Everyday I get emails from people wondering how to get started in ventriloquism.
It would be very easy for me to say – go to Learn-Ventriloquism.com, pay me $97 and you will have the best course available. (According to Terry Fator and my students!)
While I do believe my course is the best way to start, otherwise I wouldn’t have offered it, there are other ways to learn.
So today, I want to share a comprehensive list of ways to learn and improve on your ventriloquism skills.
First, I will recommend you go to Learn-Ventriloquism.com and sign up for the free lessons. They really are free, and while the course has an automated email system that wants you to buy the course, you don’t have to.
The free lessons will teach you important fundamentals to successful ventriloquism. These are the real building blocks of the art. Don’t ignore them!
If you can’t afford my course, there are free ways to learn.
The best free course is Jeff Dunham’s video series. You can watch the videos on the International Ventriloquist Society’s website at:
https://ventriloquistsociety.com/ventriloquist-lessons-jeff-dunham/
The International Ventriloquist Society also has a page for beginning ventriloquists at: https://ventriloquistsociety.com/beginner-ventriloquists-start-here/
The free online ventriloquism tutorial is from the Maher Course of Ventriloquism.
Dressing Your Dummy is an excellent tutorial written by IVS Member Ann Seeton.
They have a free Creating Your Character Work Book which helps you define your puppet’s personality.
There are ventriloquism slide shows and a Puppet Manipulation course there too.
There are links to other resources there too.
Other ventriloquism freebies that are popular are:
Steve Axtell’s Ventrilo-Quick article.
How To Do Ventriloquism (With Pictures & Video)
Boy’s Life: How To Do Ventriloquism
Carol Greene’s Ventriloquism Lessons
Brownie Lock’s Ventriloquism Page
So what if you want some more in-depth information to learn ventriloquism?
That is when you consider paid instruction.
Luckily there are plenty of different courses to choose from. Prices for these vary depending on the instruction.
One of the least expensive, yet a very solid instruction course is Bob Neller’s Audio Lessons.
Axtell Puppets has plenty of videos that cover all areas of performing with puppets.
Pete Michaels has his educational DVD available.
Lee Cornell’s Ventriloquist Academy is an update of his course Ventriloquism 101.
Steve Petra has a lot of great material on performing and building shows. Go to the Petra Cave for a real treat – his videos are highly recommended.
Of course, I’ve already mentioned Learn-Ventriloquism and the Maher Course of Ventriloquism.
One last resource I want to recommend is the Vent Haven Ventriloquist ConVENTion. Everyone from beginner to pro can learn and grow at this event. Don’t be shy about attending. It will be an amazing experience and the community will welcome you with open arms.
At the beginning of the article, I mentioned this was for advanced vents too. That is true.
Everytime I read the Maher Course, I find a nugget of information I had forgotten. Or discover a new way of applying a technique.
And this is true of all the materials listed above.
Even advanced vents should not forget to continually brush up on the art and attempt to grow their knowledge.
Until next week!
