DVD-1 Tonal Energy

Main Menu for DVD-1 with links to two Sub-Menus: Tonal Action Preparation Tonal Action Practice and six Methodology topics. An Enter Menu follows each video lesson with the option to select More Practice Material

Green backgrounds = Stage 1 Blue backgrounds = Stage 2 Red backgrounds = Stage 3

Methodology Phonics is essentially The Science of Sound.  It is a system or interpretation of spoken sounds.  "Master Spoken English - Feeling Phonics" uses a combination of number symbols and primary color-coding that provides a practical guide to these sounds.  It demystifies the arcane IPA and other academic systems, and works in a much more direct and intuitive manner. The subtitle of this program is “Feeling Phonics”.  The phonics system here is based on feeling, not listening.  Feeling the sounds is what counts.  So get “out of your head” and remember that learning takes place in other parts of the body as well.  The Preparation area of DVD-1 offers some natural warm-ups for relaxation and breathing.  Professional speakers and performers are aware of how valuable these methods are.  You will be too, if you do even a very quick physical warm-up before starting.  A little yawning, stretching, and shaking does more to put you in shape for speech than you would ever think it does.

Tonal Energy One of the first things you're going to notice about your voice, is that it will get stronger. The tonality training begins carrying over into your daily speech very rapidly, and the results are a richer, more vibrant, and decidedly more confident voice. As your feeling awareness of all the component parts of speech builds, you'll discover a new control over the dynamics of your speech. The student working intentionally to improve the quality of his voice and speech, and the student working on accent modification, have exactly the same approach to this course. They are both working to gain sensitivity to, and some control over, their own instrument. Tonality is Anchored in Feeling Vibration on the Gumridge (Yellow) The vowels E, A, and Y become your Tonal Anchors. The entire phonic system here is based on "feeling", not "ear training". (Deaf people learn speech this way.) The advantage to feeling sounds is that they become a part of your Sense Memory, and thus permanent and automatic. Much like "riding a bicycle" is something that your muscles and your sense memory retain, and then becomes automatic. This is why actors prefer this approach to speech training. Sensory awareness internalizes vocal energy.  It becomes a part of you. List of Operative Words Every drill begins with an Animation showing the precise articulation and contact points for feeling the sound. That is followed by a Word List of the Operative Words in the exercise to follow. The Word List is performed in a Triple Repetition at Three Levels of Vocal Energy: 1 Sustaining the sounds to develop muscle and sense memory 2 Sustained, but faster moving 3 Normal pronunciation with good Feeling Awareness Operative Words in Sentences Next, the Operative Words are moved into Sentences. The Sentences are performed in a Triple Repetition at the same Three Levels of Vocal Energy: Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Contents of Tonal Energy Methodology Breathing and Relaxation Vowels: Y (Initial/Final Position) Long E Long A