An Experimental Workshop: Evaluating Singing Actor Exercises from Patsy Rodenburg and Joan Melton

1. An Experimental Workshop: Evaluating Singing Actor Exercises from Patsy Rodenburg and Joan Melton Colton Weiss VASTA Debut Panel | ATHE 2017

2. Introduction Ohio State University - 2015 B.A. Speech & Hearing Science (Linguistics minor) Speech, language research background B.A. Theater/Music Studies A.R.T. Institute at Harvard - ℅ 2018 Voice & Speech Pedagogy candidate

3. Financial Disclosures A.R.T. Institute Stipend Registration fees Travel reimbursement ATHE Graduate Student Fellowship $100 Reimbursement

4. Background Research R: The spoken voice is the same voice, with slightly different energy, as the singing voice and vice versa M: Ideally, the actor sing as easily as s/he speaks, and with essentially the same technique. R: What is true in theory can be troublesome in practice --- Personally investigating Action Research

5. Hypothesis How effective are the exercises documented by Rodenburg and Melton at integrating speaking and singing skills? Personal View: • Melton will produce a more positive outcome of integrating a student's skill • Conflicting examples within Rodenburg literature? • ‘Climbing the mountain’ exercise • Spoken/singing are the same voice, but separated out in exercises.

6. What is Integrated? Betty Moulton, VSR - “speaking and singing voice continuum” Discussing concerns, conflicting messages “My singing voice…” vs “when I speak…” Musical Theater vs Bel-Canto (classical) singing training Participants asked to reflect, responding through EVERY step --- Participant responses: borrowing/informing from both ends of the continuum

7. Workshop 2 separate classes in the same week Tuesday/Thursday (July 11, 13) ~2hrs each class Advertise, Recruitment ~2 weeks Facebook Event posting, sharing 5 total participants Males = 1 Female = 4 Average Age = 22 y/o *Thank you Exit Left Productions! (Columbus, OH)

8. Exercises Rodenburg Ex36: Speaking into Singing (climbing the mountain) Speak text Speak text → intone text Speak text → intone → sing the text Speak text → sing song --- Ex35: Singing into Speaking (Going Down the Mountain) Sing → Intone → Speak Goal: Smoothing transitions between textual styles, matching energy - flow - placement/pitch, etc. The Actor Speaks: Voice and the Performer *Exercise Series #1 Melton Singing Conversation w/ partner Goal: comfort, exploration of freely singing w/ another person --- Walk w/ the text and only speak/sing the vowels Discuss Walk the text and speak/sing the consonants Discuss ‘Put it back together’ Discuss Speak/sing the text w/ legato speech One Voice: Integrating Singing and Theatre Voice Techniques *Exercise Series #2

9. Likert Scale Questioning (5=excellent) • Open-ended response, description questions • Taking notes of reaction discussion during each lesson Data Collection Entry Form Exit Form

10. Results - background info *Other = participant is an elementary student *1 participant marked Actor and Singer (=5) Voice/Speech Issues? 1 participant reported prior issues with acid reflux and consultations with an ENT.

11. Results - Entry Skill Rating Current Average: 3.4 Speaking Text Singing a Song Current Average: 3.6

12. Results - Effective Exercises Effectiveness of the first exercise series (Rodenburg) Current Average: 4 Limitations: • Order of exercises • One influence the other Current Average: 4.2 Effectiveness of the second exercise series (Melton)

13. Results - Exit Skill Rating Speaking text Current Average: 4 (0.6 increase) Current Average: 4.2 (0.6 increase) Singing a song Current Average: 4.6 Instructor's overall effectiveness, performance

14. Conclusions Data • Both exercise sets = mutually positive reaction for participants • Neither is ‘better’ at integration Rodenburg Thoughts: positive to ‘separate’ speaking and singing then place them on the continuum? Personal • Discovering my teaching process • Learning how to incorporate ‘science’ into artistic practice • First hand experiencing with the research process

15. Moving forward Improve advertisement, recruitment Increase Participation! Continue reading research, refining workshop (Suggestions?) Developing supplemental projects: Vocabulary use, definitions between disciplines? (Erika Bailey) VASTA/PAVA 2018 Submitting article Voice & Speech Review

16. References Melton, Joan, and Kenneth Tom (2012). One voice: integrating singing and theatre voice techniques. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press,. Print. Melton, Joan (2007). Singing in Musical Theater the Training of Singer and Actors. New York, NY: Allworth Press. Print. Melton, Joan (2001) Essay Sing Better, Work More: Integrating Singing Technique into Theatre Voice Training, Voice and Speech Review, 2:1, 312-314. Moulton, Betty (2007) Peer Reviewed Article International Performers and Voice Teachers Speak: Diverse Methods for Integrating the Disciplines of the Spoken and Singing Voice, Voice and Speech Review, 5:1, 367-380. Rodenburg, Patsy (2005). The actor speaks: voice and the performer. London: Methuen Drama. Print. Rodenburg, Patsy (2015). The right to speak: working with the voice. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. Print. Sansom, Rockford (2014) Developing a vocal master class curriculum: a qualitative study, Voice and Speech Review, 8:3, 261-276.

17. Questions?