Master of Voice Pedagogy: Classical Track Online Program Requirements
(32 credits)
Learn more about General Graduate Requirements.
Program Notes
- Students with limited prior singing experience, as determined through departmental evaluation of past vocal study, performance career, and/or performing skills as demonstrated through live or recorded performance, may be required to complete up to four credits of applied voice instruction in addition to the major area course requirements. Such required developmental lessons will result in additional charges.
-
In addition to the requirements below, all students must pass a diction screening test. If the student does not pass the screening test they will be required to take recommended undergraduate classes to satisfy the deficiency.
Program Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| VC 650 | Pedagogy Capstone | 1 |
| VC 722 | Literature for Teaching | 3 |
| VC 723 | Voice Ped I: Voice Science | 3 |
| VC 724 | Voice Pedagogy II: Methods | 3 |
| VC 791 | Teaching Internship 1 | 2 |
| Select two of the following Literature courses: | 6 | |
| German Lieder | ||
| French Melodie | ||
| Opera Literature I | ||
| Opera Literature II | ||
| Seminar in Opera Literature | ||
| Complete the following Core courses: | ||
| MH 731 | Intro to Musicology | 3 |
| One Theory (TH) or Music History (MH) course | 3 | |
| Core elective course 2 | 3 | |
| Elective Credits | ||
| Free electives 3 | 5 | |
| Total Credits | 32 | |
- 1
Students who have had significant teaching experience in American schools may petition to substitute another graduate course for VC 791. The department, if granting a substitution, will specify acceptable course alternatives.
- 2
The core elective must be a single, 3-credit graduate-level course outside the student’s major area, area of emphasis and/or area of applied study.
- 3
Students may fulfill free elective requirements through the completion of summer workshops and/or Saturday Seminars with prior approval of the Voice Department.
Academic Plan of Study
The following educational plan is provided as a sample only. Students may follow a different plan to ensure a timely graduation. Each student, with guidance from his or her academic advisor, will develop a personalized educational plan.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Pedagogy Courses | ||
| It is preferable that the pedagogy courses be taken in the following order: | ||
| VC 723 | Voice Ped I: Voice Science | 3 |
| VC 724 | Voice Pedagogy II: Methods | 3 |
| VC 722 | Literature for Teaching | 3 |
| VC 791 | Teaching Internship 1 | 2 |
| VC 650 | Pedagogy Capstone | 1 |
| Literature Courses | ||
| VC 661 | German Lieder | 3 |
| VC 662 | French Melodie | 3 |
| Core Courses | ||
| MH 731 | Intro to Musicology | 3 |
| One Theory (TH) or Music History (MH) Elective | 3 | |
| Core Elective 2 | 3 | |
| Free Electives 3 | 5 | |
| Total Credits | 32 | |
- 1
Students who have had significant teaching experience in American schools may petition to substitute another graduate level course for VC 791. The department, if granting a substitution, will specify acceptable course alternatives
- 2
The core elective must be a single, 3-credit graduate-level course outside the student's major area, area of emphasis and/or area of applied study.
- 3
Students may fulfill free elective requirements through completion of summer workshops and/or Saturday Seminars with prior approval of the Voice Department.
Notes
-
Students with limited prior singing experience, as determined through departmental evaluation of past vocal study, performance career and/or performing skill as demonstrated through live or recorded performance, may be required to complete up to four (4) credits of applied voice instruction in addition to the major area course requirements. Such required developmental lessons will result in additional charges.
-
In addition to the above requirements, all students must demonstrate competency in at least two of the three major European singing languages (Italian, German, French). This may occur through completion of at least one year of college-level study in each language, intensive work through language institutes, or practical experience living and/or working in a foreign country, as verified by diagnostic testing at Westminster.
Courses and Descriptions
MH 731 Intro to Musicology 3 Credits
Introduction to the basic tools of research in historical musicology in order to foster: (1) an awareness of the nature and scope of historical musicology as a scholarly discipline; (2) familiarity with the techniques of musicological research; (3) an understanding of the relationship between musicological research and performance practice; and (4) experience in the application of musicological techniques to specific musical works and issues. It is strongly recommended that this course be taken at the outset of graduate study. Required for all Master of Music candidates.
VC 650 Pedagogy Capstone 1 Credits
Independent research leading to a completed capstone project, such as a pedagogical publication or presentation, development of an original or unique method of instruction, instructional materials, etc. The project must be approved by the department.
VC 661 German Lieder 3 Credits
This survey of the German Lieder begins with its roots in the 17th and 18th centuries and continues into the 20th century. Classes will involve study of Romanticism, including philosophers and poets of the 18th and 19th centuries who were important for German Lieder. The bulk of the class involves in-depth study of the Lieder of the important composers of the genre: Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Robert and Clara Schumann, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Brahms, Wolf, Strauss, Mahler, Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern. Class sessions will involve a balance of lecture, discussion, and student performance.
VC 662 French Melodie 3 Credits
This course is designed as a survey of the song literature of France. Students examine works for voice and piano/instruments by Berlioz, Gounod, Saint-Saëns, Bizet, Faure, Duparc, Chausson, Debussy, Ravel, Messaien, Milhaud, Poulenc, and others, analyzing their relationship to larger stylistic, social, and musicological trends. Investigation will include matters of prosody, scansion, and compositional organization, with particular attention given to matters of text setting and poetic treatment. Special emphasis will be placed on important French language poets whose literary works serve as the basis for this material. Poets will include Baudelaire, Verlaine, Hugo, Rimbaud, Mallarmé, LaForgue, Maeterlinck, and others. Poetic history and form will be covered as well as important composer/poet partnerships. Class sessions will involve a balance of lecture and discussion. Works by both well-known and lesser-known composers will be included.
VC 722 Literature for Teaching 3 Credits
A survey of graduated teaching literature for beginning, intermediate and advanced voice students. Literature will be explored that is particularly well-suited to specific vocal issues (e.g. legato, coloratura, staccato, etc.)
VC 723 Voice Ped I: Voice Science 3 Credits
Study of voice anatomy and physiology with concentration on respiration, phonation, articulation, hearing and vocal health. Through hands-on experience in the Westminster Voice Laboratory, students explore the physics of sound, the fundamentals of musical acoustics, and acoustical elements that are unique to the human voice. Priority registration is given to M.V.P. majors and M.M. students majoring in Voice Performance and Pedagogy. Other students may enroll on a space-available basis.
VC 724 Voice Pedagogy II: Methods 3 Credits
A comparative study of various pedagogical methods and ideals. A wide range of important historical and contemporary pedagogy treatises is reviewed. Students explore exercises and vocalises for general voice development as well as techniques to address and correct specific vocal problems. Role-playing exercises are used to develop appropriate listening and teaching skills. Class participants begin supervised instruction of a volunteer singing student.
VC 791 Teaching Internship 2 Credits
Teaching internship with a master teacher(s). The student will teach under faculty observation and supervision, including follow-up private discussion with the observer. In addition, students themselves observe group and private lessons and are given readings, written assignments, and/or projects associated with their own teaching. May be offered on an intensive basis in conjunction with Westminster Summer Session events, such as The High School Solo Vocal Artist and/or Vocal Institute.