Teaching Voice: Workshops For Young Performers

An inspiring, practical guide to working with young people on their voices, by a highly experienced teacher, actor and director.

An inspiring, practical guide to working with young people on their voices, by a highly experienced teacher, actor and director.

Teaching Voice is for all youth-theatre leaders, workshop facilitators, teachers or lecturers who want to help their students to develop their voices – either as a component in theatre training, while rehearsing a play, or for the benefit of their personal development.

It offers a step-by-step course of workshops and themed sessions, along with a series of exercises and vocal warm-ups – from the tried-and-tested to the truly innovative. Included are:

• Full plans for two ninety-minute core sessions, laying the essential foundations of voice work: breath, diction, resonance and relaxation
• Seven themed workshops exploring individual aspects including projection, rhythm, the power of language, emphasis and Shakespeare
• Micro sessions that can be used within the structure of any session, or when time is short
• Further sessions to help incorporate voice work into rehearsals for a school or youth-theatre production

Also included is a personal exercise plan to help you develop your own skills and confidence as a voice teacher, whatever your level of experience.

Teaching Voice is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in vocal training for young people, whether you''re looking for a structured programme of workshops, or simply for some fresh ideas to inspire your students.

''Through years of experience, Hafler has developed a great understanding of what can work with teenagers and shares it generously with those who work in the field''

''A must for anyone who is interested in vocal training… it is clear that the original, imaginative and fun exercises that are found within this book have been thoughtfully put together by someone who has a wealth of experience in his field and that each session has been successfully tried and tested with his own students''

''A must-own… this guide for young people to use their voices to their full potential is a bit of a godsend… full of exercises and advice to explore''

''A useful book for teachers, youth theatre leaders, facilitators and indeed anyone who works with young people... plenty of exercises, warm-ups and advice about how to use the techniques in the rehearsal room''

''Will become a go-to book for any theatre practitioner who works regularly with young people and or has to teach voice… Hafler writes with a clarity that is so often missing in textbooks of this type… a real bargain especially considering how much it would cost to learn just a fraction of the stuff written in the book at a practical workshop… This is a must for any Youth Theatre practitioner or director – in fact, it also provides plenty for the professional actor too''

Max Hafler is a teacher, director, deviser, writer and lecturer, who trained and worked as a professional actor for many years. He was a resident voice teacher at Galway Youth Theatre for twelve years and taught voice in youth theatres all over Ireland for the National Association of Youth Drama. He has taught ensemble and directed productions including many notable young people''s productions. A successful playwright and adapter, he has written several plays for young people, including Alien Nation, Battle Stations and This Means War!

He teaches Voice and Chekhov Technique on the BA and MA programmes at the National University of Ireland, Galway. H