Milligan Vocal Arts Institute

There's power in your voice! But do you know how much? Check out my latest article on how law enforcement is using voice to catch escapee Danelo Cavalcante. He's been hiding for the past week after escaping from the Chester County Prison in Pennsylvania! Can a voice catch him or cause him to surrender peacefully?

Listen! Your voice is directly connected to your hearing. To make sure you're listening for the right things, join me for this free webinar about how to listen to your voiceover recordings so that you can make the right adjustments before clicking “submit!”

How you listen is so important. Join me for this free webinar about how to listen to your recordings so that you can make the right adjustments before clicking “submit!”

This webinar is going to be jam-packed with great information that will help you listen critically to your recording. If you’re just listening to see if you made any errors, you may be missing out on some important elements that can make you stand out form the crowd.

It’s not the typical webinar that is designed to sell, sell, sell! If you know me, I’m not the pushy sales person. Instead, I’m going to share a lot of useful information that will help you submit stronger auditions.

It’s all based on how you hear and how audiences hear, receive, and process what you have to say. This is the key to others really hearing and understanding your message - whether it’s the casting director, the client, or the intended audience.

Make sure you’re listening for the right things!

Join me to give at least before Thanksgiving! I decided to ask family and friends to post what they're grateful for this year and was sharing it with .ScottSmith, , and Ingor Van Rooi on "The Experience" live this morning and it has already taken off.

What are you thankful for this year?
Even though things have been really challenging, we all have a lot to be thankful for, right?

Be grateful even during tough times!

So much fun sharing my Sonic Vocality theory and Vocal Power 12 tool with game designers, creators, developers, audio engineers, animators, writers, composers, dialogue specialists, programmers, editors, voice artists, casting directors, and voice directors at GameSoundCon! Focus was on how all the creatives collaborate together to create game characters. The process starts early in development and technology is opening so many doors.

And, it's International Games Week! November 7-13 Perfect time for all things gaming.

Thanks to

Ever feel challenged with the acting part of voice acting? 🎭 ​Sanford Meisner boiled it all down to this statement. “Acting is living truthfully in imaginary circumstances.” Yes, I took a little liberty by adding “voice” and tweaking “authentic.” But if I think about being authentic, it hits differently. Right now being alive is truthful, but with some scripts I have to put myself into the imaginary circumstance and that’s a mental game for me. I call it my Voice Skills I.Q.™

Here’s my 4-step process for getting there.
💯 Get a clear understanding of the circumstances. Be as detailed as possible.
💯 Determine who you’re talking to in this imaginary place. I call this my TAP (Target Audience Person) and they are the key to a successful read.
💯 Lock the details of your TAP & the imaginary circumstance in your mind & keep your focus there. Resist the urge to focus on what you’re doing vocally. Instead, trust your voice (If you’ve trained it well. If not, DM me. 😉) because you need to keep yourself mentally in the “imaginary circumstance” talking to the right imaginary person. This is the real challenge. Keep your head in the game - mentally!
💯 Deliver the read from the imaginary place talking to the imaginary person.

I spend a little more time placing myself correctly in the right imaginary place. It doesn’t take long - maybe 30 seconds to 1:00 ⏳. The read ALWAYS sounds different. It’s ALWAYS better when I take those few extra seconds to settle it in my mind. Because the body ALWAYS follows where the mind is settled! It’s the mental game of voiceover.

If you’d like to learn more about how to cash in on your voice and become a master at the art of storytelling with your voice, DM me.

Save this post as a reminder for the process of being authentic in imaginary circumstances!

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Your best voice comes from a relaxed body! ☺️ Too often we carry tension in our neck, throat, shoulders, & upper back, which results in a tense & restricted voice. 😬Living in stressful times, auditioning, sitting in front of the computer and in the booth for long periods of time can easily cause tense muscles. Remember.. muscles remember! ⁣
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Here are 5 easy things you can do to relax & get the best voice out of your body.⁣
✅ Drop your jaw. Your neck & shoulders immediately release & relax. Dropping your jaw helps you realign the neck and body. It’s so easy. ⁣
✅ Close your eyes 👀, take a deep breath in through your nose & out through the mouth. Deep breathing is very calming because it oxygenates your blood stream even for just 2 or 3 minutes. You’ll feel calm but energized.⁣
✅ Take time to do something relaxing that you really enjoy - a bubble bath 🛁, walk on the beach 🏖, or chilling in the hammock.⁣
✅  Be intentional about relaxing, especially before auditioning. 2 or 3 minutes can make a big difference in the way you sound & the control you gain over your voice.⁣
✅ Use your hands to massage your neck & shoulders. It may not be as good as a massage therapist, but can offer a little relief from tight muscles. ⁣
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It’s not difficult for me to relax, I just have to remember to do it, especially when I’m auditioning. Let’s calm ourselves & do something we truly enjoy. ♥️ Your voice will not operate at peak performance 🏔unless your body - especially your neck, throat, shoulders, and upper back are relaxed. It doesn’t have to take a long time. Small things have been known to provide the greatest impact, so don’t discount just breathing.⁣
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For more details about the Relaxed Body - Relaxed Voice, DM me. Let me know in the comments your top 3 favorite relaxing environments & feel free to add your own options. ⁣
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Save this post for future reference & share it with someone who might find it helpful.⁣
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I'm talking Voice with Andy & Bombas again on their podcast, A Wonderful Chaos! Join us Thursday, July 15 at 11 am EST. We always have lots of fun & laughs! Live on FB

"It's an investment in your instrument!" Andrea Daniel shares her perspective of The Elite Voice Master Blueprint program. "I learned things I didn't know that I needed to know." 😲

💰In voiceover you always have to spend money before you make money. You need gear, 🎧 🖥🎙 & a demo reel just to audition.

The most important thing you can do is pay attention to your voice! It is your most valuable asset. YOU are the most important component because you couldn’t even have a voiceover career without your luxurious pipes.

Just before I got started in voiceover, I was hosting and producing a tv talk show. It hurt me to talk. I sought the help of a voice coach with 1 simple goal. Stop the pain! 🛑 After working with her for a while, my voice changed & I fell into my natural pitch range. I sounded totally different! It felt euphoric to talk. Coach Joan said, “Cindy, I think you’d be great at voiceover. Let me introduce you to my agent - Stars in San Francisco.” 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

What⁉️ I just wanted to get rid of the pain, but got so much more - including a new career in voiceover and I was already working at a television station.

Eventually you will have to spend money💰on tech, gear, and other things. However, if your voice is not up to par, all the equipment & gear you can purchase won’t land you those high-paying gigs you really want.

So learn all you can about YOUR voice - how to use it, how to take care of it, how to expand your range, and how to make it do what you want it to do.

And when you’re ready, I’m here… standing by with the blueprint, strategy, and support to help you tap into all the potential that’s packed into your voice.

DM me to schedule a time to chat & see if you’re a fit for The Elite Voice Master Blueprint program.

Invest in your voice now so that it will serve you AND others a lifetime!

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