Why are diction classes so boring/difficult?
Yes, go ahead, dare to ask the tough questions. If anyone out there found diction class to be fascinating, write me and tell me how, then send your diction instructor a note of appreciation. Or a Ferrari.:-) Let’s face it, voice diction is a tough course. All of a sudden you’re expected to learn a large set of symbols you’ve never seen before. When was the last time that happened to you — a Russian course maybe, or perhaps those giant alphabets on the kindergarten walls come to mind! Add to that enough seemingly contradictory rules of transcription to fill a college linguistics course curriculum. What a combination. Plus, there’s another aspect of the voice diction class that’s often overlooked or underestimated — the students are often (painfully) aware of each other’s ability levels. There’s no anonymity in the diction classroom — you’re reading out loud, repeating things, probably even singing in front of the class. Let’s be honest, this classroom has a kind of stage in it, so it
