Voice Department Handbook

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 required 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 Leakin Building, or gotten off this web site under "Mark Your Calendars". 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 an 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 member 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. This must be submitted to the chair of the voice department, who will take the ask the department for a decision.

Diction Examinations for Incoming Students

PLEASE NOTE EXCEPTION FOR GPD STUDENTS
AT THE BOTTOM OF THESE PARAGRAPHS**

Regardless of previous training, each incoming graduate student must pass a diction proficiency examination or a diction course in all four standard singing languages. (Any incoming student who chooses to enroll in a diction class would be exempt from that examination.)

In order to ensure equal application of standards in lyric diction, the following applies to all incoming graduate students (including Peabody graduates). Incoming undergraduate transfer students with prior diction training will be offered the same opportunities for testing:

1. Diction examinations (English, French, German, and Italian) will be given during orientation/registration period immediately preceding the fall semester.

Examinations will consist of:

1. a sung selection (song or aria) in each language
2. sight reading of a text in each language
3. an IPA examination (written) in each language

The written examination (IPA) will be proctored by Graduate Assistants.

Students will receive individual appointment times for singing and reading exams; these will occur simultaneously with the written exam.

Singing and reading examinations will be administered by the Voice coaches.

2. Students who do not pass the examination will be placed in the voice department diction courses.

The diction courses would be treated as review courses, equivalent to theory, history, and other review courses in musical skills.

Students placed in diction review courses (our "Singing In..." classes) would be given an opportunity to take the examination a second time (at a point to be determined, but early in the semester) if they believe they could pass it.

Those students who pass the examination on the second attempt will be exempted from the remainder of the course.

3. Students who do not pass the examination, but cannot (for whatever reason) enroll in our diction courses, will be required to pass diction examinations prior to receiving their degrees.

Required diction competency could be acquired from any resources available to the individual student, including those outside Peabody.

** GPD STUDENTS ONLY

Following the results of your diction exam during Orientation Week, if it is found that you are weak in all three diction languages, you will be advised how to best accomplish taking the courses in order to finish your degree in two years. You will be allowed to register for your first recital, provided you have successfully completed at least one of these diction courses, either through auditing (taking all exams and getting a 'pass' from the instructor), but all three will have had to be completed before registering for the second recital in the second year. If you need more information about this, please make an appointment with either vocal coach.

Language Requirement for Graduate Students

All students enrolled in graduate programs in voice must meet language and diction standards in four languages: French, German, Italian, and English. Upon entering Peabody, new students are required to take one year each of the above languages. If they have studied a year in their undergraduate work of French, German, and Italian, proof must be provided on the transcript. (It is assumed students entering will already have English accomplished.)

For INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS, it is assumed the first foreign language is English. Therefore, two of the other languages (German, French, and Italian) are needed to complete the degree, making a total of three foreign languages for all students. See example below:

Student A comes from Germany. He speaks fluent German, and has learned English to attend school here. Therefore, he will need to complete both Italian and French in order to graduate.

Student B comes to Peabody and speaks fluent English, but has had no foreign language in undergraduate school. Therefore, she will need to take German, French and Italian while in the degree. (This can be done in the summers with permission of the Chair and faculty member(s).

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.

Repertoire Requirements

Please see the Peabody Handbook.

Jury Requirements

See the Office of Academic Affairs page for Voice requirements.

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:

Grading Standards for Graduate Students

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.

Diversity and Disability Statement: The class="yshortcuts"Peabody Institute of the class="yshortcuts"Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to a climate of class="yshortcuts"mutual respect and civility among members of our community. Peabody recognizes that disability is an aspect of diversity. Our goal is to create learning environments that are usable, equitable, inclusive and welcoming. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course related to your disability that results in barriers to your inclusion or to accurate assessment or achievement, please notify the instructor as soon as possible. Students are also welcome to contact Katsura Kurita, associate dean for student affairs and disability resources coordinator, in the class="yshortcuts"Student Affairs Office, in-person, via email at kkurita1@peabody.jhu.edu, or by phone at class="yshortcuts"(410) 234-4538 for further information about academic adjustments or accommodations.