Category: Hwæt bið betst and wyrst? Ic ðe secge, mannes word. (What is the best and the worst thing? I tell you, man’s word) Make something to do with the spoken or written word.
Entrant: Rose Taillor
Title: Voice Heraldry
I was wondering how to encapsulate the year I have spent voice heralding into an entry for this challenge. It was such an important part of my year, it felt odd to exclude it. I therefore submit my main lessons from my heralding experience thusfar.
1) Speak from the diaphragm, so wear clothing that does not restrict your diaphragmatic expansion
2) After court, find trusted people to give you feedback
3) Do vocal exercises to warm the tongue and throat beforehand, they are important for diction and clarity
4) Keep a cup of water behind the thrones, a coughing herald is never ideal.
5) Each person you act as voice for will be different; try to take the time to learn their methods and get to know them. But if you don’t have this time luxury, that’s also completely normal. Relax.
6) It’s pronounced “Belle – err- o- phin” not “Belle- aph-err-on”
7) Try to do court planning at least 1 hour before court. This would ideally mean 30mins of discussion, and 30mins where you can go away and read up on canon lore to make sure you know preferred titles/pronouns, and, if applicable, their heraldry.
8) If you have a trusted contact within the barony you are heralding in, they can be so helpful for (7), if the information is not easily available.
9) Court can be quiet, as well as loud; stealth courts are some of the most fun.
10) It’s okay to mess up! It happens, but it’s important not to let the error continue to affect your performance. Take a deep breath and keep going.
11) For court attendees; if anyone even remotely hanging around the Herald or Royal Court pointedly reminds you and your friends it’s court time soon and you should get ready, please attend!