These two exercises practise introducing more notes into your voice when you speak, and therefore making it more interesting to listen to.

The first uses a phrase that simply rises or falls in pitch. In the second you will introduce more natural rising and falling inflections within the phrase.

Just as you have done in previous exercises, make sure you imagine a hum before you start to speak, to switch on your voice in your head.

Exercise 15: Rising and falling phrases

You are going to start by saying just the vowels in the phrase, in a slurred way. This will help keep the focus in your head and also the idea of keeping the vowels long.

• Starting on a comfortable note, say the vowels from the phrase ‘Are you on your way home?’ so that each word is at a slightly higher pitch than the one before it.
• Starting on or near the same note, say the vowels from the phrase ‘I am on my way home’ so that each word is at a slightly lower pitch than the one before it.

• Next, using the same phrases, start to form the words by gradually introducing first slurred then clearer consonants – but keeping the vowels long.

Exercise 16: Naturally musical phrases

• Using the phrases from the previous exercise (Are you on your way home? I am on my way home), within a general feel of either rising or falling pitch, vary the ‘notes’ you say the words on so that they sound more like natural speech inflections.
• Now try the same thing using other phrases with helpful hummy consonants (e.g. I never knew Wendy was married; Medicine is miraculous nowadays).

 As you work on this exercise, see if you can get some music into consonants too – all except ‘c’, ‘f’, ‘h’, ‘k’, ‘p’, ‘q’, ‘s’ and ‘t’ naturally have a little ‘voice’ in them.