EA135-4-FY-SO:
Voice I

The details
2023/24
East 15 Acting School
Southend Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 05 October 2023
Friday 28 June 2024
15
06 March 2023

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

(none)

Key module for

BA W496 Acting and Community Engagement

Module description

Voices and Choices


Students will begin to understand the separation of the ‘developed’ or ‘habitual’ voice from the ‘potential’ voice. This leads into work on articulation and an examination of the vocal equipment. Phonetics are introduced in the context of a practical environment alongside Received Pronunciation (RP) as both ‘neutral’ and character-based accent and as the beginnings of dialect exploration. In the second term students will continue to explore dialects and voices. You will develop articulation alongside phonetics and extend the building blocks of Received Pronunciation, using set phrases and sentences as both mnemonics and assessment tools. In Term Three students will move into conversational Received pronunciation practice with the aim of progressing to within a practical RP comfort zone in preparation for the demands of second year.


Body & Breath


You will begin by exploring the relationship between posture, breath and voice with a practical focus on understanding and releasing the accumulation of habitual tensions in the body, moving into developing spine and rib flexibility and discovery of the centred impulse for breath and sound support. In the second term you will work on developing greater rib flexibility, abdominal and pelvic release and will learn to identify the use of a free throat. Exercises will be used to connect breath to voice while developing abdominal support and increase of energy without increasing tension/aggression. By the end of the module you will have developed a cohesive working attitude to warming up and stretching the voice.


Exploratory Voice


Students will explore issues of resonance and resonant placement through a variety of approaches. You will begin to apply exercises to voice work to stretch the voice beyond confines of the habitual, and to explore and develop the musicality of expressive language through pitch range, resonant balance, pace, volume, rhythm and cadence. In Term Three you will add range to their understanding of resonance and emotional pitch through the application of more complex theories and techniques to voice work.


Text Work


Beginning with storytelling and moving into the use of rhythmic text, you will be introduced to textual issues such as phrase, sentence structure, use of words and imagery. As the course progresses you will study sonnets with the aim of bringing practical work to rich texts, exploring the expression of passion through the use of released and energised body, voice, language and articulation. You will consider the connections between breath and thought, rhythm and emotion, word energy and articulation. In the final term of the course you will connect text work with technical and practical work through the choice and performance of Political Speeches, demonstrating flexibility and manipulation of the voice for deliberate emotional effect.

Module aims

- To develop students experience of their own voice beyond the imposed limits of linguistic expression
- To connect imagination, emotion, sound and breath
- To explore the inter-relationships of sound and feeling
- To explore the actor’s connection to the audience through voice and language
- To develop RP to a more fluent level with a character speech of Shakespeare
- To connect text work with practical voice in order to develop flexibility and manipulation of voice for deliberate emotional effect.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module you will be able to demonstrate consistent use of:
- Physical awareness and breath
- Breathing and voice
- Resonance and range
- Technical application
- Warming up
- Articulation
- RP/Dialects
- Openness to process
- Emotional connection.

Module information

No additional information available.

Learning and teaching methods

- Students work with voice tutors in group practical classes 

- Learning also takes place in lectures and tutorials, workshops, presentations and performances.

- Formative verbal feedback from tutors in classes.

- Written reports with tutor comments and an indicative grade at the end of Terms One and Two.

Bibliography

This module does not appear to have a published bibliography for this year.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Practical   Voice    60% 
Practical   Articulation    40% 

Additional coursework information

Practical Voice: Students will be assessed on a continuous basis in class. A variety of storytelling texts will be explored. Progress is assessed on all texts. Students will show a warm up presentation and a story telling project. Articulation: Continuous practical assessment: knowing and performing the vowel sounds. Written assessment: recognizing and knowing the phonetic symbols for consonants and vowels and writing down vowel sound of one syllable words and some two-syllable words with the schwa sound. Term Two: Practical Voice: Students will be assessed on a continuous basis in class. A variety of sonnets and other dense texts will be explored. Students will show a warm up presentation and perform a sonnet or other complex text. Term Three: Practical Voice: Continuous assessment including the presentation of warm up and performance of Political Speeches: Articulation: Continuus assessment which may include connecting naturally to a new accent through text, reading and performing of Shakespeare character monologue, clarity of RP consonants and resonance of RP vowels sounds. Continuous assessment. Formative assessment in Terms One and Two. The module will be summatively assessed and a final mark awarded at the end of Term Three. Practical Voice is weighted 60% and Articulation is weighted 40% in the final module mark.

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
100% 0%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Tara McAllister-Viel, email: tamcal@essex.ac.uk.
Tara McAllister-Viel
East 15 Acting School Gateway Building Elmer Approach Southend-on-Sea SS1 1LW

 

Availability
No
No
No

External examiner

Dr Katie Beswick
University of Exeter
Senior Lecturer in Drama
Resources
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.

 

Further information
East 15 Acting School

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