ALEX Learning Activity

  

Vocal Technique for the Actor Part 2

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

You may save this Learning Activity to your hard drive as an .html file by selecting “File”,then “Save As” from your browser’s pull down menu. The file name extension must be .html.
  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Jamie Stephenson
System:Vestavia Hills City
School:Vestavia Hills City Board Of Education
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 1718
Title:
Vocal Technique for the Actor Part 2
Digital Tool/Resource:
 
Web Address – URL:
Not Applicable
Overview:

Students will practice consonant pronunciation and apply the technique to the performance of a poem.

This activity was created as a result of the Arts COS Resource Development Summit.
  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Arts Education
ARTS (2017)
Grade: 9-12
Theatre: Proficient
11) Explore various acting techniques to expand skills in a rehearsal or drama/theatre performance.

Examples: Laban effort shapes to enhance movement, Stanislavski method for character development, Alexander technique for breath and body control

Unpacked Content
Artistic Process: Performing
Anchor Standards:
Anchor Standard 5: Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
Process Components: Prepare
Essential Questions:
EU: Theatre artists develop personal processes and skills for a performance or design.
EQ: What can I do to fully prepare a performance or technical design?
Concepts & Vocabulary:
Research
  • motivation
  • origin
Analysis
  • rising actions
  • climax
  • protagonist vs antagonist
Vocal
  • Alexander Technique
  • diction
  • consonants
  • vowels
Movement
  • motivated movement
  • blocking
Characterization
Design
Theatrical production
Skill Examples:
  • Students will discuss in a classroom setting the differences in dealing with friends, family, fellow workers, employees or a boss: how you speak, listen and react differently in each of those relationships.
  • Students will have improvisational scenes using those roles as starting points in the scenes.
  • Students will study Viola Spolin techniques in class and use those techniques in classroom scene work.
  • Students will research scenic painting and how it can enhance scene aesthetic for their various plays and performances.
  • Students will create Living Newspapers for their classroom audience, using modern articles, various roles for each student and rehearsal to refine the final performance.
Learning Objectives:

Students will explore consonant pronunciation technique to expand their skills in rehearsal and performance.
  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

1. Film students saying the Pledge of Allegiance. They can use their phones and upload them to their google drive or Dropbox. The teacher's phone/iPad/Chromebook/camera can also be used to record the recitation. 

2. Have students listen to each other by posting them on a google classroom or listening in class and write down where the enunciation mistakes occur. Ask them to share the mistakes or accents that impact the voice. Add anything that the students missed in their critique. 

3. The Students will study the consonants. The teacher will use either Alexander technique or Linklater Technique to help with vocal technique. Examples of their exercises can be found online on youtube by searching their specific techniques. 

 

Examples to help with articulation: 

The lips, the teeth, the tip of the tongue,
the tip of the tongue, the teeth, the lips.

Should saucy sharks seek shelter soon?

Any noise annoys an oyster,
but a noisy noise annoys an oyster most.

 

Round the rugged rocks, the ragged rascals ran.

I don't care a whit for your wit or whims," 
said Warren Wharton.

 

Barren Beacon Beckons Bacon Baron

 

4. Have students work with each other to say the pledge of allegiance. Peer coaching with the teacher traveling to help as well. 

5. Students will record a final Pledge of Allegiance. 

6. The teacher will evaluate how the student has improved. 

7. The teacher will post the first recording and the second recording so that the students can listen to their own progress. 

Final project: 

Students will choose a poem to memorize and recite the poem in class. The student's performance will be recorded for critique. 
Assessment Strategies:

How well did the student follow directions 1 - 5

How well did the student work with their peers 1 - 5

How well did the student apply the techniques used 1- 5

Grade the recordings for improvement

Use Rubric for performance:

http://www.poetryoutloud.org/uploads/documents/Scoring-Rubric-17.pdf

or 

 

Rubric for Vocal Technique

Speed: how well did the student speak at a speed that was easily understood? How well did they follow the instructions given by the punctuation of the piece? How well was the speed connected to the emotions of the piece? Score 1 - 10 with 1 being the least effective use of Speed and 10 being the most effective use of Speed.

Score:

Comments:

Articulation: How well did the student use their articulators in the piece? How well did the student control their articulation for specific aspects of the piece? Were vowel sounds rounded and full? Were consonant sounds deliberate? Score 1 - 10 with 1 being the least effective use of Articulation and 10 being the most effective use of Articulation.

Score:

Comments:

Breath control: How well does the student sustain breath through the sentence or thought? How well does the student use punctuation to control breath? How well does the student control their breath to maintain vocal quality? Do they have a full voice? Do they up talk at the end due to a lack of breath? Can they maintain volume throughout by using proper breath control?

Score 1 - 10 with 1 being the least effective use of Breath control and 10 being the most effective use of Breath control.

Score:

Comments:

Volume: How well does the student maintain volume from beginning to end? How well does the use breath to influence volume? How well does the student speak with projection without yelling?

Score 1 - 10 with 1 being the least effective use of Volume and 10 being the most effective use of Volume.

Score:

Comments:

Quality and Tone:

How well does the student maintain a chest tone to the voice? How well does the student maintain the quality of the voice? Does the student have a nasal tone? Does the student’s voice sound tight or grave like?

Score 1 - 10 with 1 being the least effective use of Volume and 10 being the most effective use of Volume.

Score:

Comments:



Final Score:                                                              
Advanced Preparation:

Vocal Technique for the Actor Part 1 would be a good lesson to use before this lesson. 
Variation Tips (optional):
 
Notes or Recommendations (optional):
 
  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: