Vocal Studies

• Techniques of breathing and resonation
• Songs learned: 4 - 5
• Languages: English and Italian
• Performance Class Individual Performance : minimum of 1
• Jury: 2 songs memorized (Italian not required)

• Technique continues
• Songs learned: 4 - 5
• Performance Class Individual Performance: minimum of 1
• Jury: 2 songs memorized (one in Italian)

• Technique continues
• Songs learned: 4 - 6
• Languages: English and Italian
• Performance Class Individual Performance: minimum of 1
• Jury: 2 songs memorized (one in Italian)

• Technique continues
• Songs learned 5 - 6
• Languages: English, Italian and German
• Performance Class Individual Performance: minimum of 1
• Jury: 2 songs memorized (one Italian or German)

• Technical work on breathing and resonation through exercises and vocalization
• Exercises with the International Phonetic Alphabet
• Songs learned: 5 - 7
• Languages: English and Italian
• Performance Class Individual Performance: minimum of 1.
• Jury: 3 songs memorized (Italian not required)

• Technique continues
• Exercises with the International Phonetic Alphabet
• Songs learned: 6 - 8
• Languages: English and Italian
• Performance Class Individual Performance: minimum of 2.
• Jury: sung before the entire music faculty
  • 4 songs memorized (Italian required)
  • Major and melodic minor scales
  • sight-read (on piano) melody of song
  • Provide 5 copies of songs for faculty

• Technique continues
• Exercises with the International Phonetic Alphabet
• Songs learned: 7 - 9
• Languages: English, Italian and German
• Performance Class Individual Performance: minimum of 3.
• Jury: 4 songs memorized (language required)

• Technique continues
• Exercises with the International Phonetic Alphabet
• Songs learned: 8 - 10
• Languages: English, Italian, German & French
• Performance Class Individual Performance: minimum of 4
• Jury: 4 songs memorized (language required)

• Attend solo voice recitals and choral concerts
• Listen to recordings of classical singers
• Keep a voice journal
• Purchase the recommended voice anthologies and begin a resource library
• Study Italian or German
• Develop a positive relationship with your accompanist
• Record your lessons each week using the DVD recording system in your studio
• Cultivate and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Avoid situations where your are exposed to cigarette smoke and poor humidification
• Consider doing a half recital in your sophomore or third year of study

• Prepare adequately for each lesson and attend every scheduled lesson
• Makeup lessons are issued only if 24 hour advanced notice is given to the instructor
• Students must have thirteen lessons each semester
• Students who receive less than eleven lessons will fail applied voice
• Applied voice students should not participate in more than one ensemble outside of choir, without permission from the director of choral activities
• Students who study voice must not smoke
• Students who fail to comply with these policies will fail applied voice study

• Harvard Dictionary of Music
• Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music
• Anatomy Coloring Book
• A-Z of Foreign Musical Terms
• Hippocrene Practical Dictionary of Italian
• Langenscheitt German Dictionary
• Lacrosse French Dictionary
• Art of the Song Recital
• Soprano on Her Head

(The following titles indicate the collections that the student of voice may use in their study)

• Twenty-four Italian Songs and Arias - G. Schirmer
• 26, 28 Italian Songs and Arias - Alfred Music
• Classical Italian Songs for School and Studio - Ditson
• 17th and 18th Century Italian Songs - International
• Basics of Singing - Schirmer
• Books Foundations in Singing - Wm. C. Brown Co.
• Expressive Singing Song Anthology - Wm C. Brown Co.
• Pathways of Song - R. D. Row
• The Young Singer (Sop. Cont/Mez, Ten, Bar) - R.D. Row
• Songs You Like to Sing - G Schirmer
• The Singing Road (Vol I, II, III) - Carl Fischer
• Standard Vocal Repertoire (Bk I & II) - R. D. Row
• Singable Songs for Studio and Recital - Oliver Ditson
• Sing Solo (Sop., Cont., Ten., Bar.) - Oxford University
• 50 Art Songs from the Modern Repertoire - G. Schirmer
• Contemporary Songs in English - Carl Fischer
• 20th Century Art Song for Medium Voice - Schirmer
• 52 Sacred Songs - G. Schirmer
• Old American Song Settings by Copland
• Five Folk Songs, arr. Zaninelli - Shawnee Press
• Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers
• Song by 22 Americans - G. Schirmer
• Album of Negro Spirituals, arr. Burleigh - Belwin Mills
• Five Shakespeare Songs , Quilter - Boosey & Hawkes
• Solos for the Church Year - G. Schirmer
• The Songs of John Jacob Niles - G. Schirmer
• Samuel Barber Collected Songs - G. Schirmer
• The New Imperial Edition Songs
• Schubert Singers Musical Theatre Anthology - Hal Leonard
• The First Book of Soprano Solos - G. Schirmer
• The First Book of Alto Solos - G. Schirmer
• The First Book of Tenor Solos - G. Schirmer
• The First Book of Baritone Solos - G. Schirmer

All students studying voice are expected to practice daily. For singers practice time consists of practicing voice lesson instruction on breathing, bodywork, vocalizing, learning notes, learning text, translating, memorizing, listening to recordings of your songs and working with an accompanist.

Voice students are expected to practice at least two hours daily on voice lesson instruction and repertoire.

Private voice study is available to music majors and non-majors. Please contact the Music Department at (616) 234 3940.

• Alison Bieber
• Madison Roesler
• William Reed
• Zachary Lutes