Juliet Russel speaks about many ideas when trying to power your practice to something you enjoy and sparks creativity. These tongue exercises can be a great start to waking up your articulation.
“Clean” your Teeth – Exercise #1
- Move tongue the front and back of your teeth
- Keep the lips closed
Four Directions – Exercise #2
- Outside of the mouth, move the tongue up, down, left, and right
“Lion” – Exercise #3
- Stick the tongue out (make sure it’s flat)
- Give a breathy roar
Tongue Trill – Exercise #4
- Do a tongue roll with “sirens”
- Do a tongue roll at the beginning of a phrase (Rrrraaaaaaah, Rrrreeeeeee, etc.)
“Tip of the Tongue” Tongue Twister – Exercise #5
- “The tip of the tongue and the teeth and the lips”
- Note the different sounds on “t” and “d”
- Try an exercise using “tada data”
*Remember to do this at a pace where accuracy is not compromised (be accurate), Speed up incrementally
“Tikki ta tay” Tongue Twister – Exercise #6
- Tikki ta tay
- Ta ti ta
- Ta tikki ta x4
- Use different combinations of consonants (Deggi da day, Flikka fla flay, etc.)
“Like a Gherkin” – Exercise #7
- To the tune of Madonna’s “Like a virgin”
- Move up the scale
- Energize the “G” and “K”
Working the “G” – Exercise #8
- “Gogogogogogo” “geegeegeegeegee” “gaaagaagaagaa” “googoogoogoo”
- Work on clarity and energy of consonant and vowel
Juliet Russell is a singer, composer, vocal coach and choir director. Passionate about supporting individuals and communities to develop their voices and creativity, Juliet’s work focuses on how to create more joy and connection through music and singing. In her private practice, she specialises in artist development, working with aspiring and established singers and song writers. She combines technical understanding with a creative, artist-centred approach. She has worked with Grammy, BRiT, MTV Europe and MOBO award winning artists and has coached multiple winners of The Voice UK. She is the vocal coach on two of the UK’s biggest entertainment shows, ITV’s The Voice UK and BBC1’s Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, where she prepares the Unexpected Stars for the performance of their lives. Juliet has collaborated and performed with innovative artists including Damon Albarn, Imogen Heap, alt-J and Paloma Faith, most recently writing the vocal arrangement and leading the #ThankYouMidwife choir on Paloma’s rendition of Silent Night, in association with Pampers UK. Juliet has composed and arranged music for film, television and radio, including numerous choral and a cappella arrangements. She is a national trainer for the British Lung Foundation and The Musical Breath, training singing leaders working with people with obstructive lung health conditions. She leads Portobello Live Choir, a community choir in West London and Assemble professional choir and gives masterclasses nationally and internationally. www.julietrussell.com
