A to Z Action Verb List
When writing or delivering a song, script or speech, a performer must make strong choices, objectives, and actions. Actions are expressed as active, specific, and dynamic verbs that represent something you can actually do to influence your audience and/or the other characters in a script or speech. This is a tool you can apply to your job as well. Writers use action verbs as a tool for persuasion and to describe ideas, benefits, organization, products, and services. Add the word “To” in front of the action verb when marking your copy, script, speech or lyrics. For example, write “To Accomplish.”
Some of the top action verbs to keep in your back pocket for your next performance include: to cajole, to bully, to seduce, to soothe, to incite, to intimidate, to mock, to impress, to provoke laughter, to hurt, and to give hope.
You may download and print the following list from the website listed below to keep with you. Of course, this is only a suggested list. You can add more action verbs if you wish. Read more…
Memorizing Performance Material
Here are some helpful tips to use while memorizing lyrics, scripts, speeches or other material for a performance.
1. Choose a short phrase then speak or sing the words repeatedly until you can do it without looking at the music or script. Repeat this step with the second phrase then put both phrases together, repeating from memory. Keep doing this until you can repeat the whole song or script.
2. When a large amount of songs or scripts need to be memorized for a theatrical show or vocal performance…save the best for last and learn what you like the least, first! :)
3. Read and repeat the words in short bursts throughout the day or week – short and often is more effective than trying to cram it in over several hours of practice.
4. Memorize the words without the music then put it together with the music. When learning songs, singers should record themselves speaking or reciting the lyrics, then singing the lyrics. You don’t know the song until you can recite the lyrics without the melody and rhythm.
5. Put pencil to paper and write the words while repeating them.
6. When learning scripts or speeches, record yourself reciting from your script of speech. In English, there is a clear pattern in sentence structure: Walk, Jump, Step, Fall. This can be very helpful in bringing a story, speech or script to life.
7. Write notes about the speech, script, or song’s themes and imagery.
8. When working with foreign words, associate them with words you already know or write the words phonetically.
9. All text and lyrics have a rhythmic cadence. Speak and/or sing the rhythm of the song or script.
10. Multitask by reciting the words or melody while playing a practice track in the car or recite when doing everyday chores or odd jobs.
11. Repeat the song or scripted lines every day by singing or saying the words out loud.
12. Underline “color words” or important words to emphasize during your performance.
13. Use vivid or exaggerated images/symbols to help associate the words.
14. Paraphrase the material and tell a story. Every story has a beginning, middle, and ending, so break the material down into smaller parts.
15. Your brain is always working, even when you sleep, so go over your material before you go to sleep. If you have a practice recording, play it at low volume as you are falling asleep.
16. When learning harmony or backing vocals, record your part alone, and one with all the other singers parts. Practice to your part then along with the other singers parts. To practice singing harmony, harmonize to the songs you listen to on your mp3 player or the radio.
17. Listen, listen, listen. Carry an mp3 or CD player with headphones with you everywhere you go.
18. Look or listen for patterns in the material. Create a visual road map to help you see the big picture. Does the melody, phrase, or rhythm repeat in certain parts?
19. For actors, record the actors’ other lines and leave some blank space where your lines or responses should be. When you play back the recording, you can say your lines in the blank spaces and slowly break away from the scripted page until you have memorized the material.
20. Once you have learned a song, speech, or script, review it often to keep it fresh and reinforce the memory.
25 Tips to Become More Productive and Happy at Work
I found a great article that can be applied to all aspects of our lives, so I thought I’d share:
25 Tips to Become More Productive and Happy at Work
Have you gotten into a rut at work? Would you like to be more engaged, satisfied, and fulfilled in your work? Would you like to be more productive and feel a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of each day? Well you can. It just takes a desire and commitment to renew your habits and routines. Follow these tips and you’ll see your work life improve. And that improvement will trickle into the rest of your life too.
1. Planning. Establish a routine of planning your week and your day. This will allow you to have your most productive week all the time. Start your day an extra 15 minutes early to do this planning everyday. Write down the top 1-3 important things you must do that day. And most importantly, set and reach your Goals! Use the power of intention to get there! (This is what adds jazz to your life! And focusing on your future helps you get through challenging times.)
2. Power Question. Keep a question like this at your desk to help you stay focused: “Am I making the most of my time right now?” or “Is this the most productive use of my time?”
3. Accept That You’ll Never Finish Your Task List. For perfectionists and overachievers this is as frustrating as a greyhound forever chasing the mechanical bunny around the track. Get off that track. Just make sure you work on your most important stuff first. Let the fluff slide, not your priorities.
4. Turn off Your Computer. “What?!” you say. “Everything is done on my computer!” Well is it really? What percentage truly is? Plan to have your computer on only for that amount of time each day. Plan out blocks of time for different computer tasks and work from a checklist to keep you focused. Giving your eyes a rest from the screen will give you more energy for creating. Even if you just close your eyes as you think of a response to an email can help too.
5. Don’t Check Email First Thing. Unless this is required in your job, then let it go until after you’ve completed your top priority of the day. And then process email in batches, say two or three times a day.
6. Take Breaks. It’s a fact that taking breaks will increase productivity. It’s been proven in studies. If you need to, find someone to help ensure you take a morning and afternoon break.
7. Make the Most of Your Commute. How do you spend your commute? Make it positive time. Use it for reading, writing, creative thinking, creative projects, listen to audio books, or, heck, write your own book! If you enjoy your commute, that happiness will spill over into how you feel at work.
8. Drop Unimportant Tasks. Delegate or delete the non-essential items from your to-do list. The best way to do this is to always do your most important things first. Somehow, miraculously, extraneous things will fall away.
9. Transitions. Make sure you plan in enough time between activities and appointments, and find ways to fail proof being on time.
10. Choose Happiness, Humor, Enthusiasm, Gratitude, Kindness, and a Positive Outlook. Being productive and competitive in business doesn’t mean that you have to be serious all the time. Smiling doesn’t mean you’re not working hard. Enthusiasm doesn’t mean you’re not competitive. Being positive doesn’t mean you’re blind to challenges. Choose to enjoy your time at work. Find others who are like this and spread good cheer. It’s contagious and it grows. Try to avoid gossip and negative chat. It can be tempting, but it doesn’t serve anyone well, including yourself.
11. Cultivate Compassion for Negative Coworkers. People who are negative are that way for a reason. They may have difficulties you don’t know about. Try to be compassionate and non-judging. If you’re a manager, people still need to meet benchmarks, but you don’t have to dislike them if they are not cutting it. When you encounter a negative person, you have the choice to either be affected by the negativity or to be the one who influences the other person. It’s a decision. Choose to stay positive. Instead of saying (in your head or out loud) “Oh, that Suzy-Q! Her negativity always ruins my day,” try thinking “Poor Suzy-Q. She must have some difficulties. I wish her peace. In spite of her negativity I will try to be a positive influence around her.”
12. Pace Yourself, Especially on Bad Days. Go slow. Don’t be in a hurry. Just take one thing at a time and keep moving forward. If you’re having a really low day, you might even want to take care of yourself by playing hooky ! :)
13. Take Everything in Stride. Deadlines, tough bosses, rude clients, slow computers. Don’t make them into large dramas. Don’t lament the challenges of the world. Simply accept that they are there, and just keep moving forward.
14. Conflicts with Others. Let your goal be “to make progress.” Don’t get caught up in trying to “be right” or to “win” the argument. That will just slow you down. In your mind ask yourself, “what will move this conflict forward right now?” And then get busy doing that.
15. Take Your Vacation Time. Try doing something different. If you always go on a trip, try taking a more local vacation, and really get some good rest time. Or if you always stay local, try visiting a new place. Variety is one of the keys to happiness.
16. Pick Your Battles. Cliche, but true. It’s kind of like “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” When you complain or fight on everything, then your power to ask for things is diminished. Save it up for when you really need it.
17. Share Your Results. This is not about bragging, but about ensuring that you get credit for the hard work you do. Don’t keep quiet thinking that the right people know what you are doing. Speak up and find ways to let the right people know how you are contributing to the success of the company.
18. Ask for Help. Don’t be afraid to collaborate with others. Don’t wait for your company to tell you what to do. Think creatively about how you can work with others to generate a greater result than if you had each worked on this alone.
19. Face the Tough Stuff Head On. If there is something difficult that you must do, just bite the bullet and do it. Don’t put it off. Do it first thing in the day. It’s like jumping into a cold pool. Just count to three and do it!
20. Ask for More Time. If you are asked a question that stumps you or surprises you, never feel like you have to answer it right away. (unless you absolutely must) Seek more time to think about or research your answer. Simple as this, “I’ll have to get back to you with an answer later.” This will save you from giveing an answer you will regret.
21. Breaking Negative Habits. For one day, observe yourself. Where do you face difficulties? With people? Certain people? Certain circumstances? Take notice and then later on during some quiet time, think about one or two things you would like to work on. Set up some kind of reminder system to fail proof it, such as a simple yellow sticky note next to your computer.
22. Learn from Criticism. Don’t immediately reject critiques from others, even if you don’t like or respect them. Sometimes people you don’t like may be giving you more honest feedback than you can get from others. Don’t take it personally. Even if it is personal, who cares? Listen, process, and then decide what positive action you might want to take.
23. Adapt. Adaptation is the number one survival skill of living organisms. Those that don’t adapt, become extinct. In the work world, the same is true for companies, whole groups, and for individuals. Be open to change. Give it a chance. Adapt to new things while using your experience to guide you, and you will have great success.
24. Learning and Improving. Always be on the lookout for opportunities to learn and improve your skills. Look for good seminars and training. Then ask work if you can attend and will they pay for your admission. If your company pays for education, use it! Borrow books from your local library, the company library, or even from your boss. Borrow some motivational audio tapes from your local library. Keep learning to continually renew your enthusiasm.
25. Creative Thinking. Is your job boring? If so, take some responsibility in changing that. How can you make it more fun, more creative, more varied, etc.? What can you do that no one has done before? How could you grow enthusiasm at work? What is a new way that you could do old things? What processes could you alter to save time, work and money?
This article can be found at: http://lifelearningtoday.com/2007/08/23/25-tips-to-become-more-productive-and-happy-at-work
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The Passaggio?? Say What?
Do you ever wonder why your voice cracks in a certain spot when you are warming up your voice? Do you sometimes feel like you have two different sounding voices? The passaggio is an Italian word meaning “passage” or “crossing.” The passaggio is commonly known as the “break” in the voice. The vocal registers begin blending around your passaggio.
Think of the passaggio as a transition between your chest and head voice. Both males and females have a passaggio, but it is located in a different area for each. The chest voice is the strongest area of the voice and it generally lies beneath the passaggio. The chest voice essentially encompasses your speaking voice and is the lowest and usually your most comfortable range. The head voice lies just above the passaggio and can have a powerful and resonant sound with the proper training.
A major goal with vocal training is to create an even timbre through the passaggio, thus creating the sound of one voice from the bottom of your range to the top.
Overcoming Stage Fright
Even conquering stage fright takes some practice. The more you perform or speak in public, the more control you will gain over your nerves. Here are some ideas to help you overcome stage fright:
- Know your stuff and master your material! Practice, practice, practice and be prepared. Many fear of making mistakes and fear that the audience will know we made a mistake. The best way to ensure you can recover from a possible mistake is to know your material inside and out.
- Breathe! Taking deep diaphragmatic breaths will help relax you. Before you speak, perform or while you are being introduced, find a quiet spot to sit and breathe slowly while engaging the diaphragm.
- Plan ahead and don’t overwhelm yourself. If you are pressed for time, focus on the problem spots and getting through the beginning of your performance. Once you get comfortable on stage in front of the audience, it’s smooth sailing. If it is a speech, don’t look at it as a fifty-minute speech. Look at it as a five-minute speech. If you are performing a 3-hour set of songs, practice your introduction and create a set list with more songs than you need, so you aren’t scrambling for what to play during the gig.
- People want to connect. Start out with something personal or make the crowd laugh. Everyone loves a true story or a good joke. It relaxes the performer and the audience. It is even better if you can make the story or joke relate to the material you are about to perform. That way they feel like they can relate to you.
- You are your own worst critic. I have some friends who are amazing performers. After I have gone to check out their performances, they will say, “We were horrible! I was supposed to do something else at the end of the last song.” Meanwhile, the audience didn’t notice the problems at all because of how they seamlessly recovered from the situation.
- Although sometimes we feel like the world will fall apart if we mess up, always remember…it’s not brain surgery. Even as a professional singer and actor, there are times when I feel I haven’t done my best. Remember again that it’s how you recover from the situation. After all, we are human and the audience will appreciate that you keep moving on.
There IS a difference between Head Voice & Falsetto
Many people often refer to the head voice as falsetto, but the two terms, in my opinion, are not interchangeable. Falsetto is the lightest vocal production of the human voice. Falsetto has limited strength and dynamic levels and it can lack variation in tonal quality. There is a definite break between your falsetto and your speaking voice (chest voice).
On the other hand, head voice has more tonal color than falsetto. Head voice has the potential to create more dynamic range and is much stronger than falsetto. With the proper training, head voice can connect more smoothly with chest voice, thus creating a smooth “mixed” voice which protects the voice and helps to provide the illusion of “belting” without the vocal strain. In terms of strength and sound production, head voice lies between the chest voice (strongest) and falsetto (lightest) voice.
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Hello Atlanta!
It’s official…I will be moving to Atlanta this summer. I will miss my friends, students, and mentors. I’ve learned and achieved so much during my stay here in Dallas and look forward to new opportunities in Atlanta….see you soon in June! :)
Vocal Terminology
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Voice teachers or vocal coaches usually use a combination of anatomic, musical, and vocal terminology during lessons. These are simplified definitions, so definitely refer to a music or medical dictionary for further explanation.
Adam’s Apple – common term for the thyroid cartilage, the part of the larynx that protrudes from the neck
Break – a sudden change or shift in tone usually from chest to falsetto, falsetto to chest, and sometimes from chest to head voice. This transition usually lacks strength and hides the singer‘s lack of ability to connect vocal registers.
Bridge or Passage Area – In Italian, this is referred to as the passagio, which is commonly known as the “break” in your voice. This is the first place in your range where you start to blend registers. Bridges are generally located around different pitches for each voice type: bass, tenor, alto, or soprano.
Diaphragm – The dome shaped muscle attached to the bottom of the lungs that separates your chest and stomach cavities. Its main function is to initiate inhalation.
Epiglottis – leaf-like cartilage that separates the functioning of your esophagus from the functioning of your trachea
Falsetto – type of vocal production, similar to head voice, that lets you experience the freedom of singing in the higher part of your range without strain. Unlike head voice, falsetto cannot blend or connect with your chest voice because when produced the cords do not actually connect.
Larynx – commonly known as the voice box, which is located at the top of the wind pipe or trachea. The vocal folds and their corresponding muscles are found inside the larynx. The muscles used for swallowing are found outside the larynx.
Licks, Trills, and Runs – scalar passages in songs or parts of scales sung dynamically
Legato – long, smooth, connected tones
Middle/Mixed Register – A blend of head and chest registers referred to as a “mix.” During singing, it gives the illusion of belting in chest voice and creates one voice with tonal consistency. This allows for more tonal color and control of vocal dynamics.
Nasal/Head Cavity – resonating area in the upper half of your head
Pitch – The frequency of completed vibration cycles in a given tone; measured in hertz (cycles per second). The human ear has a range of 20 to 20,000 hertz.
Resonance – amplification of sound in our body cavities, usually of the mouth and head. Everyone is unique and so is their resonance. Typically resonance can be amplified through the following cavities of the body: sinus, nasal, throat, mouth, chest, and head cavities.
Slide – stylistic singing from note to note, without any break in tone. Slides are most common in blues and country music.
Soft Palate – the soft area located around the roof of the mouth. This can be felt by placing the tip of the tongue to the roof of the mouth, which is the hard palate, and then when you roll your tongue toward the back, you will feel the soft palate.
Staccato – short, disconnected notes
Style – a personalized approach or manner or singing
Timbre – a person’s individual tone quality
Tone – Know the difference between tone and noise. Tone is sustained and equal pitch that is caused by regular and constant vibrations of air. Tone is set in motion by similar vibrations in the body producing the tone, while noise is caused by irregular and unequal vibrations.
Vibrato – a natural oscillation or pitch variant that is the result of the dynamic balancing of airflow and vocal fold approximation. Vibrato is a natural occurrance that may be learned or controlled. This is caused by the natural, normal relaxation and contraction of the vocal muscles. Vibrato gives energy or life to a tone. It is not the same thing as a tremolo or a wobble, which are caused by the instability of one’s outer muscles when trying to use those muscles to control tone.
Vocal Folds – two folds located inside the larnyx. Like air escaping through a balloon while someone is pinching the opening, the vocal folds vibrate as air passes by them, thus creating sound.
Vocal Register – a grouping of adjacent notes made with the same coordination. Different registers include: chest, head, falsetto, mixed, and whistle registers.
