day.

• papapa/bababa/tatata/dadada/kakaka/gagaga
• The tip of the tongue, the teeth and the lips
• Make me many, many more
• Hot coffee in a proper copper coffee pot

Hum for at least 15 minutes before teaching (for example on your way to work). This will warm up your vocal chords and maintain your voice. Now, you are ready!


Conclusion.

Vocal flexibility is the result of experience, lots of practice, and attention to many small, but important, factors that many people are not aware of or do not care about. Posture is one. Breathing is another. Breathing and posture are related. If we have good posture, our breathing is easier. If our breathing is more under control, then so are our voices.