ME MAY MA MOE
A Vocal Warm-up for Kids
Teaching Projection and Articulation

step-by-step instructions

This is a simple vocal warm up. Tell the students to repeat after you, and lead them in chanting: “Ma Ma Ma Me,” then “Ma Ma Ma May,” then “Ma Ma Ma Ma,” and finally “Ma Ma Ma Moe.”

On the next round, say, “Now let’s try it with a K sound,” and lead the group in repeating, “Ka Ka Ka Key,” then “Ka Ka Ka Kay,” then “Ka, Ka, Ka, Ka,” and finally “Ka Ka Ka Koe.”

Continue the warmup with other sounds for the first letter, e.g., “Ba Ba Ba Be” or “Ta Ta Ta Tea.” etc. Stress that the students should project their voices using good breath support–raising their volume without yelling, and also to articulate the syllables.

MORE DRAMA GAMES AND THEATER ACTIVITIES YOU MIGHT ENJOY:
THROW YOUR VOICE ON “HAH” - Students practice projection and breath support
CONCENTRATION CLAPS - A group circle warm-up requiring precise rhythm and rapid response
SOUND BALL - Students pass an imaginary ball around a circle with improvised sound effects

© 2023, Friends of the Groom Theater Company

Curtains Up Curriculum by Friends of the Groom Theater Co. is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Curtains Up is a training program designed for young actors sponsored by Friends of the Groom Theater Company. It is available to the general public for free under the terms of the Creative Commons License above.