I had written a review for the voice-over school, Voice One, where Sarah Kliban is an instructor -…read moreand I wanted to share it here as well:
"I have had an incredible journey thus far at Voice One!
On a whim, I started taking classes in February 2016, with the intention that it would only be part-time and mostly to "scratch an itch" that I'd had for many years -- I have a BA degree in speech communications, and also people were ALWAYS telling me that I had a unique voice and should do voice over. About a month after I took my first class, I was unexpectedly laid off, and I decided to use the opportunity to dive in full-time for about six months. It's now been five months, and I am sincerely amazed at how much I have learned and accomplished. I am planning to record my demos in about six weeks, and I am feeling very confident and excited to produce some evidence of my hard work.
I have shared this background of my personal story because I think it has greatly influenced my journey. Most students also work full-time while attending Voice One, and therefore cannot attend 3-5 classes/week, like I have been fortunate to do. The more classes you are able to take, the more quickly you can progress. And I think this is important to mention, because while I have been able to acquire a monumental amount of skills in those five months, it was because I was able to dedicate myself to this full-time, both in and out of the classroom.
I want to emphasize how supportive I have found everyone to be at Voice One. When I first began, I was so nervous every single time it was my turn at the mic (...and I still am a little). But I didn't let myself get frustrated when I just wasn't getting it, and my instructors never got frustrated with me either. In fact, the direction that I have received has always been fair and constructive. They are not there to make you feel good about a crappy performance. They are there to get you to realize your full potential by teaching you tried-and-tested techniques, and to push you to incorporate those techniques in every single one of your performances - until you not only get it, but you get it right consistently.
Some of the best advice I ever got was from Elaine Clark, the owner and often-instructor at Voice One. She knew that I was struggling because I had taken most of the core classes, and I had studied and knew most of the technique, but it was all stuck in my head. She told me that I needed to just let go, trust myself, and let it flow out of me. And that was a huge breakthrough moment that made all the difference in the world. She not only took the time to give me careful instruction during class, but also to take the time to really see where I was getting hung up, and to coach me away from my trouble spots.
I also want to give a huge shout-out to another instructor, Sarah Kliban. Her class, Narration Simple, was incredibly insightful. She is a no-nonsense instructor, who can seem tough if you are thin-skinned... but if you want someone to teach you how to really get inside a script and make it sound like the words on the paper are thoughts in your head, rather than something that you are reading, this is a must-have class. I found her approach to be so helpful, especially with the emphasis on how both sociological and psychological behavioral patterns affect our interpersonal communication. That was the focus of my BA studies, and I found it super helpful when applied to these narration studies. If you, like me, have never been a performing arts student before, and tend to have a more cerebral approach to things, this class is instrumental. It opened a door for me, that allowed all the other classes to make sense.
I know everyone's journey is different, and mine is just one example. But since mine has been so gratifying, I just wanted to share my story and encourage all prospective students to trust this amazing group of dedicated teachers!"
