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The Dynamics of Vocal Expression:
Uncover Your Own.
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By Rudy Gaskins, June 15, 2025
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As voice actors, our instrument goes far beyond sound. It’s shaped by breath, body, mind, and emotion. Yet one of the most overlooked tools for expanding vocal range, emotional authenticity, and expressive control is the art of singing. We all nod at the idea, but I was recently reminded aboutn the power of sining, after encountering a deeply moving American Idol clip that stopped me in my tracks. It shows that the training and practice of singing can go far beyond a helpful tip. It can completely transform your understanding of your own instrument.
Before diving into the research that explains why this is true, WATCH THE CLIP BELOW that set it all in motion. It’s the kind of performance that reveals how breath control, emotional resonance, and dynamic presence intertwine, and it left me eager to dig into the science behind it.
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You do not need to be a professional singer to benefit from the principles that make singing such a transformative vocal experience. In fact, merely understanding what happens when one’s regular speaking voice suddenly becomes rich and mesmerizing in song can unlock new dimensions in your voice acting work. Here’s how.
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1. Physical Foundations: Breath, Resonance, and Support
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When someone sings, they naturally access the full power of the breath. Singing demands deep, consistent breath support and full-body engagement. These are the same tools that allow a voice actor to sustain long reads, deliver dynamic characters, and maintain vocal health over time.
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– Breath Support: Singing trains you to breathe from the diaphragm and use controlled airflow. This is crucial for stamina and modulation in voiceover.
– Resonance Awareness: Singing activates the resonant spaces in the body such as the chest, nasal cavities, and head. This enriches tone and color. That awareness can give your character voices more depth and variation.
– Posture and Vocal Presence: Singing often improves posture and openness in the body. This translates to a more grounded, powerful sound when you speak.
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2. Psychological Awareness: Confidence and Character
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Many people feel more powerful when they sing than when they speak. This is because singing often bypasses the inner critic and taps into something more fearless.
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– Stepping Into Roles: Singing puts you in performance mode. That mindset, where you fully embody a character and lose self-consciousness, closely mirrors what is required for great voice acting.
– Voice Identity: Voice actors often deal with “type” and expectations about what their voice should be. Singing encourages exploration of your full range and helps challenge those limitations.
– Trusting Your Instrument: Singing helps you develop a trusting relationship with your voice. That trust brings greater freedom in the booth.
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3. Emotional Access: Expressiveness and Truth
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Singing is not just technical. It is emotional. It gives you permission to express the raw and real feelings of grief, joy, longing, and hope without apology. For voice actors, this emotional fluency is invaluable.
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– Emotional Safety: Singing creates a safe container for emotional expression. It is not about being loud or dramatic, but about being emotionally available.
– Musicality in Performance: Whether you are reading a commercial, narrating a story, or voicing animation, there is music in the language. Understanding rhythm, phrasing, and tonal flow can elevate even the most straightforward script.
– Flow State: Singing often induces a flow state in which you stop overthinking and simply express. That same state allows voice actors to inhabit characters fully and deliver authentic, effortless performances.
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The Takeaway for Voice Actors
If you have ever heard a timid speaker transform into a stunning vocalist, you have witnessed what happens when the full self shows up. As a voice actor, you can use the same principles that make singing so transformative to elevate your own work on a technical, artistic, and emotional level.
You do not have to become a singer. But you can explore your voice in the same spirit. Breathe like one. Feel like one. Think like one. This approach will give you more tools, more range, and more connection to the stories you are here to tell.
In the end, your voice is not just a sound. It is a truth-teller. Singing can help you find that truth and bring it into every performance. ♦♦♦
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Rudy Gaskins is the CEO and co-founder of the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS), a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the global community of voice actors and the professionals who contribute to the voice acting industry. I have co-created That’s Voiceover!™ Career Expo and the Voice Arts® Awards . Rudy is an Emmy Award-winning TV producer and documentary filmmaker, with a career spanning PBS, ABC News, NBC Sports, Court TV, and Food Network. His natural talent for advertising led him to become Vice President of Creative Services at Court TV, after which he founded Push Creative Advertising, offering branding services for major global brands such as American Express, Lexus, NBC Sports, Delta Air Lines, Costco, Food Network, BET, and TV One. He has received numerous awards across the media spectrum, including multiple Telly and Promax awards. Under his leadership, SOVAS has been honored with Special Congressional Recognition from the United States Congress, a Certificate of Merit from the New York State Assembly, and a City Council Citation from The Council of the City of New York.
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From the Society of Voice Arts and Sciences
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