Acting Exercises - Warming Up The Voice 

As an actor, your voice is vitally important to your career. You've got to make sure that it's warmed up and ready - especially if you're working on stage. But even if you're working on television, and will have a microphone attached - it's always a good idea to work through a vocal warm up.

A nice one is to stand upright - and take a deep breath. Exhale the breath as you hum. Hmmmmmmmmm. It is not like singing - and don't try to hum a tune - but rather just breath it out like your body wants to breath it out. If it goes loud don't try to prevent it. Let your body tell you where to make it.

Another nice one is similar to this where you'll now control the pitch. Start lower - but as you exhale and after about half of the breath is out, change your facial position and open your mouth and change the sound accordingly.. Now's it's an Aaaaaaaaa" sound. But continue to the same pitch as you had. Control it. Remember, support the breath. Support the voice - and control it. Do this a few times. Remember this is warming up. It doesn't have to be loud.

A good warm up for actors for their lips is to press your lips together lightly and blow out so that your lips vibrate. Go up and down in pitch and let your lips warm up by moving fast.

Then, focus on your breathing for the second to last one. Breath from your diaphragm and when you exchale - exhale sharply with an "oh" or a "huh"... This is projection... Make the noise from the depths of your body - not your throat.

And for the last one begin to speak and practice pronouncing the words carefully and precisely. Try some of the following. If nothing else - these are good tongue twisters:

”Red Leather, Yellow Leather”

”She Stood Upon The Balcony, Mimicking Him Hiccupping, And Amicably Welcoming Him In”

"She sells sea shells down by the sea short"

Each word should be clear, each letter precise. How fast can you do each before you start to trip up.