http://ryeryan.com/speech__accents.html Ryan Kelly: Speech & Accents Jannis' PHPRss class - http://www.jannis.to/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 22:47:12 -0800 http://ryeryan.com/speech__accents.html#23
Trying to lose her regionalism was a harrowing experience for Ryan. To negate her native Staten Island/Brooklyn sound, (characterized by extreme nasality and a lazy soft palate), not only did she have to retrain her muscles, she also had to retrain her ears. Ryan was extremely self-conscience of her speaking voice; she never knew what horrible sounds would erupt from from her face.

Her attention to detail paid off and upon graduation her sound was more than Distinct Efficient and Pleasing. She had mastered Good American Speech and could wield numerous dialects and accents with specificity and nuance.

To her delight, her speaking voice was the tool that booked the job, and the element most singled out by critics:

". . .one does find herself rooting for Maggie, despite her cattiness and shamelessness. And Ryan Kelly does an admirable job with the character- she has an amazing voice, both softly feminine, and huskily masculine at the same time, and she uses it to her advantage here. Maggie's impassioned speeches and cruel but hilarious remarks (her calling Mae and Gooper's children "no-neck monsters, " for instance) give Kelly a chance to really work that voice. She also uses her quite lovely features to the fullest, alternating from brazen sexuality to horror to humor to wonder in an instant. . .I think you'll enjoy Miss Maggie the Cat's meow. Even if it isn't always pretty."

Kate McDowell - The Dominion Post

Ryan began booking dialect plays, and coaching her fellow actors with their dialect work. She noticed more colleagues coming to her for help, seeking her "ears" and expertise to iron out their bad habits or to attain a more neutral sound. So Ryan began to teach voice and speech, and dialects and accents privately. One evening in a sit com class, Ryan was singled out by her coach (Richard Scanlon.) Noting her impeccable speech, Richard asked Ryan to train his acting students to become neutral speakers. These particular students had pronounced dialects and accents.

What makes Ryan a great fit for her students is her own speech history. She remembers how difficult the process was and in turn, makes her learning environment fun, professional, and non-judgmental. Ryan works with each individual to customize a curriculum tailored to their specific needs and goals.]]> http://ryeryan.com/speech__accents.html#23 Ryanality - Ryan Kelly - Speech & Accents http://ryeryan.com/speech__accents.html#22
Relax your body to relieve unnecessary vocal tension and ticks

Use all of your resonators

Build up your lung capacity and manipulate your air supply to sustain long winded phrases

Warm up your articulators effectively and with ease, (with a series of tongue twisting, knee slapping, poems / songs / speeches.)

Project a healthy sound that carries in a large theater

Focus your sound for Film, TV & Commercials

Manipulate, engage and relax the proper muscles for sound production

Learn the Phonetic alphabet, (consonants / vowels / diphthongs / triphthongs )

Become proficient reading and writing the phonetic alphabet

Produce all the sounds of the phonetic alphabet healthily

Translate from English into Phonetics and from Phonetics to English

Apply your phonetic knowledge to your monologues, scenes etc

Analyze your sound and fine tune your ears

Identify your vocal strengths and eliminate your weaknesses

Eliminate bad habits such as: nasality, jaw tension, shallow breathing, sing song vocal patterns, phrasing statements as questions, a lazy palate, over active or under active lips, a week tongue, splashy s's, marring the r coloration, strident unhealthy vocal production, glottalization, misuse of air, substituting improper vowel sounds, dropping the endings of words, losing energy at the ends of phrases, substituting voiced consonants for voiceless consonants & vice versa, leading with your head, working off of your center, breathing with your shoulders, speaking from the neck up, yelling or unsupported sound production etc.)

Lose your accent or dialect

Find and use musicality in your sound to broaden your range and vocal choices

Acquire your "unique" neutral sound that is Distinct Efficient and Pleasing]]> http://ryeryan.com/speech__accents.html#22 Ryanality - Ryan Kelly - Speech & Accents