EFFECTS OF LESSAC KINESENSIC TRAINING ON VOCAL EXPRESSION AND INTELLIGIBILITY AMONG UNDERGRADUATE ACTORS IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Vocal pedagogy is a comprehensive training in voice, speech, body and mind. Globally, there is an increasing acceptance of Lessac Kinesensic Training (LKT) among vocal practitioners as an all-encompassing pedagogy. However, literature on vocal pedagogy in Nigeria has concentrated on training on speech with little emphasis on voice, body and mind. This study was, therefore, designed to determine the effects of LKT among undergraduate actors in southwestern Nigeria, with a view to improving their intelligibility and vocal expression. The moderating effects of years of actor training and first language were also examined.

Aaron Temkin Beck’s Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Gunnar Fant’s Source Filter Theory were adopted as framework. The pretest-posttest control group quasi-experimental research design was adopted. Two first generation universities offering reputable acting programmes: University of Ibadan, Ibadan (UI) and Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (OAU) were purposively selected. Seventeen 300 (13) and 400 (four) level undergraduate actors were enumerated. Participants were randomly assigned to LKT (10) and control (seven) groups. Five LKT principles (The Human “Musical Instrument”, Inner Harmonic Sensing, Perceptive Awareness, De-Patterning and Feedback) and two energies (Vocal and Body) were observed during treatment. The treatment lasted eight weeks. The instruments used were instructional guides, three sub-scales of Knowledge of Vocal Training Scale (r=0.81), Undergraduate Actors Intelligibility Scale (r=0.76) and Vocal Expression Scale (r=0.86). This was complemented with discussions involving all the participants for the feedback principle. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Analysis of Covariance and estimated marginal mean at 0.05 level of significance, while qualitative data were analysed perceptually and acoustically.

The participants’ age was 24.50±2.60 years, and females were 70.6%. There were significant main effect of treatment on vocal expression [F(1,12)=24.86; partial η2=0.07] and intelligibility [F(1,12)=10.09; partial η2=0.08] among the participants. The treatment group exhibited higher vocal expression (x ̅ = 44.00) and intelligibility (x ̅ = 32.90), while the control group recorded lower vocal expression (x ̅ = 32.14) and intelligibility (x ̅ = 23.29). The main effects of years of training on vocal expression and intelligibility were not significant. Also, the main effects of first language on vocal expression and intelligibility were not significant. The two-way and three-way interaction effects of treatment, first language and years of training on vocal expression and intelligibility were not significant. Participants who received acoustic, perceptual and body measurement modules of the LKT reported better outcomes in vocal expression and intelligibility.

Lessac kinesensic training enhanced the vocal expression and intelligibility among undergraduate actors in Southwestern Nigeria. A home-grown version of the pedagogy should therefore be incorporated into the curriculum for undergraduate actors across Nigeria regardless of years of actors training experience and first language.