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Advanced Training Guidelines

It’s simple: Practice 10 minutes/day and do one call a week in addition to your time on mic in class. Put at least two days between your call and your on-mic time. No commitment! End training any time. Our goal is to get you working fast 🙂

No need to read on if that makes sense to you! But if you are taking advanced training for the first time, you will need to sign this contract confirming that you agree and understand. Here are the guidelines:

Goals and Policies

Our goal is for you to have an agent or paid online gigs in under 15 weeks. 5-10 weeks is ideal. You may drop out at any time and receive a 90% refund or credit on unused training. ► If you do not practice regularly or make up missed training, you may be dropped at any time and receive a 110% refund or credit on unused training.

How Much to Practice

You must become skilled at troubleshooting your own problems or you will fail after you get an agent, or fail to get an agent. So you must practice a specific issue, learn from your effort, and try again. ► That means you must practice twice in a row, preferably 10 minutes two days in a row. Then your coach will work with you to help you become a better troubleshooter of your performance.

To help you, your coach will work with you twice each week. Once on mic at a regular time of your choosing, and once by phone in between each time on mic. For example:

  1. Work on mic Monday
  2. Practice Tuesday & Wednesday (two days in a row)
  3. Work with your coach by phone on Friday
  4. Practice Saturday & Sunday (two days in a row)
  5. Work on mic again Monday, etc.

Phone Training Times

So you must practice at least two times before every training session! If your regular on-mic time is Monday, you must do your call no later than Friday, to allow you two days to practice before getting on mic again. ► You may NOT schedule a call the day before or the day after an on-mic session, and definitely not on the same day as your on-mic session.

On-Mic Training Times

There are four class sessions each week. You can come to any one, but should try to come on the same day each week. Once you start, schedule a call each week from the bottom of the Contact Us page (link at the top of this page, or use the BLUE button below:

Regularly scheduled sessions each week are:

  1. Monday Evening – flexible start times from 6:15-7:15 p.m. Plan on staying a minimum of 90 minutes.
  2. Wednesday Day– flexible start times from 12:45-2 p.m. Plan on staying a minimum of 90 minutes.
  3. Thursday Evening – flexible start times from 6:15-7:15 p.m. Plan on staying a minimum of 90 minutes.
  4. Saturday AM– flexible start times from 10:15-11 a.m. Plan on staying a minimum of 90 minutes.

Making up Missed Time

You can attend any of the four pre-scheduled sessions listed above each week if you need a makeup. If you can’t make a regular session, your coach may schedule a 1-on-1 session on-mic at a time of your choosing to make sure you get continuous training. Remember, you can come to any regular session as long as you give notice, but should try to come to the same one each week.

How to Practice

Practice two scripts back-to-back every day standing up with the script near eye level. Practice each script for about five minutes. That’s ten minutes a day.

Follow whatever procedures your coach gives you for homework. Otherwise, pick three or four places in every script (usually but not always where there is punctuation) to pause and say a two-to-four word interjection. Make up your own from examples like these:

  • …Oh…y’know…
  • …So…look…
  • …No-no-no…
  • …But…why?…
  • …Yes…finally!…
  • …Hey…listen…
  • …Hmm…really?…

The goal is to give yourself a moment to express genuine emotion leading into the words you are about to say. Don’t just say the words! Feel something. There are tons of transitions big and small in every script. Don’t over-analyze; just pick two to four places to pause and say two or more words.

Articulation and Accent Practice

After you have done your main script practice each day, try to work in some articulation and/or accent practice later in the day. (The School of Acting and Voice Over is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, so we often help students with strong Midwestern accents to drop them so they can get national work.) For this practice, you don’t have to stand, you can even be talking while doing other things.

Important Points Recap

► If you do not practice regularly or make up missed training, you may be dropped at any time and receive a 110% refund or credit on unused training.

► Practice twice in a row, twice each week for a total of at least four practice sessions (preferably 10 minutes on each of two days in a row.)

► Practice two scripts back-to-back every day. Practice each script for about five minutes.

► You may NOT schedule a call the day before or the day after an on-mic session.

► Come to any weekly session, but try to come to the same one each week. Communicate with us!