Voice Acting and how to master the art of Reading Aloud
What you'll learn
- You will be able to read aloud anything with confidence and expression
- You will be able to sight read (sometimes called cold read) anything with confidence and expression
- You will be able to speak clearly and be easily understood
- You will learn how to use your voice to make it work for you
- You will discover that you can have fun and enjoy reading aloud
Requirements
- You need a desire to improve your reading aloud for performance skills
- You need to be able to print out or have access to the scripts that I provide for exercise/practice during the lessons
- You don't need hours and hours of free time - this is a short course, not because I couldn't do a long course, but because I believe that we are all busy people now and we want to be able to see a difference in a short space of time. However as with anything in life the more you practice the better you will become
- A basic ability to be able to read English aloud.
Description
'I am loving this course! Ms. Serena is a wonderful teacher! Her lectures are interesting and fun and she gives some very great tips. There are resources so you can take notes as you go along. The lectures are short but powerful. I'm so happy that I enrolled!' Victoria
The most important skill required for voice acting or voice over work is the ability to read aloud for performance. This is a wonderful skill and one that can also be used to read aloud to children, friends, elderly or sick relatives etc.
We can all read - some better than others - and because of this we all think we can read aloud. The truth is, we can't. Some of us struggle. Reading aloud is a skill that anyone can learn but there are basics steps to go through. Most importantly is the pace. When we read to ourselves our eyes and brain work very quickly, if you need to vocalise the words you need to give your mouth time to move from one sound to the next. Pausing is also essential and needs to be more frequent and longer than when we read silently to ourselves.
This course has been designed so that you can hop from one lecture to another they are not dependent upon each other, this makes improving your speech and reading aloud easier for you as you can concentrate on the bits you think you need to.
I have been teaching people to speak clearly since 1994 when I qualified as a speech trainer and in 2014 I obtained my Fellowship from the Victoria College of Drama with a specialization in Reading Aloud. I have had articles published in magazines world wide and I've also written an academic paper.
I teach this course as though you were sitting opposite me in my own lounge. I explain and demonstrate and then you have opportunities to practice out loud before we move onto the next part of the skill.
Not all (perhaps a very small percentage) of voice acting/voice over work is the very dramatic cartoon type voice. Most voice over work uses an ordinary voice which is clear and has expression. I can teach you how to improve your reading aloud skills so that you will be able to read aloud:
serious business corporate items
adverts
children's books
classic novels
modern literature
poetry
news bulletins
This course does NOT teach you the technical aspects of recording - I know very little about microphones or sound proofing but I do know that you could have the best recording facilities in your town but if your voice isn't up to the job it will be a waste of a good facility!
This course gives you plenty of opportunities to practice along with me, after all you can't improve your reading aloud skills unless you read aloud!
Watch my promotional and free sample lectures to see how I can help you and enrol today to learn a new lifelong skill.
'I was paying $150 a lesson. haha I quit and found this. I learned the same stuff the other person taught me in two classes, within about 15 minutes here. haha Fantastic.' Josh
Who this course is for:
- Anyone who wants to improve their delivery for voice acting or voice over work
- Anyone who loves the idea of being able to read aloud whether it be for professional work or to friends and family
- Teachers who need to read aloud to classes
- This course does NOT help you find agents or work but it will give you the skills to make getting work easier
Instructor
- 4.6 Instructor Rating
- 987 Reviews
- 8,872 Students
- 12 Courses
Serena Greenslade is an experienced speech confidence coach from Dorset, UK and she now lives in central Portugal. Serena qualified in 1994 (A.N.E.A.) as an elocution teacher and since then has taught lecturers at Universities, trainee doctors for the NHS, sports coaches, business people, telephone sales personnel, children, health care workers, stroke victims and staff at national charities. Serena specializes in one to one private lessons for children and adults and workshops for businesses. In June 2014 she gained her Fellowship, F.V.C.M.(Hons).
Serena says 'I know how it feels to be uncertain and frightened about speaking.' She is now qualified to the highest level (Fellowship and Associateship) and is able to help you improve your speaking skills. She lives in jeans, laughs a lot and has a hint of a Dorset accent when not teaching but Serena is passionate about her work and incredibly serious (with a huge smile) when it comes to teaching her clients to sound confident.
Background
When Serena was about ten, her school had a parents evening where the parents go along and chat to the teachers to find out how their children are getting on. During the course of the conversation with her mum, the teacher told her that Serena seemed happy enough but that he couldn't remember speaking to her during the year! Serena was an incredibly shy girl.
As a result of this Serena's mum took her to elocution lessons.
These lessons gave Serena confidence but didn't change the way she sounds, 'I still have a Dorset accent (although when I teach I lose it) and I strongly believe we shouldn't all sound the same'.
Serena was still a very shy girl but knew how to speak when she had to. At her senior school, the different classes used to take it in turns to participate in the morning assemblies. She had a very elderly Maths teacher who claimed that the only time he could hear the assembly was when Serena did a reading. In return for this she was excused Maths tests in his class. Luckily her maths didn't suffer – Serena went on to pass 'A' level Maths.
In 1979 Serena obtained a degree in Law and Economics and went on to become a trainee accountant - for all of 12 weeks. Sitting in an office all day was not for her. Luckily she decided to return to what she enjoyed doing and in 1994 qualified (A.N.E.A.) as an elocution teacher. In 2014 she obtained her Fellowship with Honours from Victoria College (F.V.C.M.)
Media
In addition to publishing her own books, Serena has written an academic paper in Voice and Speech Review April 2015.
Serena has also written articles in many publications including Dance Studio Life July 2015, The Lady Magazine in Sept 2014, ISTD Dance magazine in Jan 2014, PTR Tennis Pro in April 2007, The International Tennis Federation Coaching and Sport Science Review in Dec 2002 and Dance Expression Magazine in Dec 2001.
Serena has also taught students who have appeared in television series and who have won national awards for their acting.
Serena looks forward to teaching you. As she says, 'Enjoy Speaking'