Foreword by Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali “A comprehensive masterpiece. . . . Throughout the course of my life, I have struggled to be heard. With Denise’s insightful tutelage and easy-to-apply techniques, I have not only manage to find my voice, but to powerfully express myself so others listen! If you want to feel inspired and completely empowered give yourself the gift of this beautiful read!”—Halle Berry, Academy Award-winning actor An internationally renowned and highly sought-after Hollywood voice coach shares proven practices to help anyone utilize the often-untapped power of their own authentic voice. From a toddler's first words to professional public speaking, from a marriage proposal to asking for a raise, our voice is our most crucial instrument of expression. The world judges us by our voice. And yet there has been no authoritative guide to mastering its full capacity and expressing our true selves in every aspect of life, from relationships and family to work. Until now. As one of the nation’s most sought-after vocal coaches, Denise Woods has worked with everyone from Mahershala Ali, Will Smith, and Idris Elba to Kirsten Dunst and Jessica Chastain. In The Power of Voice, for the first time ever, Woods shares the secrets, tips, lessons, and stories that have helped Hollywood’s biggest stars become confident, effective communicators. Readers will learn how to: Articulate clearly Gain confidence in any situation Release tension and stress Address speech issues such as upspeak, vocal fry, and nasality Become powerful public speakers Find their truest form of expression With her unmatched ability to teach vocal mastery in real-world terms, Woods offers a much-needed, proven, practical, and invaluable set of tools that will forever change how we communicate and, ultimately, how we see ourselves and affect others.

Written to save careers one voice at a time through scientifically proven methods and advice, this resource teaches people how to protect and improve one of their most valuable assets: their speaking voice. Simple explanations of vocal anatomy and up-to-date instruction for vocal injury prevention are accompanied by illustrations, photographs, and FAQs. An audio CD of easy-to-follow vocal-strengthening exercises--including Hum and Chew, Puppy Dog Whimper, Sirens, Lip Trills, and Tongue Twisters--is also included, along with information on breathing basics, vocal-cord vibration, and working with students who have medical complications such as asthma, acid reflux, or anxiety.

Introduction: Personally speaking -- Baby talk -- Origins -- Emotion -- Language -- Sex and gender -- The voice in society -- The voice of leadership & persuasion -- Swan song.

The essays collected here raise a simple but rarely asked question: just what, exactly, is voice? From this founding question, many others proliferate: Is voice an animal category, as Aristotle thought? Or is it distinctively human? Is it essentially related to language? To music? To song and singing? Is it a mark of presence or of absence? Is it a kind of object? How is our sense of voice affected by the development of recording technology? The authors in this volume approach such questions primarily by turning away from a general idea of voice and instead investigating what can be learned by attending to the qualities and acts of particular voices. The range is wide: from Poe’s “Leigeia” to Woolf’s The Waves, from Jussi Björling to Waltraud Meier, from song to oratorio to opera and beyond. Throughout, consistent with the volume’s origin in papers delivered at the eighth biennial meeting of the International Association for Word and Music Studies, the role of voice in joining or separating words and music is paramount. These studies address key topics in musicology, literary criticism, philosophy, aesthetics, and performance studies, and will also appeal to practicing musicians.

Written by two specialist speech and language therapists, this book explains how voice and communication therapy can help transgender and non-binary people to find their authentic voice. It gives a thorough account of the process, from understanding the vocal mechanism through to assimilating new vocal skills and new vocal identity into everyday situations, and includes exercises to change pitch, resonance and intonation. Each chapter features insider accounts from trans and gender diverse individuals who have explored or are exploring voice and communication related to their gender expression, describing key aspects of their experience of creating and maintaining a voice that feels true to them. This guide is an essential, comprehensive source for trans and non-binary individuals who are interested in working towards achieving a different, more authentic voice, and will be a valuable resource for speech and language therapists/pathologists, voice coaches and healthcare professionals.

This book provides a state-of-the-art account of voice research and issues in clinical voice practice. The contributors are all voice experts and bring a range of international perspectives to the volume.

What do we mean by 'voice' in poetry? In this work, David Nowell Smith teases out the diverse meanings of 'voice', from a poem's soundworld to the rhetorical gestures through which poems speak to us, in order to embark on a philosophical exploration of the concept of voice itself.