Lessons From Disney: Want To Be King? 3 Steps To Get You Started By Ron Ruth

FLASHBACK ARTICLE FROM DECEMBER 2010
Last month I told you about how much time Disney invests in ongoing rehearsal to maintain perfection for its “The Lion King” production on its home stage at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas. Although the Vegas production of “The Lion King” has been performed over 600 times, the cast must attend rehearsal five days a week for a minimum of 4 hours per day.
The article concluded with a call to action for DJs to realize that achieving perfection is a process, not a goal, and to take a lesson from Disney by devoting time each week to rehearsal to become better performers. However, when my copy of “Disc Jockey News” arrived in the mail and I read my advice, I realized that my call to action may have been too general.
So, I turned to my good friend and fellow Wedding Entertainment Director, Bill Hermann, to help shine some light on specifics. Bill is not only a popular and respected wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies; he is a trained stage actor with excellent knowledge of and passion for the theatre arts. Bill’s ability to incorporate much of his theatrical skill and talent into every performance makes him unique in the DJ industry. Those attributes also explain why he is in such high demand with brides and grooms.
Bill suggests three acting exercises every DJ should rehearse to help them improve their performances. These daily drills individually and collectively focus on improving breathing, diction, and creative interpretation.
Let’s start with breathing. Before microphones, actors were forced to learn proper breathing to be heard in the back row of a theatre. The voice had to be projected to make it sound full and natural but not as though the performer was shouting. To achieve the appropriate result, actors and musicians rely on the diaphragm muscle, rather than the lungs alone, to aid them in giving a little extra “oomph” to their voices. Imagine how incredible your voice will sound through a microphone if you can conquer the correct breathing technique.
Several websites define “diaphragmic breathing.” Wikipedia agrees with most that “Diaphragmatic breathing is breathing deep into one’s lungs by flexing one’s diaphragm (located at the bottom of the lungs) rather than breathing shallowly by flexing one’s rib cage. This deep breathing is marked by the expansion of the abdomen rather than the chest when breathing. It is generally considered a healthier and fuller way to ingest oxygen.”
To strengthen the diaphragm muscle, Bill offers the following exercise. First, lay on your back and place a hand on your chest. Take a slow breath, but do so your chest doesn’t rise when inhaling. As you slowly exhale, your chest, again, should not move. Be conscious of how your abdomen increases and lowers with each breath. Do this exercise for an extended period every day. With lots of practice, and it will take time, you’ll no longer breathe from the upper lungs and nasal passages alone, and you may even feel more energetic.
The intent of the breathing exercise is not to change your voice but to make it more elegant and to give your delivery more style. Your diaphragm will become the epicenter of your breathing and prevent you from overworking the vocal cords, allowing your voice to sound richer and fuller. The ability to project your voice correctly will ultimately enable better control over a roomful of noisy wedding guests.
Bill’s suggestions for exercises that will improve diction (the ability to speak clearly) are much more fun than concentrating on breathing alone. But, of course, you’ll still want to ensure you are breathing correctly as you proceed. According to Bill, the best place to get started on improving your diction is to pick up a book on tongue twisters or, my favorite, read aloud from the Dr. Seuss books “Fox In Sox” and “Oh Say Can You Say.”
“Enunciate and articulate every rhyming word and change your vocal inflection to match that of an elephant or a bird.” I just made that up, but you get the idea.
“Read the story with feeling and dramatic emotion. Read it in a manner that will cause a joyful commotion.” Sorry! I can’t help myself.
If you have kids, make it a bedtime habit to share a Dr. Seuss story with them. “Deliver it differently each night and watch their little faces shine with delight. Your tiny tots will love you more dearly as you learn to speak more clearly.” OK, I’m done. Promise!
Finally, Bill advises that every DJ could benefit from rehearsing creative interpretation. Learning to interpret the written word in several ways will help you give greater clarity to the emotions you want to convey to an audience while reading from a script or simply making announcements. Although there is much fun to be had in different interpretations of the writings of Dr. Seuss, Bill suggests that reading from a favorite poet allows the opportunity to experiment with a much more comprehensive range of emotions. For example, try reading a happy poem aloud, but read it with great sadness and vice versa. Also, change the inflection of certain words in an ode to alter the intended meaning.
If you have yet to have a poet in mind to get you started, consider a couple of Bill’s favorites. He enjoys Jane Kenyon and Richard Brautigan, to name just two.
And, as with each of these exercises, before you begin to speak, remember to breathe from the diaphragm while also focusing on your diction.
Granted, these exercises have been explained in very simplistic terms. However, the best way to fully appreciate the value and benefits of each is to receive hands-on coaching. Coaching from someone who knows what they’re doing also assures that you perform each exercise correctly.
“Coaching?” you say. “Where am I going to find a performance coach?” I thought you’d never ask.
Bill Hermann has put together a one-day, hands-on workshop for a limited number of DJs that want to improve their performance called “The Entertainment Experience.” Join Bill for a rare learning opportunity in Minneapolis/St Paul, MN, on Sunday, March 20th, 2011. Spots are minimal. To reserve your slot or for more information, go to BillCreates.com today.
Being “The Lion King” or “Queen” of the DJ jungle is hard work and requires a true dedication to the craft of entertainment. As I stated at the end of last month’s article, to get closer to perfection, “Learn from those that have already gotten there.”

Written by Disc Jockey News