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Michelle Blenker

Voice Over Breathing Techniques

March 23, 2022 by Laura Schreiber

All Voice Actors Breathe

I remember when I first got into voice over years ago, one of the very first things I had to learn was not to hold my breath. Learning to actually incorporate breathing was hard. Voice actors need to learn how to breath and when to breathe. But being told to breath from your diaphragm and then automatically doing it at all the right places in the script are two very different things. That’s why this week fellow voice over coach Diana Birdsall and I invited Michelle Blenker into our Clubhouse room “Ask the VO Coaches.”

Michelle Blenker is a well-established professional voice actor and coach. Michelle is the only coach we know who has developed a curriculum specifically for breathing and voice over. She began her vocal training as a young child, taking singing lessons in MA where she grew up. There Michelle learned a breathing methodology to protect the voice.

This practice is useful beyond VO, and would work for people in sales or public speaking as well Michelle noted. As both a trained opera singer and a graduate with a Speech and Hearing Science degree, Michelle has both the training in specific breathing programs and the knowledge and understanding of human anatomy to bring out the best in her voiceover students. 

Does Your Voice Feel Tired After Recording All Day?

We were eager to ask Michelle about vocal fatigue. Whether you are auditioning or doing booked work, often your voice feels tired as the day goes on. Our voice is a delicate instrument, Michelle explained. She said our entire being is used when we do voice over. We use our body but our vocal cords take the brunt of what we do so we need to use our whole body to support them. As we bring air into our larynx, we want the air to float through and we don’t want to push air in. She suggests that we reframe our thoughts about where our voice comes from and focus on the diaphragm.

How Can I Control My Breath More? 

This is so common, from newbies to established professionals. Everyone wants to know how to best control their breath. Michelle cautions that if you sit, you often slouch which is problematic. In contrast, when you stand, you engage your legs. This provides a loosed base for your instrument. Apparently, most people barely use 40% of their air capacity!

vocal resonatorsIn order to increase this amount, you need to learn how to stand. Then, you need to engage your ribs and fill them more deeply with air. Lastly, you need to control how quickly the air is exhaled. When you learn to use your resonators properly, which are found in your sinuses and more, many voice talents discover that their true voice is actually higher than they realized.

Interestingly, Michelle cautions that a lot of people mistakenly think their voice comes from their chest. It does not. Our vocal apparatus is actually suspended quite miraculously in air by muscle and just floats in the throat. That is why pushing too much air can be so destructive. Our instrument is so delicate. Unlike drums, we need to phonate healthfully to prevent our vocal cords from getting damaged. 

How Do You Avoid Vocal Strain?

Vocal cord nodesIt seems like that raspy sound is still popular. Still, just because they ask for it, this does not mean you have to provide it if that is not your natural vocal tone. When we speak, our vocal cords vibrate and bump into each other to create sounds. When this happens, we can get nodules. Then, the vocal cords don’t open and close properly. To prevent rasp, there is an exercise you can do:

  • Take a deep breath in and learn how to control the flow of air
  • Do this singing and speaking exercise:
      • Very softly and gently sing “Hah-may-mah-mo-meh-moo” across keys

Diana noted that she always feels like when she practices such exercises she should do them stronger and louder. Michelle explained that in this case it’s experiential and you should feel the softness and then put power behind it.

diaphragmatic breathingOne of our attendees asked a question about promo reads. He said that when he tried to get deep resonance he loses his breath. Michelle confirmed that he stands and he said yes. She directed him to put one foot in front of the other. Then, he was told to tuck his bottom under to expand the back ribs. Michelle said that as he releases his breath he needs to control it and let it come through more slowly. She then told him to do the above exercise in the tucked stance, letting the air flow in and out like a balloon. 

Another attendee wanted to know if cardio vascular exercise improves voice over endurance. She surmised that her best recording days are the days that she does her elliptical machine. Michelle suggested that your body is more oxygenated on work out days, so it is possible. She further instructed Lisa to work on practicing her breathing as she walks. To count her steps, and try to control her exhales as a means of learning to increase her breathing capacity.

We also had a touching chat with Keaston, a voice actor living with a spinal cord injury. Keaston has to sit all the time, so he was curious how this technique applies to him. I was fascinated to learn that like pilates, the technique that Michelle teachers her voice students was created for injured veterans after World War II. So, perhaps he could learn from it as well. 

Final Thoughts and Breathing and VO

One of our regular attendees, Xavier, made an interesting observation. He noted that when he is really engaged in a script, you can’t hear him breathe and he incorporates the breath naturally. In the end, isn’t that the goal? To have good habits so that the breath flows naturally and all of these habits become second nature?

Filed Under: Coaching, Voiceover Tagged With: breathing, breathing techniques, Clubhouse, Diana Birdsall, diaphragm, diaphragmatic breathing, Michelle Blenker, nodes, nodules, professional voice actor, raspy voice, stronger voice, VO, vocal fry, voice as instrument, voice over, voice over coach, voice talent, voiceover

Speaking at One Voice Conference USA 2021!!

June 6, 2021 by Laura Schreiber

I’m Leaving On A Jet Plane

Laura Schreiber Female Voice Over Talent TravelerOk, after a very enjoyable time sheltering in place with my family during the pandemic, if you asked this working mom where the first place I’d be flying to would be, I would not have guessed Dallas, TX. So, why, when we can finally go anywhere, am I using my coveted Amex points to travel in style to Dallas (not that there is anything wrong with Dallas, but we can all agree it ain’t Paris.)? Well, J. Michael Collins and his mazing team are hosting the One Voice Conference USA  and I am thrilled to be on two panels.  My VO besties and I had been talking about planning a trip for a while, and it looks like this will be our fist chance to get to be in person together.

Why One Voice?

As a working mom, I have blogged before about what it take for me to choose to pack my bags and leave my family. Whether it’s for a booking, to meet an agent, or for a conference, I always have to way the  and cons. In this case, the choice was much more simple than other. J. Michael has an amazing line up of speakers coming from all over. Not only did I want to participate and contribute as a speaker, but I have always felt that conferences are essential to understanding what is current in the voice over industry. If you want to understand what trends are booking right now, what is new in technology, what shifts are new in the business, this is THE place to be. Packing my bags for such a conference will be a joy. In fact, I already have my outfits planned!

Accountability Panel

Accountability Group Powerhouse PanalistsIf I could shout it from the roof tops, I would. I would not be where I am today without my VO Powerhouse as we call ourselves. My beloved accountability group includes me, Diana Birdsall, Kim Handysides, Michelle Blenker, and Shelley Avellino. In our panel called “Build a Badass VO Career With a Powerhouse Accountability Group,” we will help you consider why you need one and how to create one that will help your career the way our accountability group has helped ours. I don’t know where I would be without these amazing women who life me up, inspire me, and have helped me be my best self every day. Sitting on a conference panel with them is an honor and a dream come true and you can find us on Saturday, August 28th at 3:50 PM in Room 2.

Radio Imaging Panel

Radio Imaging PanelistsI am really excited to be a part of this amazing panel! First of all, to share a stage with Randy Thomas, Joe Cipriano, AJ McKay (who by the way did my main Radio Imaging demo), Brent Williams, and Scott Cartwright is like a dream come true. My path as a female radio imaging voice was different than most. I did not come to radio imaging from a career in radio. Rather, I learned about it from one of J. Michael Collins’ webinars and fell in love! Because of the energy and the vibe, this genre is perfect for me. I look forward to talking about the ups and downs of my journey and how I’ve worked hard to grow the radio imaging side of my business over the years. When I look at the other panelists, I know that my path into imaging was different than theirs. While I may not be as well-known or famous in the industry as they are, I believe I offer the perspective on how a regular professional voice talent can build an imaging career. This panel is Saturday, August 28th, at 5:30 in Room 1.

Demo Giveaway

Video Demo GiveawayAs part of the joy of coming to One Voice USA, my demo partner Dave Scott ( of All Systems Go AV) and I really want to give something back to the voice over community. Dave and I will both be attending the conference in person, and we will give out postcards with the demo giveaway rules at One Voice. If you are a working, professional voice actor, and you take a picture with either one of us or both of us and post it on instagram and tag the conference and both of us, you will be eligible for a free video demo! It can be EITHER a commercial demo OR a narration demo, and it includes both a video version, an MP3 version, the planning session, and the necessary prep sessions! After a year in, we are very excited to meet more of the community and we thought this video demo giveaway is an awesome way to celebrate our coming back together!

 

Filed Under: About Me, Voice Over Demos, Voiceover, working mom Tagged With: Accountability Groups, AJ McKay, All Systems Go AV, Brent Williams, Dallas, Dave Scott, Dearbhla Trainer, Demo Giveaway, Diana Birdsall, Female Radio Imaging, J. Michael Collins, Jo Cipriano, Kim Handysides, Michelle Blenker, One Voice Conference, One Voice USA, Panel, Paul Cartwright, professional voice actor, Radio imaging, Randy Thomas, Shelley Avellino, travel, VO, voice over, working mom

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