Thursday, November 7, 2013

In-Class Voice Analysis


In my first conversation, I talked to a stranger on phone. I was booking an appointment at Thompson & Co. for a bang trim and eyebrow wax appointment. The person I was talking to was a stranger (I have never talked to this person before) and worked at Thompson & Co. The person I talked to was (based on her voice) female and was unaware that I was recording the conversation. For my second conversation, I talked to my mom on the phone. She was informed of me recording the conversation and we discussed plans for her to come visit in December.

My average pitch was about 61/62 in my phone conversation with the worker from Thompson & Co., reaching 64 at some points. My average pitch in my conversation with my mom was around 58. I noticed an audible difference in the “deepness” of my voice between the two conversations. Prior to this analysis, I knew that my voice tended to rise in pitch (“become higher”) when I talked to a stranger on the phone. This might be because I perceive the stranger, usually someone I am scheduling an appointment with, to have more “authority” and “knowledge” in this situation. I also get nervous talking on the phone, specifically with strangers, and this might account for my change in pitch between the two conversations. My voice is noticeably “deeper” and more relaxed in my conversation with my mom. In comparison, I sound like a squeaky toy in my conversation with the worker from Thompson & Co.

My mom and me had about the same pitch but I did notice she talked a bit louder than me. She might be trying to assert her authority by raising the loudness of her voice because she is my mother (thereby my superior). Though, it also might be because she is older and older people tend to talk louder on the phone.

I would say I tended to mimic the high pitched tone of the worker from Thompson & Co. 

Perri Final Perfomance


2. I would like to recreate my experience on Semester at Sea. I know a lot of my peers have had the chance to study abroad, but for them, and especially those who haven't, I would like to share this major milestone in my life both aesthetically and kinesthetically. In my short time as a human being, SAS has been the most rewarding, memorable, exciting, and difficult experience in my entire life and I fear everything is downhill from there. I think about living on the ship every day, arriving in a new port every week. I would like to use a lot of my own personal artifacts to enhance this performance, as well as more comical and familiar tactics. My performance, as of now, will bring to life what it might feel like to spend time on a ship for extended periods, as well as the excitement that comes along with traveling the world. Because I was fortunate enough to have this experience, and I believe I am truely a better person for it, I hope to inspire others to travel as well because experiencing other cultures first hand is one of the most amazing gift we have. 

  1. I will obviously be present for this performance, and my hope is to transform the audience into my fellow shipmates. I would like to enhance this experience by simulating a rocking boat and spraying water infrequently. Sounds of waves crashing will play a role in making myself and the audience feel the illusion of being on a moving boat in between ‘docking’ at various tropical and multicultural ports. I will use the former mediums to enhance the ship experience, in addition with including maps of our ‘destinations’ and artifacts from the various places we visit.




I wish to engage as many senses as possible. People will see the ship rocking, as well as the beautiful locales every so often. They will hear the water and the birds, and they will feel the water pray in their faces. I would love to incorporate smell into this somehow, but I will have to spend some more time on that aspect. As of now, I think bringing fish to the performance might be a bit overkill, but even if I cooked one and brought it to my performance, the audience may be able to pick up the smell. I could bring in different spices to indicate some of the different types of food found at some of the locations, or bring in actual snacks. I would love to bring a fan as well, but recourses may not permit me to do so.

Performance Concept Criteria

At the end of class, we will take some time to start preparing Performance Concepts for the final. Concepts are due to the blog by the beginning of class on Tuesday.

  • 500 Words
  • The concept of your final performance: What is the experience you wish to recreate? Why is this event significant to you?
  • What are the senses you wish to engage? What are different options for engaging various senses? Please list more options than you plan to use and evaluate the possible effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of each.
I will leave some time at the end of class for us to meet one-on-one to discuss your final projects, and any other questions you have about the end of the quarter/your grade/performance studies/life. Please be prepared to meet as I will be aiming to meet with everyone.

Voice Analysis Stuff - 11.7.13



  • To run the program you need to download Max Runtime at http://cycling74.com/downloads/runtime/ (it's safe, please download the version that is compatible with your Mac/PC (PCs, 32-bit is good))



  • This program only uses .wav files, so if your files are a different format (.mp3, .m4a, etc), please go to http://media.io/ and use their free online audio converter. Convert it to a .wav file
    • This does not convert .flac or .mov files - if you have these types of files, please email them to me to convert them for you!
  • You are ready!
This exercise will require both quantitative and qualitative analysis
  • The numbers from the Voice Analysis program are there to give you a general idea of what is happening in your recordings
    • The average human voice will be somewhere around 60-63 in the analyzer. Bear in mind that even a difference of a point is significant here (it's not like one voice will be 40 and another 70, even when varying between male and female).
  • However, once you notice your vocal trends, you will need to do some deep listening to qualitatively interpret how it sounds, and apply those qualitative attributes to a critical explanation of how your two conversations contrast and differ.
  • In Summary: you can use the numbers, but you must also use your ears and senses to make sense of what is happening!




In-Class Write Up
  • 500 Words
  • Explain the contexts of both conversations - what is the contextual source of contrast here?
  • What is the average pitch and loudness of your voice in each conversation? How do they differ from one conversation to the next?
  • What is the average pitch and loudness of the other person's voice in each conversation? Again, compare both dialogue partners
  • Take a moment to just listen to the conversations. What are the subjective qualities that you notice (without taking into account the numbers)?
  • Did you tend to mimic the pitch and loudness (tone) of the other person's voice? Or did your voice take on an opposing role (either dominant or submissive) in relation to the other person?
  • Please write a few sentences to critically analyze your conversations, combining both qualitative and quantitative data, and applying the data to the theory of what we have studied about how voice works as a tool in performance within a space/context, communication with another and in relation to an audience.


Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Media for 10.5.13


  • Lake Bell on "Sexy Baby Voice" http://www.today.com/klgandhoda/lake-bells-quest-against-sexy-baby-voice-6C10876009
  • E. Patrick Johnson "Sweet Tea" Staged Performance

  • E. Patrick Johnson "Sweet Tea" Staged Reading


  • William Forsyth's "One Flat Thing"




Monday, November 4, 2013

Final Performance Assignment

Please note changes in time constraints.

The final performance project will focus on a narrative approach to story-telling. Please choose an event from your own life that you feel is significant in shaping your personal/cultural/spiritual/political/etc. perspective. Your assignment is to recreate this event in a performance with the objective of helping your audience to experience it on as many sensory, emotional and critical levels as possible. Although the concept for your performance is relatively open-ended, please keep the following parameters in mind:

  • You must create an original aesthetic text for the performance (the method of delivery, however, is up to you). Cut N Mix is considered a method for original text if the final product is crafted by you.
  • You must include at least one material artifact/piece of media/source of additional sensory impact.
  • Any videos used that include narration or spoken word must be under 30 seconds in length (unless the person speaking in the video is you). You may use videos beyond 30 seconds in length if they include background noise/ambient sounds or imagery.
  • You must arrange for the use of laptops yourselves; the teacher's laptop will be used for recording the performances only.
  • The performance MUST clock in at under 7 minutes. The timer will go off at 7 minutes, and you will be cut off after 8 minutes.
On the final day of class, the week before the final performance (Thursday, November 14th), a final self-critique/reflection paper will be due. Please write 1200-1500 words on the following:

  1. A brief overview of your performances over the quarter: what improvements you saw, what aspects of performing you continue to struggle with, what you see as the strengths/weaknesses of yourself as a performer (please use the videos uploaded to DU VideoManager as reference)
  2. The concept of your final performance: What is the experience you wish to recreate? Why is this event significant to you?
  3. The Pentad of the performed experience: who are you performing as (if not yourself) and who else is present? What is the action and why is the action being performed? Where and when is it happening? How is it happening - what are the unique characteristics of this experience that need to be recreated to get an accurate sense of its significance?
  4. What are the senses you wish to engage? What are different options for engaging various senses? Please list more options than you plan to use and evaluate the possible effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of each.
  5. What is the mode of aesthetic text (lyric, dramatic, epic)? What kind of relationship will the performer (you) have to your audience (closed/open - see various options on page 71).
  6. Finally - this part is especially important - please analyze the factors that contributed to your unique perspective of this experience:
    • What personal significance does this experience have and how does it relate to your personal development both before and since this event occurred?
    • What are the cultural factors that shaped your perception of this experience?
    • What were the social norms that influenced your reaction to this experience and how (if at all) did they contrast with your own personal perspective?
    • How might your Truth of this experience vary from the Fact?
You may choose to write up each section separately, or write the whole paper as one cohesive essay. If you dedicate only 200 words to each section your paper will be of sufficient length.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Assignment for Thursday, November 7th

This exercise is designed to analyze the tonality of the voice as it shifts in response to one's perceived audience, environment and social norms/pressures. Please use a personal recording device (the voice memo app on your smart phone is an acceptable option - or, if you don't have one, the library rents them out, see http://library.du.edu/services/computers-tech-availability.html) to record yourself participating in at least two different types of conversations. These different types can include:

  • You talking to friends and/or peers
  • You talking to someone you consider a superior/someone who has more authority
  • You talking to someone you consider a subordinate (or a conversation where you feel like you have more authority than the other speaker)
  • You talking to family (if the family member is considered also a peer AND a friend, please do not use this option in conjunction with the first one)
  • You talking to someone you consider an adversary
This is due a week from today - Thursday, November 7th. Please have these sound files downloaded to your laptop by class time (if you do not have a laptop, you may email it to someone in the class who does). We will do an in-class exercise to look at the frequency/pitch, volume and inflection of the voice as we speak to different audiences.

If you have problems recording or downloading, please feel free to visit me during my office hours (Tuesday/Thursday, 2-4pm)