advanced ped

Winter Quarter 2013

Advanced Vocal Pedagogy Syllabus

Course Materials:Your Voice: An Inside View, Scott McCoy, DMA

The Structures and Movement of Breathing, Barbara Conable (I can order)

Pelvic Power, Eric Franklin

The Singing Book, Meribeth Dayme & Cynthia Vaughn (highly recommended)

Relax your neck, Liberate your shoulders, Eric Franklin (highly recommended)

Vocology: The Science and Practice of Voice Habilitation, Ingo R. Titze (I can order)

Grading:The final grade for this class will be determined as follows:

30% Attendance and Class participation10% Quizzes20% Mid-term exam40% Final Project

Attendance and Class Participation:

Class participation is paramount in this course, and is one manner in which an assessment can be made regarding your overall understanding of the material presented. Absences will only be excused for illness or emergency. Unexcused absences will lower your grade.

There will be daily reading assignments given combined with homework/discussion questions to optimize understanding of the material. Each student must complete

Advanced Vocal Pedagogy

Advanced Vocal Pedagogy Syllabus Winter 2013 1

Kate A. Emerich, B.M., M.S., CCC-SLPInstructorUniversity of DenverLamont School of Music

M/W 12-2pm

Winter 2013

these assignments and be prepared to discuss them in the following class. Also, I will be asking for you to create your own voice exercises based on the aspects of phonation we are discussing. You will teach one of your class members your technique in front of the class. This is part of your class participation grade. The exercises are to be typed out and handed out to the entire class. (4 students and Kate).

This is a seminar-style course and I expect everyone to come with questions and ideas. I want you all to think critically to become outstanding teachers.

Practical Notebook

I’d like everyone to start a teaching binder with handouts, voice exercises, and other relevant information to use as a resource when teaching.

Final Project

Each student will be presented with a different “mock student” scenario with several voice issues to address in voice lessons. Based on that informaiton, you will create a lesson plan, including assessment methods, exercises and ideas regarding vocal literature, all with supportive scientific/physiologic reasoning. Final projects will be presented the last week of the quarter and will include a written paper and oral presentation.

Grading Scale

A = 93-100 A- =90-92B+ = 87-89 B = 83-86 B- = 80-82C+ = 77-79 C = 73-76 C- = 70-72D+ = 67-69 D = 63-66 F = 62 and below


Advanced Vocal Pedagogy Winter Quarter 2013 2

Winter 2013

Course Schedule (subject to change)

Week 1

Monday 1/7/13

Introduction/Procedures

Syllabus, Reading List

Assessment of Pedagogy thus far (quiz)

In class assignment: Chapter 1: Listening to Singers

We will go through Chapter 1 together in class

Homework: Using your rating sheet, rate one singer either live or recorded based on the parameters on the sheet to hand in next week.

Discussion for Wednesday: understand the different characteristics of the voice from the reading and discuss why knowing these can be helpful in the studio.

Applied: I will assign 4 of the categories to each of you and you will create one vocal exercise for each quality or characteristic you’d like to train a student to optimize.

Reading: Chapter 6: Anatomy and Chapter 11: Articulation

Wednesday 1/9/13

Brief Discussion: Chapter 1



Winter 2013

Teaching Time: Presentation of exercises in class

Lecture and review: Anatomy and Articulation

Homework: Review the anatomy/articulation at home. Perhaps download the bluetreepublishing.com apps for teaching purposes.

Discussion: What structures are most important? How do you troubleshoot when teaching?

Reading: Chapters 9: Vocal Health (text and CD)

Week 2

Monday 1/14/13

Discussion/Lecture: Chapter 9: Vocal Health (text and CD) a deeper look into the care of the professional voice.

Quiz on Chapters 1, 6 and 11

Homework: Design 2 vocal exercises to help optimize healthy voice production to present in class next week. Be prepared to demonstrate exercises and discuss the rationale/thoughts behind them. Also, create an intake questionnaire for your students to assess their lifestyle habits that might be negatively impacting the voice. This is a part of your final project

Wednesday 1/16/13

Lecture/Discussion: Care of the Professional Voice Powerpoint

How to work with an injured singer: exercises to help specific injuries



Winter 2013

Teaching Time: Presentation of exercises in class

Reading Assignment for 1/23: Chapter 7: Respiration The Structures and Movement of Breathing

Homework: Design two natural ways (exercises) of accessing a physiologically free inhalation. You can pair up with someone in class and teach them. You will teach these in class on 1/23/13.

Week 3

Monday, 1/21/13 is Martin Luther King Day and DU is closed

Wednesday 1/23/13

Lecture/Discussion: Breathing Anatomy/Physiology: understanding breathing from a physiological point of view.

Teaching time: demonstration of exercises

Scheduling of field trip to Dawn Sandalcidi, PT, Pelvic Floor Specialist

Quiz: Chapter 9

Reading Assignment for 1/28: Pelvic Floor Handouts/ Assigned reading from Pelvic Power.

Homework: Design two support exercises incorporating pelvic floor musculature. Target one exercise for a beginner and one for a more advanced student.



Winter 2013

Week 4Monday 1/28/13 (This may be our field trip to Dawn Sandalcidi)

Lecture/Discussion: Pelvic Floor: the role in breathing and support

Teaching Time: Presentation of exercises

Reading: Do the exercises within Pelvic Power and in the handouts. Come to class with questions and be able to describe the role of the pelvic floor in breathing, speaking and singing, as well as other tasks.

Homework: Design 2 vocal exercises to help optimize support to present in class next week. Be prepared to demonstrate exercises and discuss the rationale/thoughts behind them.

Wednesday 1/30/13

Discussion: Review of Breathing, Support, Pelvic Floor, etc

Quiz: Respiration and Pelvic Floor (Chapter 7, Pelvic Floor Handouts and Pelvic Power reading)

Week 5Monday 2/4/13

Lecture/Discussion: Review and discussion of information thus far

Teaching Time: Presentation of Exercises

Homework: Prepare for mid-term

Wednesday 2/6/13



Winter 2013

Mid-term

Listening, Anatomy, Vocal Health, Respiration/Support and Pelvic Floor all covered on exam

Reading: Chapters 2 and 3 (Sound and Resonance)

Homework: Do the review questions at the end of the chapters

Week 6

Monday 2/11/13

Review mid-term

Lecture/Discussion: Sound and Resonance (text and CD of Chapters 2 and 3)

Reading: Chapter 8: Phonation

Homework: Design 2 vocal exercises to help optimize resonance to present in class on Wednesday. Be prepared to demonstrated exercises/and or teach them to another student, as well as discuss the rationale/thoughts behind them.

Wednesday 2/13/13

Lecture/Discussion:Phonation (text and CD)


Quiz: Chapters 2 and 3

Reading: Chapter 4: Formants



Winter 2013

Homework: Answer the review questions at the end of the chapter.

Design one exercise per manner of optimizing resonant energy in the vocal tract, e.g., mouth opening. Please include your rationale.

Also, describe vowel modification and be prepared to discuss the “rules” and why we even do it.

Week 7

Monday 2/18/13

Lecture/Discussion: Formants

Wednesday 2/20/13

Playing with formants, spectrographs, etc

Quiz: Phonation and Formants

Reading: Chapter 10: Registration

Homework: Be able to talk about the different modes of phonation and how they are used in different styles of singing

Write out 2 exercises to promote a smooth transition between modes of phonation.

Week 8

Monday 2/25/13

Lecture/Discussion: Registration

Teaching Time: Demonstration of Exercises



Winter 2013

Reading: Chapter 12: Hearing

Homework: Write out your top 10 voice exercises with an explanation of why you like them. They can be exercises that have been given to you by a teacher. If so, see if you can ascertain what purpose they serve.

Wednesday 2/27/13

Lecture/Discussion: Hearing Anatomy and its impact on the voice

Week 9

Monday 3/4/13

Quiz: Registration

Discussion time: Open Q/A about anything voice related


Homework: Finish your final project!

Review: Sound, Resonance, Phonation, Formants, Registration and Hearing

Wednesday 3/6/13

Teaching Time: Presentation of Exercises, continued

Lecture/Discussion: The business aspects of teaching Apps and resources NATS



Winter 2013

Week 10

Monday 3/11/13

Quiz: Hearing

Preparation for Final Projects

Recap of the most crucial information useful as a singer and teacher from this class

Wednesday 3/13/13

Final Project Presentations



advanced ped

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