Darlington's Hub for all things voice!

We are unique - and we are proud to shout it from the rooftops! We specialise in voice. This means we invest all of our time, efforts and funds in continued professional development in voice, in singing equipment and in teacher training. We aim to be the best in delivering vocal tuition in our area. We live and breathe singing - it's who we are!  

We prioritize inclusivity in our choirs and private lessons, welcoming everyone regardless of ability. There are no auditions, and our venues are accessible. We provide resources for singers with neurodivergence, disabilities, or mental health challenges and work closely with families to meet additional educational needs. Our unique in-house SEND and Inclusion Policy is available upon request.

We empower communication through music, incorporating Makaton Signs into performances. We also offer Awards and Certificates in Musical Development using the Sounds of Intent Framework with Trinity College London. Our experienced teachers, including Claire, who has a Vocal Health Certificate and personal experience with neurodivergence, promote the benefits of singing for all

We are excited to announce that we have worked hard to create our unique Starset Welcome Pack, an interactive online source for prospective singers to access information and photos and information about our teachers, venues and sessions. We strive to be as inclusive and welcoming as we can and are always updating our training to make the experiences of those with additional needs or anxiety easier. 

Our Starset Welcome Pack discusses:

* Sensory information for the rooms/buildings including photos and descriptions

* Photos and information about our teachers 

* Information on how our sessions run

..and lots more!

If you would like to view our interactive pack, please email us at team@voicesofdarlington.co.uk or message us on our site using the red speech bubble in the bottom right hand corner of this page, and we will send it across to you.

We are working on improving our resources all of the time, and welcome suggestions.

We are a trauma-informed organisation, which in essence means we have an understanding of trauma and its implications on the voice, and we aim to create a safe space for those affected. As trauma is said to have a significant impact on around 40-75% of us, we treat everyone with the same trauma-informed approach. 

We have our own safeguarding policies, there to protect everyone, written especially for us, by us, and each team member and every volunteer is DBS-checked to enhanced level and has to read, sign and agree to our policies, as standard. 

Claire and Tori are professional performers working in the industry, and that makes us personally appreciate the feelings, fears and aspirations of our singers. You really can't beat that, and it strengthens our relationships with our singers enormously. Our other teachers all work as heads of drama, university lecturers, work actively in music and drama education or are studying for their masters degree.

We invest in continued teacher training, with all of our teachers qualified at degree level or above, certified in Voice Health for Singers, and have a Musical Theatre Grade 6 and above as an absolute minimum. Director Claire is a Vocal Health First Aider, is a Trauma Informed Voice Professional, certified in Teaching Inclusively, is a Singing for Health Practitioner, and an accredited member of Vocal Health Education.  

We are an approved champion private centre for Trinity London Musical Theatre and Rock and Pop exams. We have absolute flexibility in our graded exams, and facilitate these digitally, in students normal teaching room, with their teacher, at a time that suits them. For even the most confident of singers, exams can make us anxious. Having this comfort and flexibility means that the calm, organised and predictable exam procedure really does have the singers best interests at the forefront. 

We are all connected. All of our teachers and team were once Claire’s private students or have worked with Claire. Every single one of them. This means we are all personally invested in the success of Voices of Darlington and understand our goals, manner, and procedures creating a real ‘family-feel’. 

We place enormous value on our singers' mental wellbeing. Singers who socialise together sing better together. We’ve created our own little VoD pot to put straight back into creating free-to-attend social events, treats and subsidised activities for all of our singers, including parties, pizza, bowling, open mic nights and parties! 

Being organised and having access to everything a singer could need in one place is a win-win situation for all. We use our My Music Staff platform for just about everything, and all singers have access to learning tracks, music theory help sheets, lyrics, calendar, news, payments, and several avenues of clear communication to help their home study. We have clear and succinct policies for both our private students and choirs, so that everyone knows what is expected of them.  

We are proud to give back to the community. We fundraise throughout the year and have raised £15,000 by supporting the following charities;

Darlington MIND, Breast Cancer Now, Hug in A Darlington MIND, Breast Cancer Now, Hug in A Bag, Cystic Fibrosis UK, CHUF, Together21, Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice, Shelter, The MARA Unit, Spinal Injuries AssociationBag, Cystic Fibrosis UK, CHUF, Together21, Zoe’s Place Baby Hospice, Shelter, The MARA Unit, Spinal Injuries Association, The Trinity Holistic Centre at James Cook Hospital.