Vocal Performance

Musicianship. Artistry. Collaboration. Culture. Communication. These are are the learning goals of this groundbreaking program.

The Vocal Performance co-major empowers students to pursue their passion through Albright’s unique interdisciplinary learning, which enables students to combine Vocal Performance with another academic focus to create a personalized education and reach your future goals.

This Albright Music Department program is devoted to aspiring vocal artists who envision themselves in careers in musical theatre, opera, jazz and pop. To help students prepare for success, Vocal Performance focuses on training – cultivated through a series of vocal skills courses and performing opportunities – designed to prepare singers to meet the needs of various arenas within the contemporary music industry.

For more information, contact Albright Senior Artist in Residence Jeffrey Lentz at jlentz@albright.edu.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Albright College Music Department announces an exciting new co-major in Vocal Performance. Beginning in the Fall of 2023, aspiring vocal artists who envision careers in the worlds of Musical Theatre, Opera, Jazz, and Popular Music will train together through a series of vocal skills courses and performing opportunities designed to prepare them to meet the needs of various arenas within the contemporary music and performing arts industries.

Thanks to Albright’s interdisciplinary mission of learning, our young singing artists combine their vocal performance studies with a complimentary co-major in areas like Theatre, Arts Administration, Music Industry, Music Production, Biology, Psychology, etc. to equip them with the additional tools and experience they need to successfully enter professional careers as varied as performance, artist management, vocal pedagogy, and speech pathology.

LEARNING GOALS

Upon completion of the Vocal Performance co-major, students should be able to:

MUSICIANSHIP:

Display a working knowledge of the essential technical aspects of music (music theory and notation, aural skills, rhythmic acuity, and compositional structure).

ARTISTRY:

Apply the elements of musicianship toward the expressive aspects of singing (tone quality, breath control, intonation, style, diction, articulation, lyricism, and performance presence).

COLLABORATION:

Effectively partner with other singers, instrumentalists, artists, writers, pedagogues, etc. to lead constructive creative processes that aim to elevate the artistry and professionalism of both the rehearsal and performance experiences.

CULTURE:

Articulate their appreciation and understanding for the socio-cultural meanings of music around the world and throughout history, including how music is used to communicate messages, reinforce senses of belonging, and amplify other aspects of a society’s or community’s way of life.

COMMUNICATION:

Think, speak, write, and read critically about music and the anatomy/physiology of the human voice in order to be an effective communicator in the professional music world.

VOCAL PERFORMANCE STUDIO

At the creative epicenter of this innovative co-major is a weekly Vocal Performance Studio that serves as an experiential lab where singing artists perform for and with each other in a nurturing studio environment to encourage practical application of the skills, techniques, and vocabularies introduced in their courses and lessons. Each week, vocalists will take turns examining questions like:

— How to best serve the music, the text, the composer, and the audience

— How to assess the vocal/acoustic needs of various performing and recording situations

— How to ensure artistic collaboration with fellow singers, accompanists, instrumentalists, and conductors

— How to establish and maintain an ongoing vocal health and wellness plan

— How to embrace a more inclusive approach to programing works by diverse composers and musical styles

The Vocal Performance Studio will also offer a series of workshops with invited professional artists and clinicians as well as welcome guests from academic departments around campus to foster a holistic approach to vocal performance training. By the end of their time at Albright, every student will have been afforded the opportunity to solidify their career goals and maximize their artistic potential as they propel themselves into the professional arena.

THE CAPSTONE PERFORMANCE PROJECT

The program concludes with a senior-level capstone performance project in the form of a recital/concert or stage performance to showcase their artistry and encourage a constructive dialogue with the learning goals from each singer’s complimentary co-major in terms of repertoire, programmatic structure, style, target audience, theme, and performing arena.

CULTURAL RESPONSIBILITY and PERSONAL WELLNESS

Musicianship, Artistry, Collaboration, Culture, and Communication are the overarching learning goals of this program. Beyond the necessary artistic skills, we also encourage students to be mindful of the cultural and ethical responsibilities of contemporary singing artists, the ongoing efforts in the field to expand opportunities for diverse artists and audiences, our obligation to promote full participation in equity and inclusivity initiatives, as well as how to best advocate for their own health and wellness concerns in the professional world.

COURSE OF STUDY

Like painting, dancing, and acting, the art of singing takes time and attention to develop. We recommend that students invest six semesters to complete this co-major. We believe this is necessary to encourage vocalists at the undergraduate level to devote in the requisite time and space it takes to grow as artists in terms of their vocal technique, musicianship, and artistry. Participating students interweave a sequence of academic half-courses with their ongoing private voice lessons to amplify skills sets in artistry and musicianship:

Four semesters of active participation in one of the following Vocal Ensembles:

MUS103B Commercial Music Ensemble

MUS103C Jazz Combos

MUS105A Albright Chorale

MUS105C Spiritual Ensemble

Six semesters of active participation in Private Lessons:

MUS309 Applied Lessons for Vocal Performance Co-Majors

Eight half-credit Vocal Skills courses:

MUS160 Music Theory and Aural Skills I

MUS161 Music Theory and Aural Skills II

MUS260 Vocal Anatomy and Physiology

MUS261 Diction and Phonetics

MUS360 Vocal Styles and Repertoire I

MUS361 Vocal Styles and Repertoire II

MUS460 Vocal Pedagogy

MUS461 Capstone Performance Project

One full-credit course in Music History from the following list:

MUS 113: Rags, Rock and Rap: Popular Music and American Culture

MUS 120: Listen to Musical Worlds

MUS 121: Black Popular Music

MUS 125: All That Jazz

MUS 284: Popular Music and Digital Culture

MUS 287: History of the American Musical