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Voice Department Handbook
Accompanists
Coaching
Attendance at Performances
Repertoire Sheets
Recitals
Ear Training for Singers
Recital Failures
Language Requirement for Graduate Students
Repertoire Requirements
Performance Opportunities
Recommendations
Voice Department Studio Grading Policy
Copyright Law
GUIDELINES AND REGULATIONS
LESSON ATTENDANCE
Students are not allowed to skip lessons or coachings. In the event of illness, the student shold contact the teacher at home or leave a message with the Faculty Secretary to inform the teacher as soon as possible. Please note that lessons are 50 minutes in length, the same as regular class periods, while coachings are 25 minutes.
ACCOMPANISTS
Peabody provides accompanists for lessons, repertoire classes/departmental recitals, and juries. Arrangements with accompanists can be made directly between students, or with the assistance of the major teacher or accompanying coordinator. Students should find an accompanist early in the first semester, since the demand is great in the second semester. The Conservatory does not pay for rehearsal time or provide accompanists for recitals and competitions. In situations where a student is required to pay an accompanist, reasonable fees should be negotiated between the two parties and may very according to the experience of the accompanist. Music must be given to the pianist well in advance to ensure adequate time for learning or review. Pianists and singers are expected to learn the music before attending a lesson or coaching. Please note: pianists are not expected to be repetiteurs, and if this is required of the singer, payment should be made to the pianist accordingly.
The complete ACCOMPANYING POLICY is stated in the Student Handbook.
COACHING
The coaches at Peabody concentrate on style, languages, performance practice, accuracy, and all musical aspects of the vocal literature. Because the voice department does not employ repetiteurs, it is expected the coaching material will be learned in advance of the session. If a student needs help in learning the music, a repetiteur may be hired at the individual's own expense.
ATTENDANCE AT PERFORMANCES
Because the entire voice faculty is committed to a student's education through listening, it is require that all students within the department, both undergraduate and graduate, attend 8 voice recitals, two master classes, two major opera productions and two choral concerts on campus. An attendance sheet is on the bulletin board outside room 316 Prep. A faculty member or voice graduate assistant present at each event must sign the attendance sheet.
Failure to meet this requirement will result in the lesson grade being lowered by one-third at the end of the year. The completed attendance sheet must be submitted to the Chair of the voice department BEFORE the jury period in May.
REPERTOIRE SHEETS
Prior to year-end juries and hearings, each student must fill out a repertoire sheet listing all music learned and/or performed during the year. The repertoire sheet is added to each student's academic file and becomes part of the permanent school record. Forms are available in the Registrar's Office.
RECITALS
Scheduling a recital is a complex process, involving the major teacher's schedule, the schedules of other performers involved in the program, and recital hall availability. Because the major teacher must attend degree recitals, students are expected to get a list of the teacher's available dates before scheduling a recital with the Concert Office. Detailed information on recitals can be found in the Student Handbook.
All recital repertoire must be performed from memory. Exceptions to this policy may be made when performing oratorio arias, chamber music, music with a certain level of difficulty, some orchestral pieces, and some song cycles. Decisions about these exceptions are made after consultation with the teacher, coach, and chair of the department. If music is used, it is expected that the singer must not be constantly dependent on it during the performance.
Please have the program and program notes proof-read for accuracy by two faculty members within the department.
The use of water on stage is strongly discouraged.
EAR TRAINING FOR SINGERS
All voice majors are required to take eartraining tests at Peabody, (unless the student has earned a previous degree at Peabody). The Voice Department wants to be certain that our graduates have the skills necessary for a successful singing career.
RECITAL FAILURES
Academic degree students (BM and MM) must perform recitals to complete their degrees and cannot substitute and opera role for recital credit. GPD students may request recital credit for a major role by petitioning the voice department via the chair. After consultation with a departmental sub-committee and chair of the opera department, it will be determined if the role is substantial enough to fulfill recital credit. THE REQUEST FOR CREDIT MUST BE DONE PRIOR TO THE PERFORMANCE, TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FACULTY ADJUDICATORS ARE PRESENT. The second performance for credit (GPD) must be a recital.
Any recitalist that receives a failing grade, will be asked to repeat part of the recital with corrections made in order to pass. In consultation with the Chair, the coach and the major teacher, repertoire will be selected that needs to be re-heard. In the case of a second failure, the student will not graduate.
For DMA and AD students, at least three of the recital requirements must be solo recitals. The others can be major opera or oratorio roles, chamber music recitals, or orchestral programs, again pre-approved by the major teacher and chair of the voice department.
For exceptional students in the higher level degrees, certain numbers of performances may be combined to complete a recital credit. These exceptions are extremely limited in number, and may include special solo performances with the orchestra, in chamber music, choral concerts, or other performance opportunities.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
All students enrolled in graduate programs in voice must meet language and diction standards in French, German, Italian, and English. Students who pass all diction tests given at the February auditions are exempt from the four "Singing in" courses. Upon entering Peabody, new students are required to take one year of the above languages, unless they have already done so in prior degrees, and can show passing grades for such on a transcript.
For INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, it is expected the first foreign language is English. Therefore, two of the other languages (German, French, and Italian) are needed to complete the degree.
If the new student has studied other languages such as Latin or Spanish, exceptions to the requirement can be exempted on an individual basis by the chair and members of the faculty.
PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES
On campus, there are several ensembles and organizations that provide ample opportunity for solo and ensemble work. Please confer with your teacher as to what you should audition for, considering your current level of development.
Off campus, there are an enormous amount of ensembles, orchestras, oratorio groups, operas, chamber groups, and church jobs in the Washington, D.C, Baltimore and surrounding tri-state areas. Check the local newspapers to become acquainted with the artistic community. Check the bulletin boards and VOX on line for jobs. You may also want to leave your name and contact information with our Dean of Performance Activites.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Please be considerate to those from whom you wish to receive recommendations, by giving the faculty member ample advance notice, preferably one to two weeks. Supply the faculty member with the exact name or company to whom it should be addressed, address, and any other pertinent information.
For graduating students, it is recommended that you have recommendations placed in your permanent file, so that you will be able to receive them at any time in the future. You can receive official forms from the Dean of Performance Activities.
VOICE DEPARTMENT STUDIO GRADING POLICY (See below for specific grade definitions.)
A sincere and passionate interest in the acquisition of vocal performance skills and repertoire is assumed to inhabit every Peabody student of voice, and the conscientious and effective application of a student's energy toward that goal is the overriding determining factor in the studio grade. A student is expected to be actively and creatively involved in vocal study. Each studio teacher will define and make known his or her own specific grading guidelines. Some concrete factors in an otherwise somewhat subjective process can be enumerated: the record of attendance, perceived improvement in all areas covered (e.g. technique, languages and diction, musical styles), the quantity of effectively mastered repertoire and the appropriateness of the student's various accomplishments to his or her current academic level.
The following grading standards are used at the undergraduate level:
Ourstanding performance for Undergraduate students
A genuinely outstanding
A- a very high standard in which strengths far exceed weaknesses
High quality for undergraduate students
B+ high quality
B high quality with some weaknesses
B- high quality with some serious weaknesses
Average for undergraduate students
C+ barely above average
C average
C- marginally average
Below average for undergraduate students
D need for marked improvement to remain in the program
Not acceptable at the undergraduate level
F
Grading Standards for Graduate Students
Performance markedly above average
A genuinely outstanding
A - a very high standard in which strengths far exceed weaknesses
The standard normally expected of graduate students
B+ above average
B average
B- revealing certain weaknesses
Below average for graduate students
C+ lacking essential qualities
C marginally acceptable
C- need for marked improvement to remain in the program
Not acceptable at the graduate level
D
F
COPYRIGHT LAW
The practice of photocopying music for performance or to build a personal library is discouraged and often illegal. The voice faculty urges students to build personal libraries through the purchase of music, cd's, and books - just as professionals in other disciplines must buy necessary books and materials. By the time a student completes his/her education, a library of published copies of repertoire should be established. Students who intend to teach will also find it necessary to build a private collection.
The use of photocopies for recitals, juries, and auditions is strictly forbidden except in certain circumstances. These circumstances include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following situations:
- A score has been ordered, but not received in time for the performance.
- The edition used is in the public domain (copyrighted more than 75 years ago). An edition may be copyrighted even when the work itself is in the public domain. For example, although Beethoven's works are in the public domain, a Henle edition of Beethoven's Songs is copyrighted by virtue of the editorial work that was done to create it. On the other hand, an edition of these same songs published by G. Schirmer in 1895 is clearly in the public domain and may be photocopied.
- The work is unpublished or out of print, and written permission has been received from the copyright owner (not necessarily the composer) to make an authorized photocopy. NB: A piece that is out of print is not necessarily out of copyright.
A copyright infringement may not only put the student at risk, but the major teacher and the school as well. Settlements in copyright infringement cases typically run from the tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
As part of a community of musicians whose livelihood depends upon the music marketplace, it is incumbent upon us to respect the legal rights of composers and publishers, particularly when our actions may, intentionally or not, weaken someone's ability to make a living. Additional information on copyrights is available from the Arthur Friedheim Library web page (lib/).
