FINDING OUR VOICE

(10 Week Program)

Ages: 12–18

Theme: Resonance, Resistance, and Reclamation

Week 1: Breath as Foundation. Finding the "center." Students learn diaphragmatic breathing and how posture dictates the "volume" of their presence in a room.
Week 2: The Physical Map. Identifying where sound vibrates. We explore the "Chest Voice" (authority), "Mask" (clarity), and "Head" (imagination).
Week 3: Range & Texture. Using acting "stretches" to find the extremes—the whispers and the roars. Students begin to treat their voice as a customizable tool rather than a fixed trait.

Week 4: The Sound of Home. Students act as "Vocal Historians." They identify "heritage sounds"—the specific rhythm of their parents’ Spanish, the music of their neighborhood, or the slang of their peers.
Week 5: The Mask of Code-Switching. A deep dive into the "Unspoken History." We discuss why we change our voices in different spaces and the emotional cost of "toning down" our authentic sound.
Week 6: Vocal Archetypes. Students explore characters from Latin American history and mythology, practicing how to embody the "Grandmother," the "Revolutionary," or the "Poet" through sound alone.

Week 7: Writing the Sound-Play. Students write 5-minute scenes where the "Vocal Shift" is the main plot point (e.g., a character finding their "true voice" during a moment of crisis).
Week 8: The Revision Studio. Refining the scripts. Students add "Vocal Stage Directions" (e.g., “Spoken with the weight of a heavy heart” or “Sharp and bright like a NYC morning”).

Week 9: The Professional Workshop. Professional actors from the Ensemble visit. Students act as "Vocal Coaches," helping the actors find the specific "sculpted sound" intended for their characters.
Week 10: The Grand Showcase.
- The Performance: Professional actors perform the scenes, focusing on vocal authenticity and power.
- The Reflection: A community dialogue on what it means to "Claim Your Voice" in New York City today.

Psychological Agency: Students shift from feeling "judged" for how they speak to feeling "empowered" by their unique vocal identity.

Historical Empathy: By analyzing the "unspoken history" of their family’s voices, they develop a deeper compassion for the generations that came before them.

Mastery of Presence: 10 weeks of conscious vocal work provides a permanent upgrade to their public speaking skills and self-image.