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Nature of course request C02614 :

New course

Undergraduate

First term offered : Spring 2014
Course Prefix&Number	Descriptive Title	Credits/Hours
MUS 343	Voice Culture	3 -

Abbreviation for Class Schedule(20 spaces) VoiceCulture

Catalog Description: A class designed to provide a foundation of singing skills to music majors, minors and other students, with appropriate musical understanding, who are predominantly instrumentalists, to learn techniques to function effectively in the professional music field.

Course Goal and Objectives: Students in the course will learn to maximize personal vocal range,create "tone-color" appropriate to standard music genres and learn to maintain proper professional vocal health. An emphasis will be placed on understanding the anatomy and physiology of the human body as it applies to singing with a particular emphasis on the Alexander Technique and "Body Mapping." From this kinesthetic reference point, principal concepts of singing such as: breath usage, vowel and consonant formation and modification, diction/enunciation as employed in the International Phonetic Alphabet,vocal tract acoustics will be learned. The student will be given a criteria on how to select musical literature appropriate to his or her voice category and style preferences.

Justification for adding the course (e.g. alignment with other institutions, program revision, etc.): As the WOU Music Department continues to attract singer/songwriters and singer/instrumentalists to the unique BM in Contemporary Music program, this course can be an effective use of faculty FTE to teach some students this important skill set in a classroom setting, rather than in a private MUP situation.

Faculty and facilities needed: This course can be taught in one of the standard classrooms in Smith Music Hall.This course will likely be taught by Dr. Kevin Helppie, Professor of Music. (503) 838-8876 or helppik@wou.edu

Brief Course outline: The following is a list of a ¿bakers dozen of ¿ proficiencies¿ that will be achieved by the student during this course: ¿ Demonstrate breath management skill adequate to sing a four-measure musical phrase, at a moderate tempo ¿ Map ¿appropriate¿ vowel modifications/substitutions in the ¿ break area¿ of the voice, for smooth transition into the upper vocal range ¿ Use the IPA to label all vowels and consonants in English ¿ Demonstrate a useful pronunciation strategy in singing diphthongs over long note values ¿ Know the optimal manner of enunciation/pronunciation in acoustic vs. microphone situations ¿ Know the principals of vocal health as related to diet, hydration and vocal use /abuse ¿ Know the basic function of muscles, cartilages and the skeleton during respiration, while singing ¿ Know the basic function of muscles, cartilages and the skeleton during resonation, while singing ¿ Demonstrate the knowledge to be able to characterize a theatrical song ¿ Demonstrate useful Body Mapping techniques while singing in a standing, seated position and/or singing while self-accompanied on piano or guitar ¿ Demonstrate ¿stage etiquette¿ and attire appropriate to different performing genres ¿ Learn basic strategies to cope with ¿performance anxiety¿ ¿ Know the three different types of on-sets and releases of vocal tone ¿ Sing the melody from a song and show how a vocal tone can have ¿sonance¿ vs. ¿focus¿ ¿ Be able to differentiate between ¿straight tone¿ and ¿vibrato.¿ ¿ Integrate proficiencies into four ¿suggested¿ songs (Folk, Italian, Musical Theatre, Jazz Standard) assigned in-class and one song of the student¿s choice. Readings and other support materials. There is no textbook for this class but concepts will be supported by selected reserve readings, videos, audio recordings and web-based resources. Selected List of Class Resources Chapman, Janice L. Singing and Teaching Singing: A Wholistic Approach to Classical Voice. San Diego/Oxford/Brisbane: Plural Publishing, 2006. Conable, Barbara H. & Conable William. How to Learn the Alexander Technique: A Manual for Students. Portland, Oregon: Andover Press, 1995 Dimon, Theodor, Jr. Anatomy of the Moving Body. Berkeley, California: North Atlantic Books, 2008 Heirich, Jane Ruby. Voice and the Alexander Technique. Berkeley, California: Autumn Press, 2011. Peckham, Anne. The Contemporary Singer: Elements of Vocal Technique. Boston, Massachusetts; Berklee, Press, 2010. Stoloff, Bob. Vocal Improvisation: An Instru-Vocal Approach for Soloists, Groups and Choirs. Boston, Massachusetts: Berklee Press, 2012.

Approval Queue C02614

Attached Files: