The Voice

Dear all,

Our Trinity Term began this week, and we have launched into proceedings with typical energy and enthusiasm.

Today we held our annual House Public Speaking event, and the standards were as high as ever. Perhaps fittingly, this week also saw the annual World Voice Day. There is no doubt that the two events are closely linked, with the power of the human voice being a telling factor on both days.

The human voice is incredibly flexible and consists of sounds produced through the vocal tract. Some of the actions resulting from this include talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting and humming, among other things.

We learn to use our voice from a very young age, and the power to communicate with such sophistication separates us from all other species. Yes, birds can sing, whales and dolphins can make communicative sounds but nowhere near at a level that matches us as humans.

The voice can be a source of great joy, and all of our children are encouraged to sing and use the power of speech for creative effect. Our outstanding Senior Choir were able to use their voices to great effect over the holiday by taking part in a wonderful charity concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Every day we ask our pupils to share their thoughts and feelings by using their voices. Sometimes, we scream and shout and we even cry. These are still highly advanced uses of the voice, so don’t be too hard on yourselves for not always using yours for entirely positive reasons.

As is the way, I will no doubt be hearing lots of tales about holiday adventures, and the children’s voices will be key in telling their own stories in their own inimitable way. As the wonderful Erin Brockovich so eloquently summarised,

‘’Your voice is your identity. It reveals everything about who you are, how you feel and what you stand for.’’

Jason Whiskerd