Secondary Students in Voice

MUAS 1503, 3503, 5503, 6503

Students who wish to enroll in secondary voice lessons should read this document carefully. Students are expected to understand and abide by these policies. Students who are unable or unwilling to abide by all of these policies should not enroll in secondary voice lessons. These policies are in addition to, not in place of, policies found in the general Voice Handbook.

Departmental Recitals

Departmental voice recitals are scheduled on selected Tuesdays at 4:00 pm.  A schedule listing the departmental recital weeks and other vocal events will be available at the start of each long semester.  While attendance at Voice Departmental Recitals is encouraged, it is not required for Secondary Voice students.

Repertoire

Over the course of the long semester (fall or spring), students taking Secondary Lessons should typically prepare three memorized pieces, of which a minimum of two must be from the classical repertoire, in order to receive a grade of A. 

Attendance Policy 

Secondary voice lessons are 25 minutes once a week for one credit hour. Students are required to schedule their private lessons with their assigned teacher no later than the first full week of classes, or risk being dropped from lessons for the semester.

The College of Music has established THIRTEEN as the normal number of lessons per semester, and EIGHT as the minimum number of lessons a student must attend to receive a passing grade. Therefore, students who have missed a total of six lessons, either excused or unexcused, will be asked to drop voice for the semester.

If you must miss a lesson, your teacher should be notified by text, phone, or e-mail with at least 24 hours notice. If this notice is not provided, your teacher is not obligated to make up your lesson, unless there are unavoidable and extenuating circumstances. Lessons missed by the teacher or missed due to “University Excused Absences” are always to be made up

Lessons that occur on official university holidays (e.g., Thanksgiving) do not have to made up by your teacher nor do lessons that were scheduled for a day that the university is closed due to inclement weather.

Students should respond to attempts of their teacher to make-up lessons in a timely manner. Students who feel that their teachers are missing an excessive number of lessons, or that make-ups are not being offered in a timely manner, should contact the Division Chair immediately.  

If a student misses two lessons without notification, the student will receive a “Notice of Unsatisfactory Progress” report. If an additional lesson is missed without notification, the student will receive a failing grade if still enrolled when grades are due.

Secondary Voice Proficiency Exam 

Certain music majors with voice as a secondary instrument must pass the Secondary Voice Proficiency for graduation. Students who wish to attempt the proficiency exam without enrolling in voice should contact the Chair of the Division of Vocal Studies to schedule the exam.

The repertoire for the Secondary Voice Proficiency Exam is 3 pieces, two of which must be from the classical repertoire.  All three pieces must be memorized, and the student may not begin with a non-classical piece. 

Minimum requirements will include consideration of intonation, tone quality, diction, and general musicianship.

Limit on Secondary Study 

Due to the high demand for secondary voice lessons, students will be allowed to enroll in lessons for a maximum of four semesters. Registration codes are available from your teacher or the Division Administrative Assistant.  A new code is needed to enroll each semester.