Clara '96

Voice Lesson Syllabus

Dr. David Kenneth Smith
Associate Professor of Music (Voice)
Music Department, Geneva College, Beaver Falls, PA 15010-3599
Music Annex Rm. 4, GRPC (SW corner of 31st St. & Rt. 18)
Email: dksmith@ClaraSchumann.net   Daytime phone: 724-847-6662
**Office Hours: to be arranged, otherwise, by appointment**
Find this page listed at http://www.geneva.edu/~dksmith/clara/courses.html
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Schedule | Music | Materials | Practicing | Accompanying | Boards | Grades | Masterclass | Concerts

Schedule changes:

A lesson time is a firm appointment.  If a student is unable to come for a lesson, they are required to notify the teacher as early as possible.  For changes of schedule:

Teacher contacted before 10 am: lesson may be rescheduled within the next 7 days.
Teacher contacted after 10 am:  lesson will not be made up.
Failure to appear for lesson: lesson will not be made up.
Tardiness and missed lessons will result in a lowered grade. 
Missed lessons are only considered excused if prior arrangements are made.
Please refer to the Student Handbook for details on excused absences.

Music Scores:

Music repertoire will be assigned for each student, which will necessitate the purchase of some music scores.  Mrs. Ruth Vos in the Music Department Office (724-847-6660) may be able to order scores for you.  Other good places are: Volkwein’s, 138 Industry Dr., Pittsburgh, PA 15275, Phone 1-800-553-8742, vocal dept. ext. 601, Email: music@volkweins.com, Website: www.volkweins.com; or Musik Innovations, 9600 Perry Highway, Pittsburgh, PA 15237, Phone: 1-800-677-8063, Email: music@musikinn.com, Website: www.musikinn.com.


Schedule | Music | Materials | Practicing | Accompanying | Boards | Grades | Masterclass | Concerts

Materials needed at each Lesson

Each student is required to bring to each lesson: 1) a pencil, 2) Warm-ups & Vocal Exercises, 3) scores for music currently being worked on, 4) a flash-drive to record each lesson, 5) a notebook or Lesson Record to write observations, 6) a folder to keep music in, and 7) an updated Practice Record sheet.  

Practicing

In order to make sufficient progress as a student and maintain vocal fitness, Voice students are expected to practice daily, at a rate of one hour of practice per credit hour. Voice students taking MUA221 and higher are expected to practice at least two hours a day, and those taking MUA121-122 are expected to practice at least one hour a day.  These may be adjusted for various reasons by the teacher.

Activities counting toward the daily requirement include: singing Warm-ups & Vocal Exercises, taking notes and listening to your lesson mp3, learning assigned pieces, memorizing, rehearsal with accompanist, listening to recordings of assigned pieces, translating texts of songs, rendering texts into IPA, diction study, analysis of your pieces, writing program notes and other recital planning.

Accompanist

A piano accompanist will be necessary for Boards, performing, and for most of your lessons. You may recruit your own accompanist, or one may be assigned to you by the Music Department.


Schedule | Music | Materials | Practicing | Accompanying | Boards | Grades | Masterclass | Concerts

Boards

All students taking private lessons are required to appear before a committee of the music faculty to perform one or more of the pieces they have studied in the current semester, comparable to a Final Exam.  The Board evaluates the student’s progress and provides suggestions for improvement.  Students who are neither majors nor minors in music may be excused from Boards at the discretion of the teacher.  Boards are held on Reading day at the end of each semester.  Please check with your accompanist and sign up in the Music Department Office at least two weeks in advance.

Grading

Your Voice grade will be determined by your teacher, based on: 1) Effort, 2) Improvement throughout the semester, 3) Preparation for each lesson, 4) Learning your assigned music promptly 5) Attendance and promptness at lessons, Recitals, and Masterclasses, and 6) Quality of performance at Student Recitals and Boards.   

Note the Geneva College GPA scale: A = 4.0, A- = 3.7, B+ = 3.3, B = 3.0, B- = 2.7, C+ = 2.3, C = 2.0, C- = 1.7, D+ = 1.3, D = 1.0, D- = 0.7, F = 0.0

This Voice Studio endeavors to cultivate the disciplines necessary for successful singers.  Thus, to be considered for a grade of A in Voice, each student will do the following:

Attendance: Maintain a record of promptness to lessons and have no unexcused lesson absences

Practice: Keep a record* of practice time, including exercises, diction, translation, listening, rehearsal with accompanist, etc.

Recording: Record each lesson, listen to the mp3, and take notes of observations from each lesson in a notebook or Practice Record

Memory: Perform their songs memorized at Student Recitals and Boards

Masterclasses and Recitals: Attend and participate in any Masterclasses or Recitals*** required by the teacher

*   The teacher reserves the right to review the notebook or Practice Record at any lesson.

** Note:  Before your voice grade will be turned in to the Registrar at the end of each semester, ALL borrowed materials (CDs, books, scores, journals) must be returned to your teacher.

*** Attendance at all voice recitals by Geneva faculty or students is required, exceptions granted only in extraordinary circumstances.             


Schedule | Music | Materials | Practicing | Accompanying | Boards | Grades | Masterclass | Concerts

Voice Masterclasses

Periodic Voice Masterclasses will be offered to provide students more opportunities for growth as singers and future teachers, including performance experience, vocal technique and pedagogy, stage deportment, and vocal health.  Voice students will be required to attend, exceptions made only with permission.

Recitals and Concerts

Departmental Recitals are held several times each semester.  All students taking private lessons may perform at the discretion of their teacher; all majors in music are required to perform at least once each semester.

All Music Majors and Minors are required to attend ten approved recitals and concerts each semester, or 2/3 of those presented at Geneva, whichever is less. Voice recitals, operas, choral concerts, and faculty recitals are particularly recommended for Voice students.


Schedule | Music | Materials | Practicing | Accompanying | Boards | Grades | Masterclass | Concerts


 

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