Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Vocal Pedagogy for Singers (Face-to-Face)

MUSC 4610-01

Course: MUSC 4610-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: MUSC
CRN: 32716

Course Description

Vocal Pedagogy for Singers Syllabus
MUSC 4610
Fall Semester 2025
Vocal Pedagogy is an upper-division class designed to increase student knowledge of the vocal mechanism and teaching methodologies. This course will explore the anatomy and physiology of the singing voice including vocal sound, posture, breathing, phonation, resonation articulation, registration, and coordination.

Required Texts

Required texts:
Singing with Mind, Body, and Soul: A Practical Guide for Singers and Teachers of Singing by Betty Jeanne Chipman
Electronic journal articles will also be assigned and various other book assignments will be on reserve in the library.
Additional bibliography will be in a separate handout.

Learning Outcomes

1.Students will be provided with a basic understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the singing voice.
2.Students will be provided with a fundamental understanding of vocal pedagogy and the principles which are the foundation of all teaching methodologies.
3.Students will become acquainted with other voice teachers’ methodologies by observing teachers with whom they are not studying.
4.Students will gain a better understanding of resonance, articulation, phonation, vocal acoustics, voice types, vocal registers, vocal ranges, and vocal development.
5.Students will gain a better understanding of what is considered good singing..
6.Students will gain an understanding of vocal hygiene and vocal health.

Course Requirements

Grading Policy
The final grade will be comprised of two parts: (1) formal class-related work (80%); and (2) class participation/creativity/interest (20%).
  1. The formal class related work will be determined by averaging the following: (80%)
    • Book review and In-Class Oral Presentation: 15%
    • Reading Outlines, written work, and Observations: 10%
    • Announced Tests: 10%
    • Pop Quizzes: 10%
    • Journal Notebook midterm: 10%
    • Notebook journal final: 10%
    • Final Exam: 15%
  2. Class participation/creativity/interest (20%). Class participation/creativity/interest will be evaluated by the instructor, based upon your written papers and your in-class efforts and presentations.
  3. Tests will be given when the following units are completed in class.

Book Review and In Class Oral Presentation
For the purpose of contrast/comparison and general knowledge, each student will review an additional pedagogical text from the bibliography handout given at the beginning of class. The review should be no less than five pages in length excluding the cover page and bibliographic resources.

 If you find any other Pedagogical book that is not on the list that you would prefer to review, bring the book to class on Wednesday, September 3, 2025 and I will decide as to whether this is a book that will be useful to you and the class.

 Journal Notebook

The journal component will contain four sections.  

 1.      The first section will contain outlines of all the assigned reading material and study guides. 
 2.      The second part of the journal will consist of lesson observations. You must observe 6 lessons during the semester.
 3.      The third section will be for six articles (not already assigned in class) that you research about singing. These articles should come from any of the following:  National Association of Teachers of Singing Journal, Classical Singer Magazine or The Journal of the Voice.   You do not need to have articles from all three journals. You may choose only one journal or possibly two.  The Journal of the Voice is quite technical.  Find articles that are of great interest to you and your teaching. You need to write in your own words what you learned from the articles.
4.       The fourth section will contain your Great Singer Paper, your Book Review, and your Comparative Singer Paper.

Your notebook by midterm should show that you have completed half of your assignments in each section of the notebook.  You will be graded accordingly.  If you have not done half of the work in each section of the notebook, then your grade will be lowered.  That means three lesson observations should be completed, three articles with your written analysis of what you learned, and at least one of your papers in section four

 Great Singer Paper/Presentation:

Each student will choose a singer/chapter from Jerome Hines’ book Great Singers on Great Singing.  This book is on reserve in the library at the front desk where books are checked out. The student will write a report on the singer and focus on the technical information presented.  Every chapter is very different, but you should look for ideas on breathing, posture, phonation, resonance, diction, etc.  In addition to the written report, the student will present the information to the class during the final weeks of class.   The book will be on reserve in the library. You will choose the singer you wish to present by the third class period. (Sept.3, 2025)

 Comparative Singer Paper:  

Each student will write a two-page paper comparing one song/aria as sung by two different singers.  The student will analyze the performances by these two singers and discuss the vocal techniques we have studied during the course of the semester.  You might choose a song/aria you have studied in order to be more familiar with the music.  Do not write two pages of biographical information on two singers. Discuss breathing, phrasing, vocal color, resonance balancing, ease of production, diction, interpretation, etc.  Use the score to make sure the singers are following the dynamics, phrasing, text, even notes of the written score.  This is an exercise for you to thoroughly analyze what you are hearing and what you would like to hear in a good vocal technique. You tube,  iTunes, or Naxos is a great source if you are having difficulty finding two singers. Make certain that the singers you pick are professional, known singers in the classical world of singing.   In addition to the written report, the student will present the information to the class during the final weeks of class.   CDs are also available in the university library.

Singer and Teacher Observations:  

You are required to observe 6 different freshmen and sophomore level singers.  Try to observe both male and female singers, three of each, and they must be different.  You must observe other teachers than your applied teacher.

Course Outline

Division of the course
  • Introduction about Pedagogy, Listening and the Brain
  • Respiration and Posture
  • Vocal Parts
  • Resonance
  • Registration
  • Vocal Health
  • Practical Applications

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

General Ground Rules
A pedagogy course means reading and learning a range of anatomical and physiological terms. The amount of reading and observation required is extensive enough that failure to keep up could result in failure or near-failure.

This is a discussion and participation course, and you are expected to have read the material and to be able to discuss its relevance in class. Consequently, class participation can affect your final mark by as much as two grades -- positively or negatively.

Any oral presentation or homework not ready at the beginning of class will be failed.

Any missed quiz or test will also be failed unless an acceptable written explanation of severe illness or personal tragedy (such as a death in the family) is presented or unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructor.

For each subsequent class period that an assignment is not turned in, the assignment will be downgraded one full grade, i.e. from an A to a B

Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy
Attendance counts. There are no unexcused cuts from this class. If you miss for any reason besides being ill or a death in the immediate family your final grade will be adjusted downward one grade for each absence. For example, one unexcused absence will lower a C+ to a C. Two absences C will lower to a C- etc.
I expect to be notified by e-mail if you are ill or by telephone. This is a very technical class and I would suggest not missing classes unless you are ill.
Class Attendance is Required: This is a registered Face-to-Face course where attendance is required. If you are ill, please do not come to class and expose me and other individuals to your illness.

Custom

Important Dates
  • Class Begins: Wednesday, August 27, 2025
  • Labor Day: Monday, September 1, 2025 No Class
  • High School Shakespeare Competition: Friday, October 3, 2025 No Class
  • Fall Break: Monday, October 13, 2025: Tuesday October 14, 2025 No Class
  • Opus Tour: Monday, October 13, 2025: Tuesday October 14, 2025
  • Thanksgiving Break: November 22, 2025 - November 30, 2025

Final Exam Date
Monday, December 18, 2025, 3:00-4:50 p.m.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.