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Voice Department |
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FAQ – Prospective Students Undergrad On this page you will find answers to the following questions:
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 spring of their junior year or the fall of their senior year. 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/ Can I have a lesson when I visit campus? 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 lessons. Many teachers will offer mini-lessons of twenty minutes to 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. When you know the date of your visit, 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. 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. 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 deadline. 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, phrasing, and involvement with the text. We want to hear evidence of your joy in singing. These factors are even more important than the repertoire you choose. What can I do in high school to prepare myself academically for a major in voice? Take piano lessons. All music majors must take piano every semester until they pass the piano proficiency exam. Click here to read about the requirements and syllabi for various piano classes: http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/sec_piano/ . You will be tested on your basic skills before classes begin. Save yourself time and money by testing out of as many levels as you can. Take French, German, or Italian. One year of each of these languages is required for the BM in Voice. You may test out of one or both semesters of your language requirement in these languages. Click here for information or contact the department directly: http://www.indiana.edu/~germanic/undergrad/plspcred.html Take music theory classes if they are available
at your school Visit this link for information about the Basic
Musicianship test that you will take as an incoming freshman.
Knowing what is on this test will help you study. What courses will I have to take as a BM in Voice at IU? Here is a link to the degree map for the BM in Voice: http://www.indiana.edu/~bulletin/iub/music/2001-2003/undergraduate.html#voice Or take a look here: I want to be a music teacher K-12. What courses will I have to take for a BME? Here is a link to the degree map for the BME in
Voice: I love to sing, but I’m not sure I want a career in music. Can I minor in music at IU? You might want to investigate the BSOF (Bachelor of Science with an Outside Field) degree. You must audition for and be admitted to the School of Music, and you would get lessons just like a BM or BME student. As a BSOF in Music you would have fewer language and other music requirements, so you can use these hours for study in whatever Outside Field you are interested in. Click here for a course map for the BSOF: http://www.indiana.edu/~bulletin/iub/music/2001-2003/undergraduate.html#bso What performance opportunities are there for me at IU as an Undergraduate? You will be required to be in a choral ensemble each semester you are enrolled. All of these choirs have performances. Click here to read about the many ensembles we have: http://www.music.indiana.edu/performance/ . With your teacher’s permission, you could audition for solo opportunities in many of these ensembles (not just the one you sing in). In addition to your ensemble there is Undergrad Opera Workshop. Many teachers hold masterclasses in the evening for their students. In this setting, you would perform in front of all your teacher’s students, from freshmen to doctoral students. With your teacher’s permission, you may audition for the Opera Theatre. Realistically, with a very large and strong graduate program, it is difficult for undergraduates to be cast in leading roles, but undergrads are welcome to audition. |
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