LESSON 1: GETTING STARTED Warming Up Your Voice Congratulations on your decision to improve your voice and speech. It’s important that as you begin this work, you develop a routine. At the beginning of each session, take a few minutes and warm up your voice. First, open your mouth more than you’re used to. The easiest way to do this is to take a big deep breath through a wide open mouth and yawn. Do this a few times. It relaxes your jaw, opens up your throat, and gives you proper breath support so that the breath can power your voice. I’ll do it for you. Drop your jaw, relax your throat, breathe in and say: AAAHHH Another way is to take the knuckles of your index and middle fingers (make sure your hands are clean) and place them between your front teeth. This opens your mouth, and as you relax, opens your throat as well. Say “AAAHH” as if you were at the doctor’s office and he wanted you to open your mouth wide. I want you to say “AAAHH” in this position. Now, extend that phrase and say: Hello, how are you? 13

ACCENT: AMERICAN

PATRICK MUÑOZ

This is going to sound a little silly, but in order to change the way you sound, you have to try new ways of speaking. What you say is not going to be understandable, but the purpose of doing this mouth opening exercise is to allow the sound to flow out of you. Let’s try this. Take the knuckles of your index and middle fingers and place them between your front teeth. Take a deep, relaxed breath in and on the exhalation say: AAAHH Again, take a big relaxed breath in and release the sound on your exhalation: AAAHH Now, try a bit of dialogue. Say, “Hello, how are you?” I’ll try it with you. Big breath in: Hello, how are you? (See, it sounds kind of funny.) Again, big breath in: Hello, how are you? Now, take the fingers out of the mouth and do the same thing. Have that same sensation of the mouth being nicely wide open, take a deep breath in and say: Hello, how are you? Use your breath to power your voice. Let’s try another phrase: Oh, for a muse of fire. 14

LESSON 1: GETTING STARTED

Fingers between the teeth, take a big breath in: Oh, for a muse of fire. Now, try it on your own. Oh, for a muse of fire. Let’s try another phrase: I want you to go! Fingers between the teeth, big breath in and: I want you to go! Again, a big breath in and: I want you to go! Now, remove your fingers from your mouth, take a big breath in, and let the sound flow out of you. I want you to go! Your turn: I want you to go! If you’re doing this and letting yourself explore and using your breath and letting that sound flow out of you, you’ll feel a whole new sense of vocal power. Keep trying that. Remember that sensation, practice it, and use it. You’ll be on your way to a fuller, more resonant voice.

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ACCENT: AMERICAN

PATRICK MUÑOZ

Stair Stepping One of the hallmarks of any language is its intonation or musicality. While some languages have a lot of musicality, a lot of ups and down in their speech, American English tends to be pretty straightforward, with a slight rise in the middle of the sentence and a downward inflection at the end. I call this stair-stepping: we go up in the middle and walk down at the end, ending farther down than where we started.

Let’s look at the vocal diagnostic. Repeat after me: Please I beg of you, just leave. I want you to go. I want you to go right now. Pick up all your things and walk out that door. I want you to walk out that door and never come back. Now, get out of here!

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LESSON 1: GETTING STARTED

Linking Words Together Throughout this workbook, we will study individual sounds and use them in both words and sentences. One of the keys to mastering the Standard American Accent is linking your words together. You don’t want your sentences to be choppy; instead, allow your words to flow. LINK YOUR WORDS TOGETHER. So, instead of the question, “How/are/you?”, you want it to be smooth and say, “How-are-you?” PRACTICE SENTENCES Let’s practice it choppy: Please/I/beg/of/you/just/leave. Then, linking: Please—I-beg-of-you-just-leave. Choppy: I/want/you/to/go/right/now. Linking: I-want-you-to-go-right-now. Let’s practice it while introducing yourself. Choppy: Hello/my/name/is. . . I/was/born/in. . . Linking: Hello—my-name-is. . . I-was-born-in. . . Remember, always work on smoothing out your speech, linking your words together. This is one of the secrets to speaking the Standard American Accent.

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ACCENT: AMERICAN

PATRICK MUÑOZ

Articulation Exercises PUH TUH KUH Again: PUH TUH KUH Use the lips, tip of the tongue, and back of the tongue to again say: PUH TUH KUH Now let’s use your voice: BUH DUH NUH Again: BUH DUH NUH BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH Again: BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH Now try linking these words together: BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH Nice breath in: BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH

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LESSON 1: GETTING STARTED

Say hello to your friend: BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH! Tell someone this happens to you everyday: BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH Ask a question: BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH? Give an answer: BUH DUH NUH LUH GUH. The point is to use the lips, the placement of the tongue and the back of the tongue, using your voice. Let’s try some more: Peppy baby Try repeating each of these three times. Peppy baby, peppy baby, peppy baby Goo goo goo Goo goo goo, Gah gah gah

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ACCENT: AMERICAN

PATRICK MUÑOZ

Three times: Goo goo goo, Gah gah gah Goo goo goo, Gah gah gah Goo goo goo, Gah gah gah The Z sound: Zee Zay Zah Zee Zay Zah Zoh Zoo The M sound: Mee may my moh The W sound: Wah Wah Wah Wah Really enjoy using your articulators to make these sounds.

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LESSON 1: GETTING STARTED

Tongue Twisters Tongue twisters are a great way to warm up your voice. They’re easy to remember and you can do them almost anywhere: in the car, on set or before you make a presentation. You’ll improve your articulation by practicing them often. Remember, breathe, open your mouth, use your tongue and lips and really enjoy making the sounds. Start slowly, then increase the speed. See how incredibly fast, clearly and easily you can say them. I’ll say one first and then you repeat it. Here goes: Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat Rubber baby buggy bumpers Red leather, yellow leather She sells seashells by the seashore Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers You know New York You need New York You know you need unique New York The tip of the tongue The roof of the mouth The lips and the teeth Will you, William 21

ACCENT: AMERICAN

PATRICK MUÑOZ

She stood on the balcony Inexplicably mimicking him hiccupping And amicably welcoming him in.

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