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Voice Department |
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FAQ – Incoming and Current Graduate Students On this page you will find answers to:
I’m interested in studying voice at IU. When should I visit? We would love to have you visit our campus and see for yourself all that IU offers. Many students visit during the fall of the year they intend to apply for admission. The School of Music offers tours. Click here to schedule one: http://www.music.indiana.edu/admissions/tourform.shtml We recommend that if at all possible, you schedule a visit on an opera weekend, so that you can see one of our amazing Indiana Opera Theater productions. Click here to see what’s in store for this season: http://www.music.indiana.edu/publicity/opera/. If you want to observe lessons or classes, be sure your visit includes a weekday. Can I have a lesson when I visit campus? The members of the voice faculty do their best to meet with prospective students, but we have hundreds of applicants each year and it is not always possible to find time to schedule individual lessons. Many teachers will offer mini-lessons of about a half hour (including your questions) at no charge. If their teaching schedule does not permit this, you might ask if you could observe a lesson in their studio. You can learn a great deal about a teacher’s style by simply watching them work. We recommend that you spend the time to observe lessons in several studios. Personal observation is always a better guide than word of mouth. Go to our faculty web page: http://info.music.indiana.edu/group/page/normal/332.html and read about our faculty. There is contact information for each teacher at the end of his or her biography. When you have scheduled the date of your visit, contact those professors whose work you would like to observe. Not all professors teach during the summer, and most will not pick up the phone if they are teaching, so sending an email is perhaps the best way to begin.
Questions about the application process What should I put on my screening tape/cd? Click here http://www.music.indiana.edu/admissions/requirements.shtml#voice for repertoire requirements. Put your strongest piece first. Do not add electronic effects such as artificial reverb to your recording. These will distort the sound of your voice. Be sure to listen to your recording before you send it off so that you can be sure that you have duplicated it properly, and that the volume is at a good level. If we can’t hear you clearly, we can’t evaluate your performance. Please be sure that cd’s are playable on audio equipment. We can’t always play those formatted for play on a computer. Who listens to my screening tape? A committee of at least three voice faculty will evaluate your tape during the week or two after the December deadline. What are you listening for? We like to hear a clear, vibrant voice that has ring. Good intonation and inner rhythm are essential. We like an easy vocal production with no belting, pushing, or straining. We listen for musicality: a good range of dynamics, legato, phrasing, and an involvement with the text. At the graduate level we expect to hear good diction in all languages. A variety of tempi is desirable, and repertoire from different periods will show a knowledge of style. If you are offered the opportunity to audition live, carefully consider these criteria as you plan and select the repertoire that you will offer.
Questions about degree programs and curriculum What are the different graduate degree options? The MM Degree in Vocal Performance is the course of study most often chosen by beginning graduate students in voice. Take a look at this page from the Graduate Office which will give you a comprehensive look at the MM degree: http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/grad/Masters.html Here is a link to the specific voice requirements of the MM: http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/grad/Masters/05/VoiceMM_05.pdf The Performer Diploma, like the Artist Diploma, is designed for outstanding performers who intend to pursue a career in performance. The program provides the opportunity for concentrated study in the appropriate repertoire. Students earning the Performer Diploma give one recital, and the program can be completed in two to four semesters. Singers pursuing this degree must audition at a post-Masters performance level. The DM in voice is explained here: http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/grad/Doctoral.html Here are the Bulletin pages with details of the DM specific to voice: http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/grad/Doctoral/05/VoiceDM_05.pdf The Artist Diploma is designed for outstanding performers who intend to pursue a career in performance. The program provides the opportunity for concentrated study in the appropriate repertoire. Students give four recitals during their course of study. The Artist Diploma requires an average of four semesters of study. In voice, this degree is designed for the student who is already singing at a professional level. In Voice, it is unlikely that a student coming straight from an undergraduate, or even a MM degree would be admitted to this course of study.
Questions about entrance exams and requirements What can you tell me about the Graduate Entrance Exams? It is of the
utmost importance that you arrive on campus in time to take these
exams!!! If you arrive late for any reason, and miss the exams,
you have lost one of your two opportunities to take them! Double
check the date by clicking here: For an out of state student, passing out of just one 3-hour course is equivalent to a $1,980 scholarship. Therefore, if you spend 20 hours during the summer studying for one exam and pass, you have paid yourself roughly $100/hour to study! How should I study for the Music History entrance exam? Click here for information from the Musicology Department: http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/musicology/examgee.html How should I study for the Theory entrance exam? Click here for
information from the Theory Department: What do I have to do to pass piano proficiency? See the links on
this page about when and how to pass piano proficiency: What happens in Diction Exams? When do they happen? Who must take them? Here is another opportunity to save time and money! Passing just one diction course will save an out of state student $660 (2005-6). Spend time before the exam reviewing the rules! All incoming graduate students in voice and DM choral conductors must take all three diction exams in their first semester on campus. They are usually held in the early part of each semester, on a Wednesday afternoon 4:30-6:30. You will be notified by email of the dates each semester. The Voice Department views these as diagnostic exams to see if you know the rules for singing diction in each language. Each committee is made up of three voice faculty members. In each exam, you will be given a few minutes to look over a poem or a vocal score. When you are ready, you will read that text slowly to the committee using the rules of sung diction in that language. The committee may ask you to re-read a portion of the text, or ask you why you made certain choices in your diction. If you pass, you have fulfilled the diction component of your foreign language study. If the committee feels that you could study on your own and pass on a second try, they will recommend that you retake the exam in the next semester. If it is clear to the committee that you do not have a sufficient grasp of the rules of diction, they will require you to take the diction course in that language at the earliest opportunity.
I’ve been admitted to the School of Music. How do I get a teacher? At IU, teachers may choose the students for their own studios. You may have met some teachers when you visited campus before your audition. Email those teachers and ask if they would have space for you in their studio. If they are full, don’t panic! Ask them if they could recommend another teacher. Different numbers of students graduate or leave each year, so some years a teacher may have many vacancies, some years very few. If you arrive at registration without having been accepted into a studio, there will be a list of teachers who still have space in their studios. Go back to the faculty bios online http://info.music.indiana.edu/group/page/normal/332.html and identify which of those teachers you would like to contact. Email them, asking when they will be hearing new students during the week before classes begin and the first week of school, and request an appointment. Since many teachers are away during the summer, or if they are new to the faculty, this might be your first opportunity to meet with them, and their first opportunity to make personal contact with you. Any student who has not found a studio by the middle of the first week will be assigned to a studio by the Chair of the Voice Department. What if I’m not happy with my teacher? If you are coming from a voice teacher you loved working with, it often takes some time to form a new relationship with your new teacher at IU. If you are unhappy in your lessons, the first step is to talk to your teacher about it. Ask them questions like “Am I making progress?” or “I’m feeling frustrated with my progress, what should I be doing differently”. If you have trouble understanding the way your teacher is explaining technique, don’t be afraid to ask for clarification. Your teacher wants you to understand and improve! It is possible (even likely) that your teacher will use different terminology or images than your previous teacher. If you’re not sure what they mean, ask! By asking questions it will help your teacher know how to proceed in explaining their ideas and methods. If you feel uncertain, communication is your first and best option. What if I want to change studios? We do not encourage students to go shopping from studio to studio. Vocal progress takes time. There are no quick fixes, and continuity is valuable. Switching studios in mid-semester is usually not an option. If you have ethical issues with your professor, you should make an appointment with the Chair of the Voice Department to discuss these. If things are not
improving after you have made a good faith effort to communicate
with your teacher about your concerns, it is possible to initiate a
change of studio, but certain courtesies are expected. You must have
a commitment of acceptance from the teacher whose studio you wish to
join. Ask to sit in on the lessons of your friends. Introduce
yourself to their professors. When you have identified the teacher
you think would work for you, you must ask them if they would accept
you. This will usually involve singing for them. Be very candid and
explain your situation and the reasons you wish to change studios.
What are cattle calls, and when are they held? "Cattle Calls” is the informal term for the auditions for the IU Opera Theatre. The first two operas of the season are cast in April, so that singers can learn them over the summer. The remaining four operas are cast from the singers heard at auditions at the end of the first week of classes (Thursday evening, Friday evening, and all day Saturday) in August (September). The sign up sheet is located on the 4th floor of the Musical Arts Center on the Opera board. Arias can be no longer than 4 minutes. If you wish to sing a longer aria, discuss cuts with your teacher well in advance of the auditions so that you are memorized and comfortable with the shorter version. Be sure to mark the cuts clearly for your accompanist!! Who listens to the cattle calls? The entire voice faculty, choral department reps, directors, conductors, and the Dean adjudicate the cattle calls. Each faculty member has a list of singers and all the roles available for the season. The faculty may recommend a singer for any number of roles by writing that singer’s name under the role. The Opera Department tabulates all the recommendations, and the list of results is given to each member of the Casting Committee. Although the faculty vote is considered, a singer may be needed in or judged more suitable for a role other than the one for which he or she received the most votes. Who is on the Casting Committee? The Dean, the Artistic Administrator of the Opera Theatre, conductors, stage directors, a representative from the Choral Department, the Chair of the Voice Department, and three other voice teachers (which will be different each year). Before casts are approved, each teacher is given the opportunity to review his or her students’ roles, and approve them, or decline if they think the role is vocally inappropriate for the student at that time. Other than my singing, what does the Casting Committee consider? Acting ability: if
a student is known to move well on stage, and take direction well,
they will get preference. Reliability: is the singing consistently
reliable, or are certain registers or difficult passages sometimes a
problem? Musicality: does the student learn and memorize quickly?
Are they always prepared at rehearsal? How can I get experience if I’m not cast? Enroll in Opera Workshop. Request Opera Chorus for your ensemble. In those arenas, get to know the conductors and directors. Always be prepared and on time. Accept every small assignment as if it’s a major role. Be eager to learn – this will be noticed. Be a good colleague. Work on your vocal technique. Make it your goal to have impeccable diction. Review audition skills with your teacher in lessons and studio masterclasses. With your teacher’s permission, look into performing opportunities in the community. Attend cattle calls. Attend dress rehearsals of all the Opera Theatre productions. At these events, listen and observe. Try to be objective as you compare the performance of other students to your own voice and acting ability. In the interest of your own mental health, and for practice in being a good colleague, try to frame your evaluations in constructive criticism. The Casting Committee is fully aware of the difficulty of balancing the casting of experienced vs. new incoming students or singers previously unknown to them. The Committee must consider how to balance the educational needs of the students with the responsibility of assembling the strongest cast possible for the ticketholders who pay to see productions that we believe to be comparable to productions of professional regional opera companies. Should I sing in cattle calls in my first semester at IU? Yes. Cattle calls is not only your chance to be cast, but also a very important way to introduce yourself to the voice faculty (who heard you at your audition), and also to the conductors and stage directors who have important input into the casting decisions and have never seen or heard you. Discuss your aria choice with your teacher, and be prepared to work on it with your teacher in your first lesson, which should occur before cattle calls. If you happen to be sick at the time of cattle calls, it may be best to cancel and await the next opportunity. At IU, as in the professional world, first impressions can be lasting. Consult your teacher if you are unsure about whether to proceed. Is a pianist provided for cattle calls? Yes, one of the opera coaches will be available to play for you. Be sure that your music is legible, in a format that will stay open on the piano, that all the cuts are clearly marked, and all pages present and in the correct order. What should I wear to cattle calls? Women: Some female students choose to wear evening gowns. While acceptable, this is not necessary. Professional looking daytime clothing is fine. Avoid stoles or spaghetti straps that can fall down and distract. Check form fitting clothing in a mirror – we do not want to be able to tell what kind of undergarments you are wearing. Men: A well-cut suit is always appropriate.
As a new student, how can I be considered for a GA or AI? Read this page for
an overview of financial aid opportunities: The GA and AI are merit based (as opposed to financial need). The audition score you get from the voice faculty when you first audition for a degree program is the crucial factor in receiving a GA or AI award. Only students with the very highest audition scores can be considered for these largest awards. We use the AI and GA awards to recruit new talent to the school. The number of available awards can vary from year to year, depending on how many students have graduated. If fewer awards are available, it is likely that these will be used to attract new students rather than for currently enrolled students who are already on scholarship. The admissions process takes into account special needs of the Voice Department in order to balance the different voice types. Basses (for example) are usually in short supply, and the number of sopranos outbalances other voice types by a wide margin. Therefore, sopranos seeking admission or merit scholarships must earn an even higher score than other voice parts as we seek to balance the need for all voice parts. I am a returning student with a merit based scholarship. I am singing at a higher level than when I auditioned. Can I get a GA or AI? We expect all students to become better singers and stronger performers as they progress through their degree! The Voice Department does make note when a student achieves particular success in an opera role, as a soloist in a choral concert, singing in a guest masterclass, or in a strong recital hearing. Usually a student will need to have made an impression of some sort of accomplishment that exceeds normal expectations in order to be considered for one of these highest award levels.
How do I find an accompanist? Piano majors at IU must do accompanying as their ensemble credit. Your teacher will be assigned some of these students. The pianist must attend half of your weekly lesson, and rehearse with you for an hour each week. You do not pay for this, but you do not get to choose the pianist, although your teacher can make requests. There are not enough pianists to offer to everyone, but do ask your teacher if you would like to use one of these. Many singers prefer to work with a pianist who is a friend, or with a freelance pianist, or a student who plays for a fee. You can pay them, or can sometimes barter for their services. Your teacher will know some pianists who have previously played in your studio, and should have some favorites to recommend. Ask your teacher for recommendations before randomly contacting people who have put up signs. Other students in your studio may have suggestions. Word of mouth is always a good recommendation. Each freelance pianist sets his or her own fee, so be certain that you are clear on what you want to pay for – half a lesson, rehearsal time, or a recital. |
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