My weekend was full and happy. I am sharing it here because this community is about real weekend experiences, and this is exactly what I did on Saturday and Sunday. As I mentioned before, I go to a dubbing and voice acting course. It started as a hobby, but I love it.
First, I joined a diction course. That part lasted five weekends. I wanted to speak more clearly, pronounce words better, and feel more confident when I talk. In those lessons we worked on breathing, posture, and opening the mouth properly. We did many tongue twisters and sound exercises. We learned that a strong voice is not about shouting. It is about control, calm breathing, and clear articulation.
After five weekends, I understood something: diction alone was not enough for me. I wanted to go deeper. I wanted to learn how to use my voice for acting, emotion, and storytelling. So I registered for the dubbing and voice acting training. This training lasts two months. We have class on Saturday and Sunday evenings, from 18:00 to 21:00. The schedule is perfect for me because I can live my day normally, then in the evening I enter the studio world.
The class environment is exciting. We use microphones and headphones. There are acoustic panels on the walls, and there is that studio silence that makes you aware of every breath. At the same time, the atmosphere is friendly. My classmates are fun and kind. Everyone comes with a different reason: some people love cartoons, some want to improve their speaking, and some dream about working in voice acting one day. I like this mix. It makes the class feel alive.
On Saturday evening, we started with warm up exercises. We did slow breathing first. Then we made long sounds like “sss” and “fff” to control the air. After that we did tongue twisters, and we laughed when we got stuck. These small moments remove stress. When you relax, your voice becomes freer.
Then we moved to the main work: cartoon dubbing. Our teacher Damla prepared a short scene for us. We watched it once to understand the story. Then we watched again to focus on timing, emotion, and mouth movements. Dubbing is not only reading a text. It is matching the character’s rhythm and feeling. You must speak at the exact moment, stop at the exact moment, and still sound natural. It is like dancing, but with words.
When it was my turn, I felt nervous for a few seconds. I put on the headphones and suddenly I could hear everything. I heard my own breathing and even tiny sounds in the room. The character in the scene was playful and energetic, so I needed a different voice. I tried a higher tone, then a softer tone, then a more dramatic tone. Damla guided me and gave small notes. She reminded me to smile with my voice when the character smiles. She also reminded me to keep the energy steady, not only at the beginning.
By the end of Saturday, I felt tired but proud. My voice felt more open, and my mind felt sharper. I also felt closer to my classmates because we support each other. We clap for takes. We encourage each other when someone makes a mistake. Nobody judges. We are all learning.
A New Voice, A New Discovery
Sunday evening was more fun. We continued with cartoon dubbing, but this time we focused on “voice colors.” That means the different sound qualities you can create as one person. Before this course, I thought I had one voice and that was it. But I was wrong. In class I discovered many new voice colors inside me. My voice can be warm, serious, light, tired, excited, sweet, or sharp. Sometimes the change is small, like adding more air, changing the speed, or changing where you place the sound.
Damla asked us to repeat the same line in different emotions. First, we said it as if we were angry. Then we said it as if we were very happy. Then we said it as if we were worried. It was surprising how the same words can become a different message just by changing tone and rhythm. It felt like I was painting, but with sound.
I also learned that acting with the voice is connected to the body. If you stand stiff, your voice is stiff. If you open your chest, your sound becomes more open. If you relax your jaw, your words become clearer. These details look simple, but they change everything.
After class, I came home with a good kind of tiredness. I did not want to lose what I learned, so I kept my daily practice. Every day I read aloud. Sometimes I read a book, sometimes I read short texts, and sometimes I repeat lines from audio. I also use warm ups, like gentle humming. This practice helps me open my voice and build endurance. I can feel the progress. I speak with less tension now. I can control my breath better.
There is one month left until the course ends. I want to use this last month well. Next weekend we will record commercials. We will practice ad scripts in different styles: friendly, energetic, calm, and persuasive. I am curious about this part because commercials need clarity and strong rhythm. They also need personality, but not too much. It is a balance, and I want to learn it.
So my weekend was not only busy. It was meaningful. I spent my Saturday and Sunday evenings learning, laughing, and exploring new sides of my voice. I also took photos during our class moments to remember this experience. When I look at them, I see a group of people choosing growth instead of routine. That makes me happy. I am grateful for my teacher Damla, for my classmates, and for this weekend that felt full of learning and joy.