Vocal Analysis Assignment - Amy Wagner

The context of the first recording is that of my tribute speech, given in a classroom environment. The context of the second recording is a casual conversation with a friend recorded while on break from a morning class. In the first recording, the average pitch is 64.39 and the average loudness is -24.52; in the second recording, the numbers are 62 and -26.12. Since the second recording was the one in which I spoke with someone else, it is important to note that my friend’s numbers were almost exactly the same as mine. In terms of how my numbers compare from recording to recording, I automatically noticed that while giving a speech, my pitch and loudness were higher than in the conversation with my friend, most likely because of nerves. My numbers when having a casual conversation indicated a lower pitch with less loudness, signaling that I was clearly speaking in a higher-pitched tone of voice that was generally louder when giving a speech for my classmates and instructor. Meanwhile, the fact that the numbers for the second recording were nearly analogous to those of the other person show that I tended to mimic the pitch and loudness of his voice throughout the conversation. Additionally, we were standing outside classrooms in the business school, and it is possible that we were both attempting to minimize the pitch and loudness of our voices so as not to disturb classes that were not on break. Our voices took on equal roles, in part because we are the same age and were both engaging in a casual conversation. In the first conversation, the main subjective quality I noticed was that of greater formality, because it was in a classroom setting with a graded speech. This contrasts with the second conversation, where I had an extremely casual tone of voice while conversing with a friend and fellow student.  Suggestions I would give myself as a speaker include continuing to try extemporaneous speaking. The first recording showed me how formal and scripted my voice sounded throughout my tribute speech, motivating me to continue what I started in my elevator pitch and formal proposal, which is having an outline while speaking more freely and naturally so as not to sound completely formal or scripted. In both recordings, I also tended to trail off at the end of sentences, showing that my voice has a tendency to sound like I am mumbling and generally become quieter at these points regardless of whether I am speaking in front of the class or having a casual conversation. Therefore, I must remain cognizant of this while maintaining even breath and making sure that my entire sentence projects clearly.