Exercises for developing the expressiveness of reading and speech in primary schoolchildren

Dear friends! Here is a short online course on voice and speech development. Many of you have probably heard that a beautiful voice is a gift from God, or a natural gift, or a gift of fate. One way or another, many perceive a beautiful voice as a gift or gift. How do you feel about giving a gift...to yourself? Judging by the fact that you are reading the introductory part to our course, you are already mentally prepared for this.

If you think that Mother Nature has not given you a special beautiful voice, you can give it to yourself! Of course, a gift made by yourself always requires more effort and time than if you received it just like that. However, the bonuses and advantages that having a beautiful voice brings in this life will quickly pay for your investment of time and effort.

There is one more point: perhaps your voice has all the prerequisites to sound beautiful and convincing, but you have not yet been able to reveal it. This situation is also possible and also requires some work. You need to be able to handle your voice. It's like with an iPhone: it's a good thing, but if you don't know how to interact with it, it can be blocked for a long time.

So, how to make your voice beautiful? Is it possible to make your voice softer and more gentle? Is it possible to sound higher and louder? Or perhaps you'd like to add a nice, sexy huskiness to your voice? This is all possible if you seriously engage in voice development and speech development. We will teach you how to put on a voice yourself, at home.

Let us note that our course is a whole collection of useful knowledge accumulated by specialists from various fields of activity: lecturers, acting and stage speech teachers, speech therapists, speech pathologists, otolaryngologists, singers, artists, hosts of online seminars and streams, television and radio presenters, DJs, representatives of other professions related to communications and the use of voice.

We have chosen the most important and most understandable for those people who have never studied voice training before or are only taking their first steps in this direction. However, current lecturers, teachers, event presenters and people who, by virtue of their occupation, must speak a lot and, preferably, beautifully and clearly, will also find something new for themselves.

Goals and objectives of the course

The goals and objectives of the course are generally clear from its title. However, we would like to make them more specific so that it is easier for you to navigate the material.

Why do we need our course:

• The development of speech in children and adults is an urgent task at all times, because the bulk of communication occurs precisely through oral speech. We have prepared for you breathing and diction exercises, entertaining tongue twisters, useful life hacks and educational materials. Our classes will help those who do not have the opportunity to attend training groups on stage speech, acting and public speaking.
• Voice development is also an urgent task, because the voice is needed for singing and speaking, work and leisure, expressing emotions and conveying information. We will introduce you to the structure of hearing and voice, offer special methods and exercises, after which the strength of your voice will noticeably increase. Proven techniques will allow you to achieve progress in the development of the speech and vocal apparatus, children's and adult voices. Using our course, you yourself can organize activities with children in the form of a game.
• Voice development - without this, voice development is impossible in principle. Special breathing techniques, training in diction and articulation, and working with resonators will be equally useful for both speech and singing. Our lessons will help you learn to speak beautifully, and perhaps take the first step on the big stage.
• Make your voice beautiful - even if you are indifferent to bright spotlights and loud fame, a beautiful voice will give you a noticeable advantage in your personal and professional life. Women and girls who can speak softer, more tenderly, lower, enjoy undoubted success with men. Men whose voices are moderately brutal and seem to be a little hoarse make faster careers. You, too, can make your voice a little rougher, more adult, hoarse, if you wish.

In general, whether you want to make your voice higher or lower, softer or softer, hoarse or rougher, you should take our course. And if you want to get rid of shortcomings in your voice and think that your voice is too weak, high, half-childish, or, conversely, rough and hoarse, voice training will also help you with this!

What is voice production

Voice training is the development of the vocal apparatus for use for ambitious professional and personal goals. As a result, the vocal apparatus begins to easily withstand heavy loads without harm to the vocal cords, and the voice acquires a special sound, richness of timbre and a wider range.

What does voice training give:

These arguments are quite enough for everyone to start voice training. However, there are areas of activity where a beautiful and well-produced voice is not a whim or a hobby, but a production necessity.

Features of speech breathing

Speech (or phonation) breathing is characterized by a quick energetic inhalation, a short pause and a long, even exhalation. This is its main difference from the physiological one.

After all, how do we usually breathe? Inhale and exhale short and equal in duration, then pause. We do it without thinking. We control speech breathing.

The inhalation should be silent, and the exhalation should be smooth, without shocks. The ability to control exhalation is the rational use of air reserves during the speaking process, sustained pauses, an even pace and euphony of our speech.

Who needs voice training?

Voice training is necessary for everyone whose profession is related to communications and other ways of using the vocal apparatus. And these are not only public people and representatives of creative professions!

Professions that require mandatory voice skills:

1. Theater and film artists.
2. Dubbing and voice over actors.
3. TV and radio presenters.
4. Newscasters.
5. Singers and vocalists.
6. DJs and event hosts.
7. Presenters of seminars, trainings and online streams.
8. Politicians.
9. Speakers and stands.
10. Teachers of schools and universities.
11. Conference speakers.
12. Scientists.
13. Directors and top managers.
14. Sales managers.
15. Call center operators.

If you imagine yourself in any of the listed professions, you should take up voice training and learn to speak beautifully. And at the same time, do not get tired and do not expose your vocal cords to overload.

How to learn this?

You can learn basic techniques that will make your voice better on your own. This is precisely why we have prepared our course, which will help increase the power of your voice, improve your voice for speech, for singing, for everyday communication and professional activities. This program is equally suitable for adults and children, for men and women without age restrictions.

To achieve a positive result, you should consistently go through all the lessons of the course, master the program and perform the exercises. Be sure to pay attention to the recommended didactic material, because there you will find more detailed, detailed explanations on all the topics covered in our course.

If you follow all the recommendations for improving your voice, you will notice changes for the better even before finishing our course. The most important thing is to record the sound of your voice before starting the program and after completing it - this way you will definitely have no doubt that changes for the better are obvious. To do this, you can use the voice recorder in your mobile phone and read any text or poem, sing a song or ditty.

In ancient times, people had to resort to the most sophisticated tricks to master the elements of producing a beautiful voice: speaking with stones in your mouth to improve diction, hanging a sword over your shoulder to wean yourself from unnecessary shoulder movements, etc. You are much luckier : you can achieve results using much more humane methods, because we are entirely for the safety of your teeth and mucous membranes, skin and nerve cells.

Of course, if you want to reach the highest professional level of acting, after completing our course you will definitely need to continue voice training. However, you can take the first step right now!

Lessons and course structure

To make it easier for you to achieve the desired result - a beautiful voice and intelligible speech - we have developed a step-by-step system for mastering all the knowledge necessary for this. This is why we recommend going through the lessons sequentially, without jumping from one to another. If the topic seems familiar to you, just in case, still read the material to make sure that you did not miss anything when you addressed this topic under other circumstances. And now more about the lessons themselves.

Lesson 1. How sound and voice work: physics and anatomy

The purpose of this lesson is to understand what sound, voice and speech are from the point of view of physics and anatomy. To achieve a positive result, you need to understand both aspects. Knowledge of anatomy will help you learn how to control your voice, and understanding the physical foundations of sound will help you visualize the results of classes and control the correct sound production.

Lesson 2. Characteristics and properties of the voice. How you can influence them with your voice

The purpose of this lesson is to study the basic characteristics and properties of the voice and learn how you can influence its characteristics so that it sounds beautiful. In this lesson we will look at the basic steps in voice training in order to develop a beautiful sound, namely working on breathing, diction, articulation and resonators.

Lesson 3. Diction and articulation

The purpose of the lesson is to analyze the main components of diction and exercises to improve them. We will study recommendations for improving diction from the recognized master of stage speech, the great director of the era, Konstantin Sergeevich Stanislavsky. We will also briefly examine methods for correcting the most common diction defects, which are offered by practicing speech therapists.

Lesson 4. Intonation

The purpose of the lesson is to learn to intonate and express various emotions using intonation, to reinforce important points in your speech, to indicate the end of one thought and the transition to the next. We will study different types of intonation and learn how to put them into practice using special exercises.

Lesson 5. Voice timbre and pitch

The purpose of the lesson is to learn how to control the pitch and timbre of the voice, convey various emotions using pitch and timbre, and make accents with the voice. In this lesson we will study different types of timbre, the dependence of voice pitch on timbre and understand how to use this in practice.

Lesson 6. Volume and strength of voice

The purpose of the lesson is to increase the strength of your voice, learn how to control volume, and achieve a sound in which you can be heard perfectly no matter how loudly you speak. In this lesson we will figure out how to make your voice loud and strong, how to make your voice quiet but audible, and how to use this in everyday speech and public speaking.

Lesson 7. Singing and vocal art

The purpose of the lesson is to gain an understanding of vocals, vocal techniques, vocal techniques and vocal embellishments, and to become familiar with the basic ways of practicing singing techniques. In this lesson we will look at types of vocals, vocal techniques and techniques, vocal embellishments, and also try to master those that will be available to you, taking into account your level of training and the knowledge that you will receive in lessons No. 1-6.

Lesson 8. Problems with voice and speech

The purpose of the lesson is to study the most common problems with voice and speech and develop a set of measures to, if possible, avoid them or correct them. In this lesson we will look at the most well-known disorders and pathologies of the vocal apparatus and speech organs, and introduce you to professional advice on what to do in this or that case.

And now a little more about how to take this course.

How to work on establishing speech breathing for adults

If you have to perform on stage, you have no problems with pronunciation, but speech breathing gives you a lot of inconvenience; in addition to the techniques used in speech therapy, you can add the following:

• say a sentence, pronouncing each word slowly;
• speak at your usual pace for as long as possible in one breath;
• draw out the consonant “M” as you exhale so that it sounds drawn out and resonates in the chest;
• Smoothly say on one exhale “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh”;
• blow out an imaginary candle, observing how the air naturally and evenly leaves the lungs, how the chest gradually falls; remember these sensations and check with them when you are on stage;
• read tongue twisters in one breath;
• pronounce the text, paying attention to where the air is added;
• master full breathing, combining clavicular, thoracic and diaphragmatic, which allows you to use the entire volume of your lungs for the force of the air stream;
• During performances, keep your back straight, your shoulders back, your neck free from tension, and your posture comfortable and natural so as not to interfere with deep breathing.

Additional materials

To better assimilate the material and more conveniently find more detailed information on issues that you would like to study in more depth, we have prepared a list of additional materials for you.

Books on voice and speech development:

• S. Riggs, “How to Become a Star”
• K. Stanislavsky, “The Actor’s Work on Oneself”
• E. Tsaregorodtseva, “Technique of stage speech: speech problems and their solutions”
• E. Shestakova, “Speak beautifully and confidently. Voice and speech production"
• E. Boyarchuk et al., “Anatomy, physiology and pathology of the speech organ”
• A. Akhmetzyanova, T. Korniychenko, L. Suzdaltseva, “Speech therapy atlas”
• V. Emelyanov, “Voice development. Coordination and training"
• E. Bryzgunova, “Sounds and intonation of Russian speech”
• O'Connor, G. Arnold, Intonation of colloquial English

And finally, a little motivation to make it easier for you to start studying the course.

What does speaking technique give?

• Voice endurance
• Confident voice that conveys a feeling of reliability and trust
• Managing distance with listeners
• Influence by voice (verbal influence)
• Clear and clear pronunciation reduces the time it takes listeners to perceive information, which means it saves time and increases the effectiveness of speech action

Speech is a tool with which we can influence other people. Training (course) “Speech Technique” is a high-quality adjustment of the sound of your speech.