UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER

MUSC 338 (2713): APPLIED VOICE PEDAGOGY – 3 credits Spring, 2019

MWF 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM CA 0005

Instructor: Rachel Wood

Office: Greenhill Center of the Arts 2026
Phone: 262.472.5677
Email: woodr@uww.edu
Preferred Method of Communication: If you need to get in touch with me, you can email me at the
email address above. I will do my best to respond to any emails within 24 hours (48 hours on weekends),
and I expect the same courtesy from you. Alternatively, you can call my office during office hours, or leave
a voicemail.
Office hours: These are scheduled hours when I am available to meet with students to answer questions,
provide clarification about course content or assignments, review drafts of assignments, or discuss
anything singing, music, or career-related. These hours are indicated as “Office” on the studio schedule
posted outside CA 2026. Please feel free to drop by the studio during the posted hours, between lesson
times, or to schedule an appointment. Please note that I will generally not be on campus on Thursdays
this term.

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course will cover the anatomical, physiological and acoustic elements of singing as a means of
providing students with a detailed working knowledge of the vocal mechanism. Emphasis is placed upon
application of these principles to voice instruction, and providing students with tools and resources to aid
them in their teaching and performing endeavors.

Prerequisite: Six terms of applied voice or consent of the instructor.

COURSE OBJECTIVES AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Students will gain an understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the vocal mechanism through a
study of respiration, phonation, and resonation.
 Students will hone critical listening skills and develop vocal vocabulary to describe singing voices
through adjudication exercises.
 Students will become familiar with various components of vocal technique and voice building, and
how these may be applied to instruction, with emphasis placed on the ability to detect, diagnose, and
correct vocal faults.
 Through assigned readings and class discussion, students will explore a variety of pedagogical
attitudes and approaches to voice instruction, as well as how to effectively select appropriate
technical exercises and repertoire for students of all ages and abilities.
 Students will apply course concepts and develop voice teaching skills through observation, practice,
feedback, discussion, and reflection.

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

1. Understand and describe the physiological components of efficient posture of singing.

2. Understand and explain the process of respiration using specific anatomical and physiological
terms.
3. Describe several approaches to breath management for singing, and explain the advantages and
disadvantages of each.
4. Understand and describe the phonatory process, including the muscular and aerodynamic factors
involved.
 5. Explain the concept of vocal registration, accounting for the phonation, resonation, and acoustic
components of vocal registers. Students will be able to identify different theories of registration,
and approaches to managing register transitions in different voice types.
6. Understand concepts related to the nature of sound and resonance, and explain how these are at
work in vocal tract resonance and vowel production.
7. Identify and explain different aspects of vocal coordination and voice-building.
8. Understand pedagogical goals of technical exercises and vocalises, and be able to select
appropriate exercises for their own voice students.
9. Evaluate vocal literature from a pedagogical perspective, and be able to make appropriate
repertoire recommendations for voice students of a variety of ages and abilities.
10. Confidently instruct voice lessons to a student of their choosing, and be able to lead the student
through a regimen of warm-ups, vocalises, and repertoire study.

REQUIRED MATERIALS
Available for purchase online:

McCoy, Scott. Your Voice: the Basics. E-book. Delaware, OH: Inside View Press, 2015.
http://www.voiceinsideview.com/YVTB.html

This e-book is available in two formats for Mac and iOS devices, as well as for PC/Android devices.

Available for rent from UW-W Textbook Rental:

Doscher, Barbara M. The functional unity of the singing voice. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: The Scarecrow Press,
Inc., 1994.

Available for purchase at the UW-W Bookstore:

Boytim, Joan Frey. The Private Voice Studio Handbook: A Practical Guide to All Aspects of Teaching. Rev.
ed. Milwaukee, WI: Hal Leonard, 2014.

Additional reading materials will be uploaded to Canvas or distributed in class.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Class Preparation: This is a three-credit, upper-level class. The UW-Whitewater guidelines state that
“students are expected to invest at least 3 hours of combined in-class and out-of-class work per week for
each academic unit (credit) of coursework…” This means that I can reasonably expect you to spend at
least six hours of outside work per week on the assignments for this class.

Readings will be assigned nearly every class session. Each student is expected to read the material to be
discussed, and to view any associated video or animations before each class. Most of the readings will be
assigned from one of the required course textbooks, but some supplemental readings will be assigned, as
well. These will be available on Canvas, or distributed in class.

Please note: the schedule of class topics and readings is tentative and subject to change. Students will be
notified of significant changes to the schedule both in class and via email.
Tips for Student Success: Much of the material in the first part of the course focuses on anatomy,
physiology, and the physics of sound and acoustics. Some of the concepts we will discuss are fairly
complex, and will require multiple readings and/or viewings in order to fully understand them. We will
go through these materials as a class, but it is important for you to spend significant time on your own
reviewing course concepts outside of class. Fortunately, there are countless additional resources
available to you, both in the UW library system, and online. Scholarly websites and YouTube videos are
readily available, as are voice analysis programs that are available for purchase, or may be downloaded
as freeware. There are even anatomy, physiology, and voice analysis “apps” available for smartphones.

Tests: Students will complete a written test after the completion of each major unit of study, totaling
three (3) throughout the term. Test material will be drawn from lectures, class discussions, and required
readings.

Student Teaching and Journal Entries: This assignment has several components. First, students will
submit two (2) journal entries describing their own voice lessons with their Applied Voice instructor
(due: Monday, February 18th). Each participant is required to teach eight (8) half-hour lessons to their
own student throughout the term. It is your responsibility to find a student. Please provide me with the
name of your student via email by the beginning of the fourth week of classes (Monday, February 11th).
Please let me know if you are having difficulty finding a student. It is your responsibility to arrange
regular lessons with your student at mutually agreeable times. For six (6) of these lessons, please
complete a journal entry describing the lesson in detail, and submit these via email or Canvas no later
than 48 hours after the lesson. (Please see “Course Assignments in Detail” for further instructions.) All
journal entries must be submitted no later than the final week of the course. Please plan
accordingly! In addition to these private lessons, I will observe your teaching in one lesson (to be
arranged during Weeks 10 and 11 of the course), and once in class in weeks 12, 13, and 14. (If your
student is unable to attend class meetings, these sessions will be arranged at mutually agreeable times.)

Resource Binder: Over the course of the term, students will compile a resource portfolio to aid them in
their future teaching endeavors. This portfolio should include various technical exercises, warm-ups,
resources, repertoire lists, articles, webpage links, diagrams, etc. Resource binders are due during the
final class meeting on Monday, May 13th. (Binders will be returned to students after the final exam
period.)

Final Project: The final project will consist of both a written paper (due Monday, April 29th) and an oral
presentation during the final weeks of class. This presentation should include a one-page handout for
your colleagues. Topics are to be selected by the student, and may cover any aspect of vocal pedagogy. A
one-page topic proposal and list of five (5) sources will be due Monday, March 11th. Please bring a copy
of your paper draft to class for peer review on Monday, April 15th.

Final Exam: The final exam for the course is a comprehensive, essay-question, take-home exam. You may
be tested on any aspect of the course we have covered throughout the semester. The final exam will be
uploaded to Canvas following class on Friday, May 10th, and is due by 5 pm on Friday, May 17th.

Extra Credit: Students will have the opportunity to earn extra credit (two (2) points on one in-class test)
by making brief presentations in class on Fridays. Presentations may relate to any aspect of vocal
pedagogy, and can include articles, journals, books, magazines, media, or any other resources of interest
students have encountered over the course of the semester.

Attendance: Students will be excused from class for performances and auditions, provided advance
notice is given, and other legitimate absences will be excused at the discretion of the instructor. (Please
keep me apprised of illness or circumstances that may result in prolonged absence from class, such as
medical or family emergencies.) If you are absent from class, you are responsible for making up the
classwork on that day by checking with your colleagues, or contacting the instructor via email or by
appointment. Please note, however, that if you miss an in-class test, teaching observation, or
presentation due to illness, I will ask you to provide medical documentation in order to make up the
assignment. Make-up tests and presentations will be arranged at a mutually convenient time within one
week of the original test/presentation date. Excessive unexcused absences (four or more) will result in a
10% grade reduction.

GRADING PROCEDURES

The student’s grade shall be calculated as follows:

Assignment Weight Letter Grade Percentage

Tests (3 X 10%) 30% A (93-100)
Student Teaching 25% A- (90-92)
Lesson Journals (2 + 6) B+ (87-89)
Teaching Observation (1) B (83-86)
In-class Teaching (2) B- (80-82)
Research Project 20% C+ (77-79)
Topic Proposal (10%) C (73-76)
Written Component (50%) C- (70-72)
Oral Presentation (40%) D+ (67-69)
Resource Binders 10% D (63-66)
Final Exam 15% D- (60-62)
Total 100% F (0-59)

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is dedicated to a safe, supportive and non-discriminatory

learning environment. It is the responsibility of all undergraduate and graduate students to familiarize
themselves with University policies regarding Special Accommodations, Academic Misconduct, Religious
Beliefs Accommodation, Discrimination and Absence for University Sponsored Events (for details please
refer to the Schedule of Classes; the "Rights and Responsibilities" section of the Undergraduate Catalog;
the Academic Requirements and Policies and the Facilities and Services sections of the Graduate Catalog;
and the "Student Academic Disciplinary Procedures (UWS Chapter 14); and the "Student Nonacademic
Disciplinary Procedures") (UWS Chapter 17).

A note about academic dishonesty: Students are required to familiarize themselves with the UW
system guidelines for academic conduct, as outlined in Chapter 14 of the UW System Handbook:
https://www.uww.edu/Documents/studentaffairs/staff/Chapter14Aug2011.pdf.

Any instance of cheating on a test, exam, or assignment will result in automatic failure of the course.
Assignments must be your own work and completed individually (not in pairs or groups) unless
explicitly stated otherwise. Assignments submitted that closely resemble another classmate’s will likely
result in a grade of “0” for both parties. Always cite any and all information that is not your own ideas or
original information. All facts and information borrowed from other sources must be cited, even if not a
direct quote. When in doubt, cite it! Failure to do so may result in failing the assignment or course.
Remember: Accidental or unintentional plagiarism is still plagiarism. If you have any questions, concerns,
or are not entirely clear on what constitutes academic dishonesty or plagiarism, please contact me.
Additionally, the Andersen Library provides a thorough tutorial on the subject, available online:
https://library.uww.edu/tutorials/plagiarism-cut-and-paste-doesnt-cut-it.
COURSE SCHEDULE (Subject to change)

Week Date Topic Assignments Reading

1 1/23 Introduction to the course; critical McCoy: Chapter 1 (1-16)
listening
Doscher: Introduction (xii-
xix)
1/25 Anatomy, posture, and alignment McCoy: Chapter 2 (17-23)

Doscher: Chapter 4 (69-84)

2 1/28 Respiratory anatomy McCoy: Chapter 3 (25-35)

Doscher: Chapter 1 (1-17)

1/30 Respiratory anatomy, continued

2/1 AUDITION DAY Doscher: Chapter 1 (18-29)

NO CLASS MEETING – Activities in
Canvas

Respiratory physiology
3 2/4 Respiratory physiology, continued

2/6 Approaches to breath management McCoy: Chapter 3 (36-43)

Miller: Chapter 2 (20-29)

2/8 Teaching breathing and correcting McKinney: Chapter 4 (46-
faults 64)
4 2/11 Respiration review and critical
listening
2/13 Test 1: Posture, alignment and Submit student
respiration information
2/15 Laryngeal anatomy McCoy: Chapter 4 (44-57)

Doscher: Chapter 2 (30-53)

5 2/18 Laryngeal anatomy, continued Two (own)
lesson journals
due
2/20 Phonation McCoy: Chapter 4 (58-63)

Doscher: Chapter 3 (58-68)

2/22 Phonation, continued

6 2/25 Teaching phonation, onset, and McKinney: Chapter 5 (76-

correcting faults 92)

Miller: Chapter 1 (1-19)

2/27 Teaching phonation, onset, and
correcting faults, continued
3/1 AUDITION DAY
NO CLASS MEETING – Complete
 test in Canvas
Test 2: Laryngeal anatomy and
phonation

7 3/4 NO CLASS MEETING – Activities in Doscher: Chapter 5 (85-

Canvas 105)
The nature of sound

3/6 NO CLASS MEETING – Activities in McCoy: Chapter 5 (65-71)

Canvas
Vocal resonance Doscher: Chapter 6 (106-
132)
3/8 Vocal resonance, continued

8 3/11 The source/filter theory of voice Final project McCoy: Chapter 5 (72-78)
production and vowel formation topic proposal
due Doscher: Chapter 7 (133-
170)
3/13 Vowel formation and modification, McCoy: Chapter 6 (79-98)
continued; voice analysis
3/15 Registration McCoy: Chapter 8 (126-
135)

Doscher: Chapter 8 (171-

195)
9 3/18 Registration, continued

3/20 Teaching resonance and correcting McKinney: Chapter 8 (129-

faults 142)
3/22 Voice pedagogy research and writing;
final paper/presentation workshop

3/26 – 3/30 SPRING RECESS – NO CLASS

10 4/1 Resonance and registration review Student lesson

observations
(arranged)
4/3 Test 3: Resonation and
registration
4/5 JUNIOR AUDITION CLINIC Ware: Chapter 10 (178-
NO CLASS MEETING – Activities in 188)
Canvas
Coordination: unifying the vocal Doscher: Chapter 9 (211-
process 213)

Boytim: Chapter 14 (57-

63)
11 4/8 Vibrancy Student lesson Miller: Chapter 14 (182-
observations 196)
(arranged)
Doscher: Chapter 8 (198-
 210)
4/10 Assigning and developing effective Miller: Chapter 6-8
vocalises (79-114 – reference only)

Boytim: Chapter 9 (34-37)

4/12 Selecting repertoire Boytim: Chapters 10-12
(38-51)
12 4/15 In-class teaching and discussion; Submit draft of
Review paper drafts in class final papers

4/17 In-class teaching and discussion

4/19 AUDITION DAY Ware: Chapter 13 (264-

NO CLASS MEETING – Activities in 270)
Canvas
Boytim: Chapters 19 and
Teaching voice across the lifespan 20 (92-105)

Philips: Chapter 4 (69-89)

13 4/22 In-class teaching and discussion

4/24 In-class teaching and discussion

4/26 In-class teaching and discussion

14 4/29 GUEST SPEAKER: Dr. Michael Final papers McCoy: Chapter 7 (99-125)
Hammer due
Vocal health Doscher: Appendices I and
II (214-258)
5/1 In-class teaching and discussion

5/3 In-class teaching and discussion

15 5/6 Final project presentations

5/8 Final project presentations

5/10 Final project presentations All lesson

journals due;
Final exam
uploaded to
Canvas
16 5/13 Final project presentations/critical Resource
listening/final exam review Binders due in
class
5/17 Final Exam due by 5:00 pm
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER
MUSC 338 (2713): APPLIED VOICE PEDAGOGY – 3 credits Spring, 2019
MWF 10:00 AM – 10:50 AM CA 0005

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS IN DETAIL

 All assignments are due before midnight on the day they are due.
 With the exception of the Resource Binders, students are strongly encouraged to submit
assignments electronically (via email or Canvas) whenever possible.
 Please submit assignments as either a .pdf or Microsoft Word .doc file (preferred). Documents
submitted in .pages format will not be accepted.

Student Teaching and Journal Entries:

1. Students will submit two (2) journal entries describing their own voice lessons with their Applied
Voice instructor (due: Monday, February 18th). Journal entries should include the following:

 The date of the lesson

 Technical exercises/vocalises sung
 Your perceived purpose of the exercises
 Repertoire studied (if applicable)
 Instructor corrections and feedback
 Your reflections and impressions of the lesson

2. Each participant is required to teach eight (8) half-hour lessons to their own student throughout
the term. It is your responsibility to find a student. You must provide me with the name of your
student by the start of the fourth week of classes (Monday, February 11th). Please let me know if
you are having difficulty finding a student. It is your responsibility to arrange regular lessons with
your student at mutually agreeable times.

3. For six (6) of these lessons, please complete a journal entry/reflection paper (1-2 pages)
describing the lesson in detail. Each reflection paper should include the following information:
 The date of the lesson
 Vocalises and technical exercises used
 Repertoire studied (if applicable)
Questions to answer:
 What is an activity or a correction that you made that worked well?
 What did not work well?
 During the lesson, did any issue arise that you felt unqualified or unsure of how to address?
 What might you do differently next time?

Please write up your reflection papers and submit them to me (either in person or electronically)
no later than 48 hours after the lesson. If this falls on a weekend, then please submit it to me
the following Monday. All journal entries must be submitted no later than the final week of
the course. Please plan accordingly!

4. I will observe your teaching in one lesson outside of class (to be arranged during Weeks 10 and
11 of the course). I will observe this lesson and only interject if I find it necessary. Afterwards, we
will discuss your teaching (without the student present.)
 5. You will teach your student once in front of the class (Weeks 12, 13, and 14 of the course). If
your student cannot attend the class meeting times, we will find another mutually agreeable time.
These lessons will be followed by class discussion.

Resource Binder:

Over the course of the term, students will compile a resource portfolio to aid them in their future
teaching endeavors. Resource portfolios are due in class on Monday, May 13th.

The resource portfolio should include the following sections (not necessarily in this order):

1. Relevant articles, resources, media, webpages, diagrams, etc. which you have encountered over
the course of the semester
2. Warm-ups and vocalises, divided into the following subsections:
 Posture and alignment
 Breath management
 Co-ordinated vocal onset and release
 Resonation
 Articulation
 Vowel differentiation and modification (aggiustamento)
 Registration (male and female)
 Range extension and stabilization
 Co-ordination: Sostenuto, vibrancy, agility, Messa di voce and dynamic control

These exercises may be taken from class lectures, pedagogy texts, lessons you have observed, your own
lessons, etc. This section should include at least three exercises which you have designed yourself!
Aim to include a few different exercises for each subsection, noting vocal range and/ or voice type for
which the exercise is intended (when appropriate). Feel free to include additional subsections and
exercises!

One of the most important components of teaching voice is identifying an element of faulty production,
and then quickly selecting (or creating!) an appropriate vocalise or exercise to remedy the problem.
Remember that one exercise may address multiple technical areas, and that an exercise that works well
for one singer may not work at all for another! (This is why it is beneficial to have numerous exercises at
your disposal.) Writing and selecting vocalises may seem daunting at first, but it becomes easier over
time with practice. Be creative!

3. Sample repertoire for students of various ages, skill levels, and voice types

For each of the following, list ONE suitable piece you could assign:
 A thirteen-year-old female who is beginning voice lessons for the first time. She has studied
piano and violin for a number of years, and reads music well. She has sung in numerous
community and school choirs. She has sung first or second soprano in all of these
ensembles, and has a strong head voice, but a relatively weak middle voice.
 A forty-five-year-old female who sings alto in her church choir. She approaches you for
lessons because she wants to become more confident in her singing and music-reading
abilities. She has never studied music formally, and has only been in the choir for a few
months. She sometimes has difficulty pitch-matching, but is slowly improving with practice.
 A seventeen year-old male (baritone) who has studied voice for several years, and is
considering auditioning for university music programs.
 A sixteen-year-old female with no formal musical training, but has sung in her high school
choir for the past two years. She has limited music-reading skills, but has a fairly good ear
 and learns music easily by rote. She is primarily interested in popular styles of music and
musical theater. She is a self-professed “belter,” and has no interest in “classical” music.
 A ten-year-old male beginning voice lessons for the first time. He sings in the local
children’s choir (an auditioned choir) where they integrate musicianship skills (sight
reading and some theory) into rehearsals. He has an excellent ear and is VERY keen.

For each piece, be sure to include the title, composer’s name and dates, vocal range and available keys,
and publisher and/or anthology where the piece can be located.

4. Miscellaneous resources
 This section might include sources concerning lesson preparation, ideas for studio policies,
information about organizations (such as NATS), voice teacher ethics, etc.

Final Project:

1. TOPIC PROPOSAL: The topic proposal should briefly outline the thesis and content of your paper.
It should include an explanation of the topic you have chosen, and address the questions you will
answer in the paper. This need not be extensive, although ideally you will have done a significant
amount of research by the time you hand in your proposal. Proposals should not exceed one (1)
written page in length. Please include a preliminary Turabian-style bibliography of at least five (5)
sources which you have consulted. Your paper should draw from a variety of sources, and your
bibliography should include at least one book and one journal article. Final paper topic proposals
are due on Monday, March 11th.

2. WRITTEN COMPONENT: The written paper should be between 6 – 8 pages in length, double
spaced, not including the title page, bibliography, appendices, etc. Please use a standard font
(Times New Roman, Arial, etc.) 12-pt font with a one inch margin. You may select any topic related
to vocal pedagogy that is of interest to you! Consult the course syllabus and Journal of Singing for
topic ideas. Feel free to submit potential topic ideas to me as they develop. Papers are due on
Monday, April 29th.

The standard reference for music-related projects is A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses,
and Dissertations (8th Edition) by Kate L. Turabian. This text is available in Andersen Library
[LB2369 .T8 2013]. Please consult this reference for your citations, bibliography, title page and
overall format.

For this project you are required to cite a minimum of five (5) sources. (You may cite your course
textbooks and use them as a starting point for research, but they will not count towards your five
sources.) I recommend beginning your research with the NATS (National Association of Teachers
of Singing) Journal of Singing. The journal dates back to the 1960s (formerly called the NATS
Journal and the NATS Bulletin) and contains articles on virtually every topic related to singing. I
suggest selecting articles that are of interest to you, and consulting the sources the authors have
listed in their bibliographies.

We will discuss vocal pedagogy research and paper style and formatting in greater detail in class.

3. ORAL PRESENTATION: Students will present their research in class during the final weeks of the
semester. Please note that this presentation should extend beyond simply reciting your paper
word for word! Try to include visual aids and other media, if possible. Presentations should be
between 15-20 minutes long, allowing time for questions and discussion. You may elect to use
PowerPoint for your presentation, but this is not mandatory. Students should prepare a one-page
handout for their colleagues. Please provide me with an electronic copy of these, as well.