Expanding undergraduate voice pedagogy curricula : academic options, considerations for implementation, and an examination of historic and modern approaches to curriculum

Abstract

Voice pedagogy skills, knowledge, and technique are less comprehensively addressed within curriculum for undergraduate vocal music performance and music education students in most of today’s universities. Problematically, young vocal music alumni often find themselves in careers sustained or supplemented by private applied voice teaching. Expanding undergraduate voice pedagogy curriculum is a path to better support young vocal alumni, providing them with early opportunities to explore vocational identities and early access to increased pedagogical training prior to hybrid performance and teaching careers.

This research presents quantitative data about the current state of undergraduate and graduate voice pedagogy curricula within higher education in comparison to parallel undergraduate instrumental pedagogy programs and degrees. Four distinct undergraduate paths models for expanded voice pedagogy curricula are also identified and deconstructed with NASM curricular guidelines and curricular examples from major institutions as available. The four expanded voice pedagogy curricular options presented are (1) An undergraduate degree emphasis in voice pedagogy; (2) An undergraduate minor in voice pedagogy; (3) A pre-professional baccalaureate certificate in voice pedagogy; and (4) A new Bachelor of Music (BM) in Voice Pedagogy. Additionally, a newly constructed curriculum guide with course descriptions and four-year plan is also presented for consideration for a new BM Voice Pedagogy degree. The variability of the four approaches grants flexibility for implementation by diverse academic programs whose campuses, departments, faculty, and students invariably function differently. It also provides an avenue for the possible sequential growth of an undergraduate voice pedagogy program from smaller to larger over time. Additionally, research on historic and modern approaches to voice pedagogy curriculum are applied specifically to voice pedagogy curriculum for today’s students.