Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Vocal Pedagogy for Singers (Face-to-Face)

MUSC 4610-01

Course: MUSC 4610-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: Music
CRN: 31824

Course Description

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. (Fall - Odd Years) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Course Materials
The textbooks for this course will be provided throughout the semester by the instructor.

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 become well-informed on different approaches to teaching singing by reading respected pedagogy books.
6.Students will develop their own teaching philosophy based on the material covered throughout the semester.

Course Requirements

Weekly Assignments (%50)
Students will be given a new assignment packet every Friday with each new packet being due a week later on the following Friday. Assignment packets will consist of the following:
  • Textbook: The book listed here is the assigned text for the week.
  • Topics: This section will outline the topics students should be focusing on both in the textbook and from other sources of their choosing. Students will need more than a cursory definition of the terms contained in the section. Students can use the textbook or ask Dr. Clegg to find the level of detail required for each topic.
  • Exercises: This section will provide practical application and critical thinking using the topics covered. Again, if a student is unsure about the level of depth an activity is asking for, they should consult the instructor.
  • Writing Prompt: This section contains a writing assignment with specified page number ranges. Students should primarily focus their writing on answering the questions and use the page number ranges to determine the level of detail to go into.
Exams (30%)
There will be 3 exams throughout the semester. Each exam will take place in the testing center (unless notified otherwise) and will have a time limit. You will be allowed to bring in materials for some exams and those materials will be specified in advance.
Lesson Observations (10%)
Students should observe two 1 hour lessons before midterms and 2 1 hour lessons after midterm. You may observe your own applied applied professor, but each observation should be with a different instructor. You should take notes and then write/organize a 1-2 page report which answers the following questions:
  1. What warmups/exercises did the instructor use? What was the focus of each warm up (breath, color, registration, etc.)?
  2. What was the format of the lesson? Did the instructor spend more time on exercises or more time on repertoire?
  3. What did the instructor focus on helping their student with? Specific techniques? Performance or acting? Diction?
  4. What about this lesson was unexpected?
  5. What warmups, exercises, or strategies will you want to use in your own teaching?
Teaching Philosophy (10%)
Students will write a 2-3 page teaching philosophy at the beginning of the semester, and then write another teaching philosophy at the end of the semester. Their teaching philosophy should focus on the following:
  • How do you define your role in lessons with a student?
  • What aspects of singing (respiration, registration, resonance, anatomy, articulation, hearing, acting, etc.) do you find yourself focusing on the most with students?
  • What policies or practices do you feel strongly enough to implement in your lessons? e.g. memorization deadlines
  • Anything else that is central to your teaching philosophy and/or practices?

Grading Percentages
100–93 % | A
92–90 % | A-
89–87 % | B+
86–83 % | B
82–80 % | B-
79–77 % | C+
76–73 % | C
70–72 % | C-
69–67 % | D+
66–63 % | D
63–60 % | D-
59% and below | F

Course Outline

Important Dates


Friday, October 16
- We will not meet for a discussion. I will still have an assignment packet and we can schedule a different day/time earlier in the week if necessary.

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

Students may request an occasional extension for deadlines provided they ask in advance.

Attendance Policy

Citizenship. Students are expected to contribute meaningfully to the overall learning environment of the course. While the instructor will not keep track of your attendance or of the quantity or quality of comments you make in class, they do reserve the right to adjust the grade downward if a student exhibits an unacceptable pattern of absence, disruption, or non-participation.

AI Policy

In this course, students are allowed to use AI tools such as ChatGPT and Grammarly in moderation. However, students are not permitted to submit an annotation, reflection, essay, or other non-exam activity that is entirely generated by means of any AI tool (even if it isn’t listed here). Note that if you submit AI-generated information which is incorrect, misleading, or hallucinated in any assignment, you are taking responsibility for it. Exams are explicitly and totally excluded from the use of AI tools; use of AI on exams will result in a 0.

Students who use AI tools to generate or alter any portion of an assignment or activity—including the use of Grammarly—must credit the tool in the Works Cited; clearly label with Word’s highlight tool which part(s) of the submission were generated by the AI tool; and in an appendix at the paper’s conclusion, briefly explain why an AI tool and the resulting output were used on the item. The explanation of how the AI was used does not count towards the assignment’s word count. Failure to provide this explanation, submitting a vague or AI-written statement, and/or not highlighting the exact portions of the paper that were altered with AI will be treated as plagiarism due to the lack of proper citation.

Using AI incorrectly is cheating & will result in penalties up to and including disciplinary measures through the Dean of Students Office.

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.

Religious / Conscience Belief Accommodation

RELIGIOUS / CONSCIENCE BELIEF ACCOMMODATION: In accordance with SUU Policy 6.7 Student Belief Accommodation, students may request, in writing, that their faculty accommodate their sincerely held religious or conscience beliefs. Students should provide their faculty with sufficient advanced notice, if possible within the first five (5) business days of the semester or session, or thereafter with good cause for requesting an accommodation after the first five (5) business days.

Faculty must provide a schedule accommodation or excuse an absence, in any course, for students to observe or participate in religious holidays or an organized activity conducted under the auspices of the student’s religious tradition or religious organization.

In courses that are required for graduation or for an academic major, a faculty member may accommodate a religious or conscience belief by modifying an assignment or examination if its content conflicts with the student’s belief. Faculty may decline the accommodation if it would fundamentally alter the course requirements. If declined, the student may request review by a neutral arbiter using the Belief Accommodation Request Form: https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv&layout_id=5

Questions go to Assistant Provost Jake Johnson at johnsonj@suu.edu.

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.