Voice Studies

Through group instruction, students encounter the fundamentals of singing and an introduction to song literature. In-class performance is required. May be repeated once. Offered each semester.

Students learn basic conducting gestures (with and without baton) through exercises in meter patterns, preparatory beats and cut-offs, cueing, dynamics, fermata, articulations, phrasing, left hand independence, and face/eye usage. Offered annually in the spring semester.
Prerequisite: MUSIC 114 and sophomore status, or permission of instructor.

Students learn conducting techniques for choral literature including research-based rehearsal techniques, vocal preparation, score study, and video self-evaluation of gesture and rehearsal. Course work also includes observation of conductors on campus and in the community. Offered annually in the fall semester.
Prerequisite: MUSIC 251.

Students study and practice principles for singing in English and Italian with good pronunciation, enunciation, and expression. Course content includes phonetic analysis using the International Phonetic Alphabet and identifying and exercising the phonemic features of English and Italian through class performances and listening assignments. Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite: two semesters of voice lessons.

Students study and practice principles for singing in French and German with good pronunciation, enunciation, and expression. Course content includes phonetic analysis using the International Phonetic Alphabet and identifying and exercising the phonemic features of French and German through class performances and listening assignments. Offered spring semester 2018-2019 and alternate years.
Prerequisite: MUSIC 263 and two semesters of voice lessons.

This studio course focuses on advanced techniques of acting and singing for the musical stage with emphasis on opera. Students explore voice, movement, improvisation, and characterization at an advanced level. Participants receive coaching in musical and dramatic style through solo and small ensemble literature and prepare scenes for class performance. The course culminates with public performances of a fully staged and costumed lyric theater work. May be repeated once. A production fee will be charged to all students participating in the production. Offered annually in the fall semester.
Prerequisites: two semesters of voice study, or permission of instructor.

This course is designed for students interested in civic engagement in the arts and arts fusion projects. Participants mentor students from a local elementary school in an Opera Creation Residency as the elementary students compose and perform their own original works. The course culminates in staged public performances. Enrollment is subject to a fall interview/audition.  Open to all students. May be repeated once. A class fee may be required. Offered during Interim 2019-2020 and alternate years.
Prerequisites: two semesters of voice study or permission of instructor.

Participants prepare for performance of a one-act opera or opera scenes. Students receive coaching and performance experience through individual and group singing/acting exercises. The course culminates with staged and costumed public performances. Open to all students. May be repeated once.  A class fee may be required. Offered periodically during Interim.
Prerequisites: two semesters of voice study, or permission of instructor.

Drawing from the fields of biology, neuroscience, physics, and psychology, this course introduces students to the biological and psychological aspects of music performance. Students develop an understanding of the origins of performance-related injury, the mechanism of hearing, the sources of workplace stress in the lives of professional musicians. Each student will design and complete an exercise program tailored to their individual needs as a musician.  Offered Interim alternate years.

Students survey the solo art song repertoire of Germany, Italy, and Spain. The course highlights the significant features and development of the art song, and provides context, approaches, and resources for studying this literature. Course work includes in-class performance.  Offered alternate years.
Prerequisite: MUSIC 141 and MUSIC 214, or permission of instructor; MUSIC 263 and MUSIC 264 preferred.