The Voice is the Vibration of the Soul

It’s all in the Voice!

You’ve heard the expression, “the eyes are the windows to the soul.” Well, since I’ve been teaching voice, I’ve noticed something. As soon as someone opens their mouth, much of their personality comes out in their voice. You know it’s true! Maybe you haven’t thought about it quite like that, but play along for a minute with me. Have you ever met someone for the first time and been affected in some way by their voice?

Of course you have! There are so many kinds of voices, and every day we hear a new one. Voices can be sultry, seductive, brash, breathy, nasal, loud, soft, deep, warm, high, gravelly, strained, authoritative, whiny…. the list goes on and on. Remember Alan Rickman and the specific, smooth quality of his speaking voice? Professor Snape of the Harry Potter franchise could not have been better cast. Or, how about James Earl Jones, the voice of Darth Vader and CNN?

Fran Drescher has a, well, peculiar voice, but it is distinct. A young actress named Danielle Brooks is someone whose voice I’ve noticed as being very rich and expressive; if I were casting an animated show, I would want her voicing one of my principle heroes!

Now, these individuals are all actors, and while they were probably born with their particular voices, they have also certainly trained them well for their profession.

When someone comes to a voice lesson for the first time, I ask them to sing some scales. Within a few minutes, I can usually hear a few things that are good and a few things that we can start to work on. Almost always, I hear things like: beauty, nerves, tension, uncertainty, truth. Talent aside, every individual has something to offer with their voice. It is your soul, your personality, and all the wonderful, quirky things therein that come pouring out in your voice. So, own it! Get it out there and use it. Training can help you strengthen it and shape it, and then, who knows. You can put it into the world and make an impact!