VOCAL TECHNIQUE - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module will provide the student with a firm grounding in principles and techniques of the use of the voice in acting. Practical classroom exercises will combine knowledge of vocal anatomy with development of breath, resonance and articulation, and will make use of texts selected for the purposes of practising students¿ technical facility, expressive range, musicality and creative flexibility relevant to a broad range of professional contexts.

Module provider

Guildford School of Acting

Module Leader

TUNSTALL Darren (GSA)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative content includes:

The module begins with vocal anatomy and vocal health, and from there will move towards the understanding and practice of effective voice production for stage acting, character and accents. Practical exercises are designed to enhance posture, breath support, resonance, range, and articulation as well as creative expression. Students will learn a range of exercises, including vocal drills and workouts, that they will be encouraged to draw upon in the creation of a personal toolkit that addresses their individual requirements. The practical exercises will be supplemented in class with recordings, written materials and analysis of one¿s own and other people¿s voices. Students learn about phonetics and the relationships between phonetic notation and speech sounds. Students will be asked to select, learn and perform classical and modern texts for continuous feedback and assessment purposes. Developing the ability to respond expressively and with flexibility to varying text forms is a key requirement of the module. To support this aspect of skills development in different professional contexts, students may also look at storytelling using prose fiction, cartoon voices, audiobooks, podcasts, voice overs and radio drama. Students will also be given practical classes in ensemble singing to improve their musicality; in these classes students will be given an opportunity to select, and receive feedback on, individual song material for professional auditions.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate:

• An advanced knowledge and skill in vocal technique for professional acting

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Continuous assessment of classroom exercises (addressing learning outcomes 1,2 and 3)

Formative assessment

Formative assessment of students' classroom progress in written/audio form is given half-way through Teaching Block 1, and at the end of Teaching Block 1. These are assisted by in-class presentations by students of selected material in live and recorded formats.

Feedback

Summative feedback at the end of the module is given in written/audio form on Surreylearn. Formative verbal feedback is given as appropriate in class by tutors.

Module aims

• Heighten awareness of vocal anatomy and technique
• Develop a healthy, methodical and robust practice of voice
• Explore a range of methods and approaches for enhancing vocal technique
• Extend the capability for sophisticated vocal expression

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:

• Focus on the practical development of vocal skills required in professional acting contexts;


• Enable students to acquire versatility in their vocal technique, integrating their knowledge across a range of genres and styles.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• Practical, skills-based tutor led group classes


• Ensemble singing classes


• Independent research and study including journaling and use of VLE

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ACTM054

Other information

Digital Capabilities

Students engage with digital technologies as part of the module and in support of their learning. Audio software is used to create content, and students will use media platforms to share this content with industry professionals and peers as appropriate. Students also use non-specialist software for communication, administration and planning.

Employability

Students develop transferable skills in good presentation skills using the voice, along with team collaboration, creative thinking and problem solving. The programme leader works closely with GSA's Head of Employability to foster and maintain a high level of engagement with current industry practice as well as it relates to the module's focus on awareness of professional contexts for voice work.

Global and Cultural Capabilities

MA Acting students are drawn from a broad base of applicants including international students, thus there is a wide and varying range of experience and knowledge contributing to the culture of the programme in each year. The module encourages students to enhance their cultural awareness through its focus on selection of materials for vocal practice and presentation. Students with additional learning needs are signposted to the university's support services, and GSA has a dedicated Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Manager.

Resourcefulness and Resilience

Students work towards achieving professional standards in rehearsal and performance contexts, in line with expectations for a successful career as an actor. Formative and summative feedback is geared towards students' progress towards these standards as they develop a coherent personal approach to their work.

Sustainability

Students are invited to reflect on the impact of their work in social, economic and environmental terms, and to consider how they may take responsibility for achieving professional standards that promote wellbeing, including through the optimizing of resources used in the learning situation.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.