What sets us above the rest?

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 aim to be inclusive, allowing everyone to train and to enjoy our choirs and private lessons, regardless of their abilities or situations. There are no auditions, our venues have flat access, and we have a specially designed online resource for singers with neurodivergence, disabilities or mental health challenges.  We work closely with parents and children to discover whether we can meet their additional educational needs. Did you know, we have an in-house written SEND and Inclusion Policy, which is completely unique and personal to our organisation? It is available for perusal on request - just ask! 

Additionally, we are passionate about empowering individuals with music as a means of communication. Therefore, we made the decision several years ago to incorporate Makaton Signs into our performances - we have never looked back since!

Our teachers have experience with SEND, and director Claire holds a Vocal Health Certificate in Teaching Inclusively. Claire, neurodivergent herself, also teaches at The Hive, an activity centre for adults with disabilities and neurodivergence, so has an excellent understanding of how brilliant singing is, for everyone.  

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. 

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 and 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. 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! g studios, and performance spaces.

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 supported 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.