Voice Policy
(Revised November 1998)
The procedures for voice juries is explained on page 5 of the Vocal Student Handbook. All voice majors and minors receiving private voice lessons are required to present a voice jury. All others are at the discretion of the teacher. The jury panel is composed of no fewer than three faculty members in the vocal area but may include all applied voice teachers as well as the choral and opera directors.
The singer will choose their first selection. All subsequent selections are chosen by the jury.
The jury is judged and graded as a performance by each faculty member present and will account for thirty percent (30%) of the final grade in Music 127, 310 or 400. In addition the jury will award a half level each semester if the student has made satisfactory progress. The student is automatically below level if this H level increase is not awarded. The deficiency must be made up during the next semester of study. If after a second semester satisfactory progress is not seen the student will be placed on probation. At that time the student will be given one more semester to make up the deficiency or they will be suspended from the curriculum.
In addition the faculty is instructed to write out comments concerning each students performance which are then given to the students along with their jury sheet.
Due to the many divergent parameters (vocal technique, musicianship, diction, language ability, presentation, interpretation, repertoire, etc.) by which we judge a singer establishing clear guidelines is very difficult. By level 5 the vocal faculty expect the student to be able to produce a sound which is consistent and in tune throughout their respective ranges. Their level of musicianship and repertoire at this level is limited. English is the normal language but most will have some study in Italian.
The Music Education major must achieve a level 7 at which time the vocal faculty expect to see exhibited a real ability as a solo performer. In addition, the music education major must be capable of utilizing his/her voice appropriately to give good demonstrations and to serve as a singing role model for the students. Very often he/she may serve as the students only contact with a voice teacher. Also, the singer should have been exposed to an appropriate quantity of repertoire and at least be able to sing in Italian, German and French. Experience in choral singing and the teaching of vocal technique within the choral setting is a must.
The Applied voice major must achieve a level 10. The singer must exhibit a clear ability and stamina to perform as a soloist in complete recitals. Knowledge of the repertoire from all periods and styles must be apparent. Musicianship and interpretive abilities must also be apparent. At this point the singer should have achieved a certain level of proficiency in all of the standard performing languages which include Italian, German and French and might include exposure to others. Experience in choral singing and in operatic performances is a must.
The student of both the Masters of Music degree and the DMA degree must begin to exhibit clearly professional levels of performance. Along with extensive experience in singing recitals they must also have experience singing complete roles in opera and oratorio performances as well as other mediums including chamber music or symphonic repertoire. The singer should also be exposed to repertoire utilizing extended vocal techniques. Their proficiencies in all of the performing languages must be strong. Knowledge of repertoire in all vocal mediums should be extensive.
