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All of this work is in conjunction with scene study in the first quarter and is a precursor to a unit that focuses on the voice in the second quarter. Because many students speak in their lower register without vocal energy and with very little diction, I have each of them find their optimal pitch as a starting point for discussion. They often give one another compliments when they hear what a difference it makes when it comes to intelligibility. It is actually freeing and often gives the students permission to take a few risks with their voices as we plunge into vocal and physical warm-ups, and a brief over-view of the Lessac energies of structural action, tonal action, and consonant action. Each day a member of the class leads us in a prescribed physical and vocal warm-up. I will often hear them say in the middle of a warm-up, "forward structural action, please" or "start with your optimal pitch and work up from there" before beginning a particular vocal exercise. The students enjoy the hands-on approach where they are challenged with leading the class, and then begin to make practical application to the materials that they are working on in class.

Because many of our students audition for entrance to university theatre programs, I have every student prepare two contrasting monologues for presentation. We also perform poetry in class and the four-level students work on short dialect scenes. In each case the emphasis is on interpretation through the voice. The class acts as the critiquing agent for each round of monologues, which raises the bar daily when a particular student is reminded of a key element that he or she has to continue working on. The four-level students also concentrate on short dialect scenes. The actors for each scene begin by teaching class members placement and basic vowel and consonant changes to employ when using that particular dialect. They use handouts and give a simple practical demonstration from the scene that they will be using later. The students engage the class in exercises during their presentation and give us a common sentence to use for practice.

I am fortunate to be a part of a unique program such as the one I am experiencing at New Trier High School. The students come into the program with the expectation that they will grow, and when challenged they rise to the occasion. What we have at New Trier High School is an introduction to the study of voice. The students know that it is just the beginning and that they have much more to learn at the university level and in specific training programs. At this point in time, however, they are simply excited about the discoveries that they have made and are cognizant of the importance of care of their vocal and physical

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instruments. They look for colleges and universities that have full-time voice faculty and understand that this could be a possible career choice for them. I offer this as an example of what can happen when

university teachers mentor to surrounding secondary schools, just as Nan Withers-Wilson did for us. It can make a difference.

CLYDE VINSON SCHOLARSHIP NOMINATIONS

Clyde Vinson taught for more than thirty years in universities and privately in New York City. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and spent two years with The Working Theatre, a training program in voice, movement and acting founded by Kristin Linklater, Joseph Chaikin and Peter Kass. He organized the Court Theatre in Detroit, Michigan and directed there for three years. Clyde was on the faculty of Wayne State University and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. He worked at the Circle Repertory Theatre in New York City and eventually opened his own Studio there.

When the Royal Shakespeare Company came to Broadway, Clyde worked with the company. When Derek Jacobi won his Tony Award, he specifically thanked Clyde in his acceptance speech. Clyde's last published work was an interview he did with Derek which appeared in the January 1989 issue of Text and Performance Quarterly.

Clyde wished it to be known that his death resulted from AIDS. He is survived by his family in Texas and loving friends and students in New York, and in theatres everywhere.

Nominations are being sought for the 1999 ClydeVinson Memorial Scholarship. The purpose of this award is to provide scholarship assistance to outstanding pre and early career voice/speech trainers. Awarded funds are to be applied toward the costs of advanced training opportunities.

Nominations for the Clyde Vinson Memorial Scholarship must be made in writing by a VASTA member. Upon receipt of a nomination letter, an

application form will be sent to the nominee. The nominee must either be currently engaged in prepatory work as a voice/speech trainer, or have less than three years employment experience. The deadline for nominations is February 28, and the deadline for completed applications is April 30, 1999. Please address all nomination letters to:

Mary Irwin,
School of Drama,
North Carolina School of the Arts,
1533 South Main Street,
P.O. Box 12189,
Winston-Salem, NC 27117-2189.