23 Jan Tongue Twisters for Young Actors
At our acting school, we make sure our students walk into every audition as prepared as possible. Part of that is being comfortable with commercial copy. Catchy slogans littered with alliterations are what advertisers use to make their product stand out from the rest. This can be tricky for young actors. And, that is where tongue twisters can be put to good use.
Truly, warming up your facial muscles to speak clearly is a great way to get in the zone before commercial auditions. Also, recitation and repetition are a great way to harness nervous energy into productivity. Engaging your mind by staying focused and engaging your facial muscles during these tongue twisters establishes a pre-audition ritual. Cultivating good habits that center the body and mind before walking into the audition room help young actors remain centered and clear headed. So, ready to give it a try? Here are some tongue twisters our students use, below.
“Red Leather Yellow Leather”
First, start slowly. Once you have the hang of it, pick up the pace. Once you feel comfortable, see how fast you can say the phrase. Want to have some fun with it? Set a timer for one minute and see keep track on how many times you can repeat this phrase before time is up. This is a great way to chart your progress and watch yourself improve.
“How Much Wood Could A Wood Chuck Chuck if I Wood Chuck Could Chuck Wood?”
So, this is a great exercise for your mouth. In everyday life, people mumble, drop the endings of words, and speak without opening their mouth widely. With this twister, focus on on hitting the ending consonants of the words. It may sound funny to you at first, but hitting every letter is a great way to practice emphasis and intention.
“Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
Where’s the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?”
Finally, here is Peter Piper . It’s longer and tougher than the first two. It focuses on the “P” sound. With this tongue twister, practice one line at a time. Then, add the next in the series. Next, once you get comfortable with this rhyme, have fun with by changing the inflection in which you recite it.
Challenge yourself with the following:
TONGUE TWISTERS
Bitty black bugs bite big black bears.
Fancy feathers feel funny and make me fidget.
Little ladies like lace.
Rubber baby buggy bumpers.
Young yodeling youth yammer for yogurt.
Nickelodeon nighttime network is nice.
Odious odd odors overcame Oscar the Octopus.
Ridiculous riddle rhetoric remains risky.
Peter and Paul ate popcorn while painting the porch.
I slit a sheet, a sheet I slit, and on that slitted sheet I sit.
Shelly still sells seashells by the sea shore.
Vivian and Victoria are ventriloquists.
An apple and an apricot are always an appetite appeaser.
Harry Houdini hides his handy hair-raising hobby happily.