“Specific Heat Capacity”
If you were to stand in any maternity ward in the world and listen to the cacophony of infant voices filling the air, you would have no idea of their gender and almost no clue where you were. We are born with a natural voice which changes over time as it becomes habitual. While some aspects are governed by biology, a substantial part of our voice is shaped by the particular circumstances in which we find ourselves, and distinguishing between the two is key to learning how we can control and exploit the potential of our voice.
Specific Heat Capacity is a three-hour voice workshop based on theatrical as well as practical experience, aimed towards anyone wishing to develop their vocal ability and often delivered with its companion course about presentation delivery (Potential Energy). Divided into three equal parts, the workshop first explores and examines the voice itself from intention to comprehension, and gives participants the chance to form an objective opinion about their voice; a necessary building block we all too frequently shy away from.
The second part is a practical vocal warm up drawn from many years of theatrical practise. Participants should be under no illusion that this course, if it is to be useful, cannot remain purely theoretical and must include elements like physical relaxation, breathing and a detailed exploration of the simple hum. Only through identifying the body parts and actions responsible for vocal production and projection can we develop a sense of control over it and celebrate what our voices can do. All of this is undertaken in a whole group setting with no one being required to work individually.
The final section aims to equip participants with a tool with which they can develop vocal control and tonal nuance. Based on the work of the late Yat Malmgren, Movement Psychology for Voice is a toolbox for performers that harnesses the connection between an inner sensation and an outer manifestation, and can be used by anyone prepared to really roll their sleeves up and commit to a process of discovery and development.
Of all the body’s tools for expression, the voice is the one that works perfectly at birth and slowly becomes hampered by habits, toxins and often our own thoughts. Specific Heat Capacity aims to equip participants with a framework and methodology that helps them set out on a journey back towards the time when their voice worked tirelessly, effortlessly and freely.