Vocal Pedagogy MUEP 371-372

Course Information

Text
While this course will utilize The Structure of Singing by Richard Miller as the main resource, it does not follow any one text exclusively, but draws from several other important sources. These materials are being put in on-line reserve on the Web. Many of these materials require slow, careful reading. Be sure to schedule adequate time for digestion of the information.

E-Reserve Site Address:

http://www.lawrence.edu/oncampus/library/ereserves/muep/muep371/articles.html

Grading
This is a hyphenated course, which means that you will receive one grade for the two terms. Although the terms are divided as 3/6 credit and 1/6 credit, grading will not follow that division precisely. There will be four quizzes in term one to assess your understanding. These grades will constitute approximately 40% of your final grade (10% x4). 30% will come from class participation, reading assignments, and lesson observation reports. The remaining 30% of your grade will come from an assessment of your second term teaching practicum, based upon lesson reports, reviewed video-tapes and student evaluations. Attendance will be taken at each class, at which time you will report on how much of the assigned reading you have completed.

Lesson Observations
You will be expected to observe 8 hours of lessons by the middle of second term and to fill out a lesson observation report for each lesson. At least 2 hours of these observations should be in your own teacher’s studio and at least 4 hours should be in other studios. You may also observe up to two hours of video-taped lessons from approved resources. You should observe in at least three different studios and may observe in all. Be sure to ask the permission of the student receiving the lesson and the teacher involved ahead of time. Observation of the Vocal Proficiency Class in Term II is also allowed. You are always encouraged to attend studio performance classes of other studios, but these may not substitute for lesson observations. I urge you to spread these observations out over the fifteen weeks, rather than trying to cram them in late when you are sure to be overloaded. Reports for a minimum of three hours of observation will be due in week five of term I, three more by the last day of term I, and the remainder at the end of week six of term II. Late reports will not be accepted without prior approval.

Class Structure
The classes include a mixture of voice science (what the voice science community has been able to determine about the physiology and acoustics of singing), pedagogy (what the voice teaching community has taught in training voices), practicums (practice with particular pedagogic devices), and discussion. It is very important that you attend all of the classes, and that you complete the reading assignments before the class session in which they are discussed. The reading assignments given on the course syllabus are listed with the lecture for which they must be read.

Miscellaneous
There is much more that could be addressed in this course than we have time to cover. Your own pedagogy will necessarily and predominantly be the result the voice instruction you have personally received, and rightly so. Vocal Pedagogy Class is designed to stimulate you to reflect on that instruction more from the teacher’s perspective, to acquaint you with the science of singing (what we know and don’t know so far about how it actually works), to help you realize the pedagogic importance of distinguishing between the singer’s perception and the actual function of his/her voice, and also to acquaint you with pedagogic approaches other than the ones you have experienced first hand. All of this should help you to think clearly and critically about the theories and terminology we use in teaching singing, to be able to understand the strengths and liabilities of various approaches, and to articulate more clearly and helpfully your own evolving approach.

Term II: MUEP 372

Lesson Practicum
Starting in week one of term II, you will teach an average of two voice lessons weekly to a beginning student. Each of you must identify a student to teach by the middle of term I. Some students will be drawn from instrumental music education students who need some vocal proficiency.The student should be:

1) a Lawrence student (preferably),
2) with no previous formal vocal training, (preferably)
3) who is willing and interested (their commitment and responsibility will probably be reflected in your grade!). It is helpful if they have a musical (instrumental or choral) background and thus can read music (and match pitch!). They will be agreeing to two lessons per week plus a modest practice regimen (for example, 4 half hour practices per week, two between each lesson) for a total of seven weeks. This should allow for possible down time due to illness, etc.

You must teach a minimum of 12 reasonably spaced half hour lessons.   A lesson report form must be filled out for each lesson (the lesson plan before and the assessment after the lesson).  The forms are on the e-reserve site. Three lessons must be videotaped, including lesson 2 (due Tuesday of week 2), lesson 7  (due Tuesday of week six), and 1 of the last two lessons you give (due Tuesday of week ten).  You must turn in an assessment of each video taped lesson on a form provided.  I will review these lesson tapes and return them with suggestions.  At the end of the term both you and your student will evaluate the quality and success of the lessons.   We will meet weekly to discuss pedagogic successes and problems you are having with your students, to gather ideas for solutions, to teach some students in the public setting, and to pursue additional, related topics.

Subsequent Teaching Opportunities
Lawrence Students who wish to teach voice should have successfully completed vocal pedagogy and obtained recommendations from their applied instructor and from the vocal pedagogy instructor. Any teaching done on campus must be through the Lawrence Academy of Music. Teaching off campus is also available, and should be handled with similar professionalism. Just as Lawrence’s reputation enhances your reputation and marketability as a teacher, your interactions as a voice teacher affect Lawrence’s reputation. We want both to be excellent.

Lawrence Academy of Music
The Lawrence Academy is an excellent place to get experience teaching area high school students, and, for those qualified, area adults. The Academy staff manages the business end of this equation, (billing and collecting), but the teacher must report lessons taught regularly through the appropriate forms. Furthermore there is periodic observation and feedback which can improve our teaching. Teaching successfully for a reputable arts program such as the Lawrence Academy usually carries more weight in future job searches than unsupervised private teaching. The location is convenient (either in a practice room or at the Academy near campus) and the pay is better than the typical student on-campus wage ( $13-16 per hour, based on experience and proven strength) These lessons are usually done after school hours (after 3 pm) and/or on the weekend.

Public Schools
Several of the areas high schools engage upper class students from Lawrence to instruct
beginning singers in their choral programs. This is excellent experience, is good for those
programs, and pays fairly well (up to $10 per half hour). These lessons would usually be done during the school day at the particular school. You would need to find transportation and to allow for some travel/parking time. (10-15 minutes each way).

And Beyond!
Voice instruction is often needed in communities, especially those with active choral music programs at churches and schools. Fees vary significantly, depending on the market, but typically range from $20-40/hour for private teachers not affiliated with an institution. Private instruction by highly qualified teachers (or at least those reputed to be so!) in large metropolitan areas can range up to $200 or more per hour, but are more typically $50-100. These instructors are usually teaching voice professionals for whom such an expense is warranted.

Last updated September 11, 2007

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