| As a voice specialist, I have known for many | | | | added. |
| years that a good voice improvement course can | | | | While the primary goal of voice training is to help |
| be an excellent means of accent reduction. | | | | you discover your 'real' voice, one of its greatest |
| Yesterday, I received an email from a Taiwanese | | | | benefits is that you will speak more clearly |
| man studying in Boston. His 1st language is | | | | whether you have an accent, a dialect, or not. |
| Mandarin Chinese; and, he has been enrolled in an | | | | And, although voice training is not intended to |
| accent reduction course for the past 4 months. | | | | eliminate accents, it helped this Boston student |
| He noticed, however, that something was still | | | | produce his vowel sounds with much greater ease |
| missing: | | | | because he is now powering his sound by means |
| 1. his inability to increase his volume without his | | | | of his chest cavity instead of just by means of |
| accent returning; and, | | | | his throat and voice box. It is this change in |
| 2. his inability to improve his vowel sounds. | | | | phonation (production of voiced sound) that has |
| 2 weeks ago, Chihhung started voice training and | | | | made a tremendous improvement in helping him |
| his improvement was so noticeable for both him | | | | reduce his accent. |
| and his listeners that he wrote to tell me what | | | | Another benefit for Chihhung is that he can now |
| had happened. | | | | increase his volume without shouting: in doing so, |
| He said, "I started taking your lessons and found | | | | his accent does not return. What this young man |
| the greatest progress I have ever made after I | | | | learned was how to use his chest to speak with a |
| learned to speak in my optimum pitch by using | | | | larger voice which does not hurt his throat nor his |
| my chest cavity to power my voice. I notice how | | | | listeners' ears. By learning how to project his voice |
| easily I can make any sounds I want!" He further | | | | instead of shouting or yelling, he discovered that |
| stated that he can control his vowel quality as | | | | he is able to retain control over his voice, his |
| well, again because he is using his chest as his | | | | vowel sounds, and his volume. |
| primary sounding board. | | | | I am delighted for Chihhung because he has not |
| The best result for Chihhung, however, is that | | | | only gained a number of benefits that he was not |
| others now understand him better and he tells | | | | expecting, but he now speaks with a deeper, |
| me he can even do the Boston accent. "Guess | | | | richer, warmer voice to boot! And that, in itself, is |
| what, I just had a meeting, and I could make | | | | a tremendous asset indeed! |
| myself very clear, I could even joke around," he | | | | |