School of Music Guides:Vocal Studies Handbook
This handbook serves as the general syllabus for all courses and sections of studio voice. Any requirements in the syllabi for individual professors are in addition to those found in this document. This document is subject to revision; therefore, the policies contained herein are considered applicable for the academic year. This document should in no way be construed to supersede East Texas A&M University or School of Music policies.
Voice & Choral Faculty
Dr. James Bowyer
Office #196
206-551-6147
Interim Director of Choirs and Vocal Activities
Dr. Patrick McNally
Office #197
903-886-5489
Applied Voice, Opera/Musical Theatre Director, Diction
Dr. Matt Schloneger
Office #233
903-886-5292
Applied Voice, Vocal Pedagogy, Diction
Dr. Amy Canchola
Office #237
317-408-8049
Applied Voice
Dr. Katie Mersch
Office #237
Phone: 913-669-7455
Applied Voice
Laura Maxwell
Office #216
903-269-7325
Collaborative Piano
Lessons
Students are required to schedule lessons no later than the first full week of classes, or risk being dropped from lessons for the semester. The Vocal Division has established THIRTEEN as the normal number of lessons per semester, and TEN as the minimum number of lessons a student must attend to receive a passing grade. Therefore, students who have missed more than three lessons, either excused or unexcused, will be in jeopardy of receiving a failing grade for the semester.
Course Numbers for Applied Instruction
- MUS 152/352/552 (2 credit hours) Vocal Music Majors
- MUS 151/351/551 (1 credit hour) Music Minors and secondary instrument
- MUS 149 (1 credit hour) all other students
Required number of semester hours (sh) of Applied Voice:
- All Vocal Music Majors MUS 152 until pass JLPE
- Register for 2sh of applied voice
- Music Minors and Non-Majors MUS 151 and MUS 149
- Register for 1sh of applied voice
- Music Ed Majors MUS 352 after pass JLPE
- Register for 2sh of applied voice
- The semester of a recital, the student should register for 1sh of MUS 353, applied voice-recital and 1sh of MUS 352 applied voice for a total of 2sh.
- Vocal Performance Majors MUS 352 after pass JLPE
- Register for 3sh of applied voice
- The semester of a recital, register for 2sh of MUS 352 applied voice and 1sh of MUS 453 applied voice-recital
- Music Minors MUS 351
- Register for 1sh of applied voice
Make-up Lesson Policy
If students must miss lessons for any reason, the professor should be notified by email. The professor will be diligent to make-up all lessons cancelled by the professor, as well as lessons missed due to “University Excused Absences.” As stated above, it is the intent of the department that each student receives THIRTEEN lessons each semester. Professors are not required to make-up lessons missed by students or because of university holidays. Students should respond to offers of make-up lessons in a timely manner.
If two lessons are missed without notification, the student will receive an email informing them that they are in jeopardy of receiving a failing grade for the semester. If an additional lesson is missed without notification, the student will be in jeopardy of receiving a failing grade for the semester.
Professor Assignments
Professor assignments will be made no later than the first week of classes and will be posted on the Vocal Division bulletin board. Students who wish to study with a particular professor must contact Dr. James Boyer and the respective professor.
Voice Bulletin Boards
Current information and announcements for voice students will be posted on the Vocal Division bulletin board outside the Choir Reception Office #167 and on the bulletin board located adjacent to the Choir Room. Voice students are responsible for information posted on these boards. Announcements of job openings, competitions, recitals, etc., will be posted on these boards as well. Please check these boards frequently.
Studio Classes
Studio classes are scheduled on Mondays from 5:00-5:50 pm. While individual studio attendance policies may vary, students should not ask to be excused from these classes, as they are considered an essential component of vocal training. Studio classes will meet in the choir room, 158 and the recital hall. Check the bulletin board for the studio class room rotation schedule.
Practice
Voice students at all levels are expected to practice a minimum of three hours per week PER SEMESTER HOUR of voice.
Repertoire
Repertoire selections for applied lessons are decided in consultation with one's instructor and should represent a multiplicity of style periods, languages, and genres.
- Voice Minors and Non-Music Majors Enrolled in MUS 149, 151, 351 and 551
- Minimum of three memorized pieces each semester.
- BA in Music with Voice Concentration, BM in Voice Performance, and BM in Music Education Majors Enrolled in MUS 152
- First Two Semesters of Study: Minimum of four memorized pieces each semester.
- Additional Semesters Until Successfully Passing All Sections of the JLPE: Minimum of four memorized pieces each semester.
- BA Majors with Voice Concentration, BM in Voice Performance, and BM in Music Education Majors Enrolled in MUS 352 or 552
- Minimum of six memorized pieces each semester.
Note: One solo from a major choral/orchestral work (oratorio, mass, etc.) may be sung with the score.
Note: Students who do not meet the repertoire requirements will have their semester grade lowered by two full letter grades (i.e. grade of “A” becomes a “C”).
Jury
All vocal students are required to perform a jury at the end of the semester. The jury will be approximately 8 minutes in length. Students will sing one selection of their choice and at least one of the faculty's choice. Students are allowed to record their juries, provided that doing so is not disruptive. Juries may also be recorded by the faculty for archival purposes. Juries are closed to the public, including family and friends.
Jury repertoire lists must reflect repertoire assigned and prepared that semester. The student's applied voice professor must approve the list and sign the jury form prior to the jury. Students whose repertoire list is not so certified will not be allowed to do their jury for the semester. Any falsification of the jury repertoire list is grounds for a failing grade (“F”) in voice for the semester.
Faculty members will write comments and give a grade based on the jury performance. The jury comment sheets must be distributed to students before the end of the semester. In the case of a “negative result” (such as failure of the jury or the JLPE) the professor must retain the original comment sheets and have them placed in the student's file in the School of Music office. Copies may be given to Students.
The semester grade will be determined by the following formula: Jury Grade 40% + the professor's studio grade 50% + Required Attendance Grade 10%.
A grade of “X” (Incomplete) will only be given for verified medical reasons. Students should provide official documentation to their professor. Make-up juries will be scheduled on a case-by-case basis by the School of Music Faculty. Juries will be held during final exam week of each semester.
Jury Assessment
The voice faculty will assess the student in the following categories:
- Pitch and Rhythm
- Tone
- Technique
- Intonation
- Diction
- Musicianship
- Interpretation
- Musicality
Junior Level Proficiency Exam
Every Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Arts student must pass the Junior Level Proficiency Exam (JLPE) and pass Music Theory III and Ear Training III with a C or better to be admitted into upper division applied voice (MUS 352) and upper division music courses. The student must attempt the JLPE during their fourth semester of applied voice. All transfer students must attempt the JLPE during their second semester of applied voice. If this attempt fails, the student will have one more opportunity to pass the JLPE during the following semester. If the student fails on the second attempt, the student will be directed to another field of study. The JLPE occurs during vocal juries. After passing the JLPE, the student may move into upper division applied voice provided that he or she has also passed Music Theory III and Ear Training III with a grade of a C or better.
For the vocal JLPE, all students must successfully perform a varied and challenging repertoire that includes one piece from each of the following languages: Italian, German, French, and English. All four pieces will be performed to demonstrate mastery of all four languages and the ability to sing in various styles of music. All literature must be performed by memory. In addition to the repertoire performance requirement, students must 1) demonstrate competency sightsinging using solfège, 2) speak a sentence written from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) in Italian and French, and 3) transliterate text from English into IPA. German diction will be evaluated as part of the German Lied “prepared” piece performance, which is learned prior to the JLPE. (Students will be responsible for picking up their prepared piece two weeks before their JLPE from the voice faculty.)
Recital and Hearing Policies
Voice majors, regardless of their degree program, must perform a half recital. Voice performance majors, in addition, must perform a full recital. Each recital must include selections in English and at least three foreign languages with a broad representation of time periods and styles. Students are allowed to perform musical theatre and Contemporary Commercial Music (CCM) selections on a half and full recital. Musical theatre and CCM selections should not be greater than 25% for a half recital and 50% of a full recital. The final approval for all repertoire decisions for each recital will be made by the student's applied voice professor and the recital committee.
A half recital consists of 25 minutes of music.
A full recital consists of 50 minutes of music.
Any deviation from the requirements above must be approved in advance by the recital committee.
Recital Scheduling
Students should consult with their voice teacher to determine a recital date. All voice recitals and dress rehearsals are scheduled in the recital hall.
School of Music recitals are scheduled established as follows:
- Sunday Recitals—3:00 PM and 4:30 PM
- Recitals on All Other Days—6:00 PM or 7:30 PM
Note that two half recitals may be scheduled during one recital time block.
Once a recital date has been determined, the student should complete the Masterclass/Recital Scheduling Form and type a recital repertoire list in performance order with timings to attach to the Scheduling Form. Next, the student should get three committee members' signatures on the Scheduling Form and turn in the completed form with recital fees to the School of Music office. Please submit the form and pay the recital fee by 60 days prior to the recital date.
Finally, the student should schedule a recital hearing with his or her applied lesson professor no less than 30 days prior to the recital date. Recital hearings are generally scheduled on Monday after vocal studio class.
Forms
All forms may be found on the Music Department Webpage under Current Student Resources.
- Masterclass/Recital Scheduling Form
- Student Recital Program Information Form
- Vocal Recital Evaluation Form
Hearing Procedure
At the recital hearing, students should be prepared to sing the entire recital from memory. For a half recital, the student will be asked to perform 15 minutes of music from their recital program during the recital hearing. For a full recital, the student will be asked to perform 25 minutes of music from their recital program during the recital hearing. Students should bring three copies of the completed recital form and recital repertoire list in performance order with timings to the recital hearing. The student will choose the first selection to be sung with the remaining selections to be chosen by the recital committee, not including the student's applied voice professor.
Grading Procedure
At the conclusion of the hearing, the committee will give a pass/fail grade for the hearing. If the student fails the recital hearing, or individual pieces at the hearing, a second hearing may be scheduled (during the same semester) at the discretion of the committee, or the recital may be cancelled or postponed. If the recital is cancelled/postponed the student will receive a grade of F in the Principal Applied Recital course. The student will have one additional semester in which to successfully pass a recital hearing and remain a music major.
The primary applied professor may cancel a student recital at any time for the following reasons:
- Lack of progress/preparation
- Failure to schedule a recital hearing
- Failure to turn in the proper scheduling paperwork on time
- Failure to submit a program and program notes on time
- Failure to pay the accompanist fee
Individual faculty members can define the recital grading procedures for the course in their syllabi. The scheduled dress rehearsal is merely a rehearsal and will not be graded by the committee. If the student passes the recital hearing, the recital will be given at the scheduled date and time and will receive a letter grade by each committee member at the conclusion of the recital.
At the conclusion of the recital hearing, the applied voice professor will collect the recital forms from the recital committee. The applied voice professor will return the forms to the committee members on the recital date. After the recital, the applied voice professor will collect the recital forms and turn them into the School of Music office to remain in the student's files.
Recital Registration Requirements
The School of Music mandates that the student register for 1-2sh of MUS 352 or MUS 552 Principal Applied Voice (Performance majors and Graduate students should register for 2sh, Music Ed and BA majors should register for 1sh) and 1sh of MUS 353- half recital, 1sh of MUS 453- full recital or 1sh of MUS 555 for Graduate Recital and Principal Applied Recital for the semester that a required recital is to take place.
Recital Attendance
All voice majors are required to go to all voice faculty and student recitals. This attendance is 10% of the student's semester grade. The Division GTA will take attendance at each recital and report the attendance to each applied faculty.
Collaborative Pianists
Students are required to hire an accompanist. It is the student's responsibility to pay their accompanist on time and communicate with the accompanist about lessons, rehearsals and provide copies of all scores for the semester in a timely manner. The accompanist fee is the equivalent of purchasing a text book for an academic course. See the accompanist policy for more details.
Purchasing Music
Purchasing music for lessons is required and should be planned for each semester. Students should expect to purchase at least one or two new anthologies each semester. Specific music selections will be chosen by the student's applied voice professor.
Main Stage Productions
Each year the Vocal Division will produce a Main Stage production. All performance majors are required to participate in the main stage production and the scenes program. All music education and BA students are highly encouraged to participate in the Main Stage production and the scenes program.
Changing Voice Professor
The School of Music recognizes the individual rights of all students to act independently in the pursuit of knowledge and to seek varying points of view. Students have the right to change professors for the types of study listed above, but should follow the recommended procedure, i.e., the present professor should be notified in a timely fashion, no later than the final day of the semester before the change is to occur. A student may notify his/her professor solely in writing, if desired. Faculty are requested to wait until this notification has taken place before promising acceptance. It is understood that students shall suffer no negative repercussions as a result of changing professors.
Faculty members are expected to respect extant professor relationships and thus are not permitted to solicit a student directly or through any other person for the purpose of influencing a change of professor.
The relationship between professor and student should be established, maintained, and terminated in a professional manner. Faculty members should respect the personal integrity and privacy of students at all times, while recognizing their responsibility to promote principles of ethical and professional conduct throughout the School of Music community.