World Voice Day

Abstract

IN APRIL 1999, Brazilian otolaryngologists established National Voice Week. This event was inspired by data from the World Health Organization that showed a high rate of laryngeal cancer in Brazil. Colleagues around the world recognized the value of this initiative. A variety of societies began collaborating, including the European Laryngological Association (www.elsoc.org), American Laryngological Association (ALA) (www.alahns.org), the Voice Foundation (www.voicefoundation.org), American Broncho-Esophagological Association (www.abea.net), Turkish Professional Voice Association (www.professional-voice.org [in Turkish]), American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery (AA0-HNS) (www.entnet.org), and others, as reviewed previously.1 The AAO-HNS, Voice Foundation, ALA, and other organizations collaborated to celebrate the first World Voice Day in the United States on April 16, 2003. This effort was coordinated with societies in numerous other countries. The World Voice Day tradition has continued and expanded. Additional information, with a history of World Voice Day, can be found at www.entnet.org/AboutUs/historyWorldVoiceDay.cfm. The National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), and the singing teachers in general, have been conspicuously absent in World Voice Day activities. Most of the singing teachers who have participated are involved through affiliations with laryngologists and speech-language pathologists, and many of them are involved actively in vocal healthcare teams. However, singing teachers and singers should be aware of this well established, international recognition of the importance of the human voice; and NATS members should consider playing a more active role in World Voice Day activities. Annually, the April 16 celebration involves educational and media events throughout the world, as well as web-based educational initiatives that can be accessed through the AAO-HNS's special Internet website at www.entnet.org/ news/voiceday.cfm. Events vary from city to city and are organized by laryngologists and voice team members who are committed to enhancing voice care through professional and public education. In Philadelphia last year, for example, under the sponsorship of the Voice Foundation, World Voice Day events included an author's reading of a children's book to several hundred elementary school children in the Philadelphia school system (with a brief introduction highlighting the importance of a healthy voice); a lecture on voice care for medical professionals in various disciplines and for the general public; an actor's voice workshop; and a concert. World Voice Day represents an opportunity to increase awareness of vocal health and performance among members of the general public and the medical professions, highlighting advances in voice diagnosis and treatment in the United States and internationally. NATS and its members have a long-standing commitment to healthy singing and speaking. NATS members should avail themselves of this opportunity to highlight the human voice to the general public and to our students. …