ABSTRACT
This is in stark contrast to other performance roles. Actors and singers performing 2-3 hours a night get vocal coaching and advice on how to look after their voices. When I did fi nally, after over 15 years as a teacher, manage to get a day with a vocal coach, it was because it had been arranged by my church on the grounds that I might be speaking for 20 minutes or so once a month. When I told her what I did for a living, she duly rolled her eyes and explained that teachers had lots of vocal problems. This seems to be supported by claims on various union websites that suggest teachers can be up to 8 times more likely than the rest of the population to develop issues with their voices.
