Voice and sound — Drama, 4–6 years
Use your voice and other sounds to help a story be heard and understood. Drama, 4–6 years.
What voice and sound do
In drama, your voice helps the audience know what is happening. You can speak loudly or softly, quickly or slowly, and add sounds such as a knock, a roar or a sigh. The sound should help the story, not simply be noisy.
Why change the sound?
A real stage may be far from the people watching, so a tiny voice can disappear. Drama grew from people telling stories together, using voices, claps and songs so others could follow. Changing the sound solves the problem of making an action clear when words alone are not enough.
Worked example: the lost puppy
First, say “Puppy?” softly while looking around. Next, call “Puppy!” loudly, because the character is worried. Then make three light scratching sounds at the door and pause. The audience hears that the puppy may be there before the door opens.
The sound trap
A common mistake is shouting every line because it feels like that will make the acting stronger. It is a reasonable choice: louder sounds are easier to notice. But if every sound is loud, none can show a change, and the audience may stop listening.
Where sounds are useful
Sound helps in a puppet show, a story circle or a pretend shop. A bell can mean the shop is open, and a quiet voice can invite someone closer. Outside drama, people also change their voice to make instructions, stories and warnings easier to understand.
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