On the night of April 16, a World Voice Day Event was held in the Josephine Campbell Recital Hall at the Hughes Fine Arts Center. This event was organized by the Students of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (SNATS) and supported by their advisors. World Voice Day is a world-wide event that occurs each year on April 16. This day is meant to raise awareness of vocal health and the significance of appreciating our voices and all they do for us each day. Whether you think about it or not, you use your voice in many different ways throughout your daily life. Whether you are a singer, teacher, someone who speaks publicly frequently or use your voice to communicate with friends and family in person or online, you use your voice all the time to communicate in various ways. We use our voices so habitually that it is easy to forget to appreciate it.   

The students involved in SNATS decided to host their own event on this important day that featured performances from various students and a presentation on vocal health provided by Ms. Melanie Popejoy. The event began with a performance by Samantha Stordalen who sang a piece called “The Year’s at the Spring” by Amy Marcy Beach. Kétina François followed this performance with “La Diva de l’Empire,” a piece by Erik Satie.   

It was after these two beautiful performances that Popejoy began her presentation on the importance of vocal health. If you feel that you recognize this name, she may be familiar to you as she has been heavily involved and respected in the music community here in Grand Forks for years and has continued to inspire her students along the way. She is the Associate Director of Choral Activities here at the University of North Dakota who conducts multiple choirs and teaches various music classes. Along with this, she is known for having founded the Grand Cities Children’s Choir.   

In her presentation, she provided a timeline of her career in music education. She explained how she began to notice the effects that using her voice so often had on her life. She shared the various challenges she has experienced throughout her professional career and her personal health journey. Her story was deeply personal and highlighted the importance of not only finding balance between your work and personal life but also the importance of taking care of your vocal health. In her presentation, she made it very clear that she does not want to hide her voice or her journey to regain her vocal strength but rather use it to encourage others to treat their own voices with care. She hopes that her choice to be vulnerable with her students and colleagues will allow others to be vulnerable with their own voices and experiences. She concluded her presentation with a short vocal performance that showcased her ability to reach this goal.   

The presentation was followed by two more beautiful performances by Lucy Welsh singing Edvard Grieg’s “Hjemkomst” and Henrietta Tracy singing “When October Goes” by Barry Manilow. Afterward, everyone was encouraged to enjoy some cookies and lemonade and to stay and talk with each other. This was just another way to encourage people to notice how they use their voices to communicate in social settings.  

Each performance and the presentation were uniquely beautiful and perfectly represented the wonderful privilege it is to have a voice to use. These individuals used their voices to inspire others to take time to appreciate and care for their voice, which is the true meaning behind World Voice Day. 

Nora Lee is a Dakota Student General Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].