Repertoire Requirements*

• BME, BA, and Lower Division BM: 6 pieces per semester 
• Upper Division BM: 8 pieces per semester
• MM: 10 pieces per semester
• AD, DMA: 12 pieces per semester 

* Repertoire requirement number may be reduced by one piece per credit hour in the first semester of study in a new studio. Those students undergoing a Sophomore Barrier will have one additional piece of repertoire assigned 10 days before the jury date. 

Repertoire Management
For the entirety of your time at TCU, you are expected to maintain a database of all your learned repertoire. This database helps you keep track of all the different genres, languages, and styles you have covered, and helps you see where you may be lacking in any of those things.  

Semester Grade
The studio teacher will grade the student on the semester’s work based upon the requirements of the individual studio syllabus. This grade will be averaged at 66% with the student’s jury grade at 34% to determine the final semester grade. 

Accompanist
It is the student’s responsibility to provide an accompanist or accompaniments for lessons and juries. TCU School of Music offers a limited number of accompanying students through the collaborative piano program. Speak to your studio teacher about making arrangements, and they will contact Professor Michael Bukhman at m.bukhman@tcu.edu to provide assistance.  

• Jury Examinations: Each semester the final examination for studio voice study consists of a jury performed before the voice faculty. All students, regardless of major, must perform a jury. Juries are waived for any student performing a recital after Midterms. 
• Jury Schedule and Content: . Juries for music majors take place during the University Reading Days after the last day of class. All non-major students perform their jury during the final lesson of the semester. Students sing one selection of their choice from their semester repertoire. The voice faculty will then request one or more additional selections. Questions regarding text and historical/harmonic context may be asked.
• Absences: An unexcused absence from the jury examination will result in a failing grade for the semester. Absence due to documented problems/conflicts will result in a grade of “I” (incomplete). The “I” grades must be removed within the first 60 days of the semester immediately following or it will become an “F.” All documentation must be submitted to the Dean of Students.
• Jury Grading: The student will receive written comments for in-person juries, as well as numerical grades from the faculty panel. The numerical grades will be averaged and combined with the studio grade to determine the final semester grade. Copies of all jury forms will become part of the students’ School of Music file. Juries submitted by video will not receive comments.
• Jury Waiver: A student presenting a degree recital or an approved role presentation after midterms is exempt from performing a jury during that semester.
• Absences: An unexcused absence from the jury examination will result in a failing grade for the semester. Absence due to documented health problems will result in a grade of “I” (incomplete). The “I” grades must be removed within the first 60 days of the semester immediately following or it will become an “F.”
• Jury-System.com: TCU School of Music uses Jury System.com to schedule juries, manage repertoire lists, and provide faculty commentary. All students enrolled in voice must use this system. Music majors will use this system to create repertoire records and schedule their jury time. Non-majors will use this system to create repertoire records, but are not required to schedule a jury time, since their jury takes place in the final lesson of the semester. 

INSTRUCTIONS 

Go to www.tcu.jury-system.com  

1. Account creation:
   Your Jury-System site uses single sign-on through the TCU single sign-on login, where you should enter your usual TCU credentials. Accounts in The Jury-System site are created automatically on your first login. If you try to access a restricted area of the site without being logged in, you may see a login form on this site. Please ignore that and instead click the login link in the main menu to go to the TCU login form.
2. To create and submit a Repertoire Record:
   1. Log in to your account if you have not already done so. 
   2. Select “Rep Records” from the main menu. 
   3. Click “New” to start a new document, or if you wish to edit one you have already created, click “Edit.”
   4. Fill in the fields as indicated
      – Your course number will be 21100, 20110, 40110, 50210, or 60110. 
      – Section Number: Robinson – 774
      – Style period means time period:  renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic, modern, golden age, etc.
      – Genre means what type of piece is it:  aria, art song, oratorio, musical theatre, jazz, etc.
      – Memorized/Performance Ready/Performed on Jury:  for Memorized and Performance Ready, click all boxes that apply.  For Performed on Jury, click the box next to the piece you’d like to start with. 
   5. When finished, click “Save and Close.”
   6. If you wish to edit a repertoire record already created, follow steps 1 and 2, then click on the title to reopen your record for editing. Be sure to click “Save” when finished and wait for the message that the record has been saved before leaving the page.
   7. Please be aware that all students must complete a repertoire record before their jury.

3. To choose your jury time: 

1. Click the button that reflects the date of your jury to select the time you wish to sing. MAKE SURE YOUR PIANIST IS AVAILABLE FOR THE TIME YOU CHOOSE. 
2. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Book Now.” 
3. You will see a confirmation screen. You will also receive a confirmation email with your chosen day and time and a “cancel code.” DO NOT LOSE YOUR CANCEL CODE. It is the only way you can adjust your jury time if needed. 
4. If for any reason, you need to change a jury time for which you’ve already signed up, log in, choose Book a Time, enter the cancel code into the appropriate box and click the cancel button. Alternately, you may log in, choose “My Booking” and click “cancel now.” Then access the booking screen to choose a new time. 

Students must successfully complete an examination demonstrating an appropriate level of technical, musical, and musical literature proficiency for their degree track in order to study at the upper division MUSP 40110 level. This examination usually occurs at the end of the sophomore year. The student will present: 

• jury performance of 6 new repertoire pieces for the semester 
• jury performance of an additional song: 
  • assigned by the studio teacher 10 days before the jury 
  • of moderate difficulty 
  • independently prepared 
  • memorized 
  • presented in fully committed, communicative performance 
  • prepared to speak clearly regarding song text and translation, dramatic context, and historical context 
• proof of at least 20 songs which are certified as being memorized and representing a variety of musical styles and languages 
• sight reading competence exam during the jury 

The Sophomore Barrier is graded by numerical score according to a rubric. Consult your studio teacher if you wish to view it.  

In the event of an unsuccessful Sophomore Barrier, the student will remain in Lower Division Voice and may make another attempt during the Final Juries of the next semester. Students will be barred from enrolling in Upper Division Voice until the semester after the successful completion of the Barrier. Due to the curricular requirement of 3-4 semesters of Upper Division Voice for all voice degree tracks, each semester that passes without satisfactory completion of the Barrier will likely result in the postponement of their graduation date. Extended scholarship funding past the original planned graduation date is not guaranteed, and such extensions are usually reserved for those students completing an unusually heavy or double curriculum. 

We recommend, in the strongest terms possible, that any student with multiple failed attempts transfer to a different major. The Sophomore Barrier is in place as an indicator of viability in one’s chosen musical field. The inability to attain basic proficiencies in the stated areas after multiple attempts indicates the student is not well-suited for their intended career path. The Barrier serves as a protection for the student’s investment—both present and future—of time and capital. 

Any student admitted to the BA or BME majors in voice may transfer to the BM track after one year of study and faculty consideration.  The approval of four full-time voice faculty members is required.  The appropriate time to do this is after the student’s jury in the second semester of that year.  It is the student’s responsibility to obtain these approvals. A Request to Transfer Vocal Major form must be completed and submitted to the Chair of Vocal Arts no more than 48 hours after the jury.

It is strongly recommended that any student wishing to transfer vocal majors declare their intent as soon as possible to the faculty members from whom they seek approval, so their work ethic may be closely observed over time.

The University has established both informal and formal procedures that a student may follow when presenting academic and personal grievances. A grievance is defined as any dispute or difference concerning the interpretation or enforcement of any provision of University regulations, policies or procedures or state or federal laws applicable on the campus. Administrators, faculty and students are encouraged in all instances to resolve grievances informally and as promptly as possible. However, formal procedures may be followed when needed. Detailed information about the University educational discipline system is provided in the TCU Student Handbook, available at the beginning of each fall semester.

Individuals who have additional questions about how to gain access to the system may contact the Office of Campus Life at 817.257.7926.

Except for first-semester students, all voice students must perform publicly at least once each semester. Vocal emphasis majors and minors may fulfill this requirement by performing on Vocal Arts Division Recitals, School of Music Recital Hour, Master Classes, in competitions, and by giving a required or elective recital. Certain other performances, approved in advance by the studio teacher, may also fulfill this requirement, please see below. Appropriate dress is required for all performances.  What is listed below is by no means a complete listing of all opportunities in this area.

These classes act as a lab for voice instruction and provide a forum for group instruction and for performances before a small, supportive audience of peers. Students will perform for these classes as scheduled by their voice teacher.  Attendees are expected to form musical judgments about repertoire performed and collaborate with performers toward improvement.

Periodic Master classes with guest artists enhance the learning experience of all voice students, performers and auditors. Students receive University-approved absence from classes to observe and participate in these classes whenever they are held.

During each semester, there will be 2- 4 recitals in which students from all voice studios can perform before their peers in a semi-formal situation. Attendees are expected to form musical judgements about repertoire performed and collaborate with performers toward improvement. Attendance is required for ALL vocal emphasis majors and minors enrolled in studio voice lessons.

Students enrolled in studio voice at all levels are encouraged to prepare and audition for solo performances (including duets, and other solo ensembles) with the TCU choral organizations and Opera Studio. Many opportunities are available.

Each Fall, late in the semester, students compete for the opportunity to sing with the TCU Symphony in the Spring.  The guidelines are as follows:

• Each division (piano, strings, voice and winds/percussion) will select the students to advance to a final round of competition. The number of finalists is as follows: Piano 2 finalists, Strings: 2 finalists, Voice: 2 finalists; Winds/percussion: 4 finalists.
• All finalists from each division will compete in the finals, to be judged by an outside jury chaired by the orchestra director. The finals will take place the last week of the Fall semester at a time TBD. The date of the competition will be announced at the beginning of the Fall semester, once the football schedule is available.
• A winner (or winners) will be chosen at the discretion of the jury to perform with the TCU Symphony during the Spring semester on a date chosen by the orchestra director.
• All competitors must perform from memory* Pieces should not be longer than 20 minutes and material should be available. Please let us know if the piece is purchasable, or if it is available as a rental, the music rental company, and the price of the rental.
• Students participating should find an accompanist and be prepared to play the entire concerto/piece.
• Vocalists performing opera selections must assure that the material chosen is available as excerpts, so the complete opera does not have to be rented.
• Students, with guidance from applied faculty, must choose a piece that was not performed the previous year.
• If a student has won the Competition in the previous three years, they may not compete again within that time frame.

*Under special circumstances the applied faculty, in consultation with the orchestra director, might permit the use of music.

Each year NATS chapters and regions host Student Adjudications (also referred to as Student Auditions), an exciting experience where singers perform and receive written feedback about their performances. At these events singers meet and hear other singers, NATS teachers get to know their colleagues better, and everyone has the chance to hear a variety of songs.

Typically, the event begins with a preliminary round, in which students sing only for a panel of adjudicators and perhaps a small audience. Finalists in the adjudications usually perform again for everyone present, and many chapters and regions offer prizes for their winners.

NATS Student Adjudications should not be confused with the NATS Artist Award competition; the NATSAA competition is designed for singers getting ready to launch a professional career, while the Student Adjudications are designed to nurture singers at various levels of voice study.

The idea of the Festival of American Song was conceived by Angela Turner Wilson to promote all genres of American song and its significant living composers. The FAS is typically a two-day event. The first day is divided into three segments, morning rehearsals with the composer, the masterclass with the composer, and a concert featuring the composer’s works with the composer in attendance. The following day features an afternoon concert/discussion with the composer addressing the issues of career, process, collaboration, and inspiration.

Current and former TCU students participate by serving as performers for the concerts and masterclasses, ticket coordinators, ushers, distributing publicity by posting posters or social media, and other administrative duties. Last year’s festival employed 20 TCU students as performers and 3 students as assistants.

Pi Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society was founded in 1918 at Northwestern University and is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies. Through election to membership the Society recognizes those junior, senior and graduate music students who have demonstrated superior achievement in their studies. TCU’s Gamma Epsilon Chapter was chartered on May 6th, 1970 and sponsors an annual Honors Recital as one of the events of Honors Week in the Spring semester.

• Auditions are usually held in February.
• Application forms are available from the Music Office or from Dr. Amy Stewart, president of TCU’s chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda.
• Repertoire and personnel (performers) to be heard in the recital must be the same as heard in the audition. NO substitutions will be allowed.
• Eligibility
  • Membership in Pi Kappa Lambda is not a requirement.
  • Both music majors and non-majors are eligible to audition.
  • All undergraduate and graduate classifications may audition. Artist Diploma students are not eligible.
  • Undergraduate applicants must be enrolled for at least 12 semester hours of courses.
  • Graduate students must have “full-time” status as determined by the College of Fine Arts Office of Graduate Studies.
  • All applicants must be enrolled for studio lessons in the performance medium of their audition.
  • Except in the case of accompanied solos, all participants must meet the eligibility requirements as stated above. If you have questions regarding the eligibility of any performers, please contact Dr. Amy Stewart (a.b.stewart@tcu.edu)  before submitting your application form.
  • Repertoire Applicants may perform an entire work, a single movement, or a cohesive group of movements, songs, etc.

The total length of performance may not exceed 10 minutes.

TCU School of Music Voice Faculty teach at summer programs around the world and would be delighted for TCU students to attend.

American Institute of Musical Studies (AIMS-Graz)

Orfeo Music Festival

Music Academy International

MusicFest Perugia

BM Vocal Performance majors present a half-recital during their junior year and a full recital during their senior year. BME majors present a half- recital, typically before their student teaching semester. BA students have the option of presenting a recital. MM students present 2 recitals, DMA students present 3 recitals, and AD students present 4 recitals. Other students may elect to give recitals for upper division credit with the approval of the studio teacher. All recitals must contain new repertoire equivalent to a semester’s normal requirements. Your recital must reflect that as a minimum, supplemented by repertoire from previous semesters and times. You are certainly welcome to exceed that number. 

MM, DMA, and AD students may substitute a Major Role for a portion of their recital requirements. Full details can be found in the section about Role Substitution Policy. 

Check the TCU School of Music Student Recital Scheduling Policy for the most recent recital scheduling policies.

B.M. in Voice Performance Junior Recital
A Junior Recital for the BM in Vocal Performance candidate shall exhibit the student’s knowledge of vocal repertoire in different styles and languages with appropriate technique. No more than 30 minutes of music. 

B.M. in Voice Performance Senior Recital
A Senior Recital for BM in Vocal Performance candidates shall exhibit the depth of the student’s knowledge in vocal repertoire and technique. A balanced program, displaying diverse styles and languages is encouraged. However, a major art song cycle by a single composer may replace a large portion of the recital if deemed appropriate. No more than an hour of music. 

B.M.E. Vocal Concentration Recital
A Senior Recital for BME in Vocal Concentration shall exhibit the student’s knowledge of vocal repertoire with appropriate technique and contain no more than half hour of music. It should include at least three different languages and show mastery of at least three different historical styles.  

BA Optional Recital
BA students are not required to give a recital. Should they choose to perform an optional recital, repertoire requirements are at the discretion of the studio teacher. All pre-recital hearing requirements apply. 

MM & DMA Voice Performance/ Pedagogy and AD Recitals
These recitals shall exhibit the student’s mastery of diverse vocal repertoire and technique and be no more than 60 minutes in length. 

Recitals are graded in a three-part process: the ongoing preparation, the Recital Hearing, and the Recital itself. 

• Preparation: 20% 
• Recital Hearing: 40% 
• Recital: 40% 

Preparation includes but is not limited to performance and participation in lessons and coachings, meeting all deadlines, program note preparation, and arranging recital logistics. The Recital Hearing is held during Vocal Arts Division meeting, at which time complete Program Notes and the ability to perform the entire recital must be presented. The Recital itself must meet the standards set forth in the School of Music recital rubric, and all planned repertoire must be performed in its entirety. Failure to do so will result in failing the course. 

All recitals (whether for credit or not) must be pre-approved by the voice faculty at least two weeks before the recital. At the hearing, the student must present: 

• a printed copy of the complete recital program in TCU program format, including program notes 
• accurate timings of all repertoire 

At least three faculty members must be present to adjudicate a Recital Hearing. In the Hearing, the student begins with their choice of repertoire from the program, and the faculty will request to hear other works from the program until they are satisfied. Beyond the pianist partner, recital collaborators should be kept to a minimum. If there are collaborators on the recital, every effort should be made for them to attend the Recital Hearing. 

The date and time of the Recital Hearing will be emailed to you by the Chair of Vocal Arts after the recital scheduling period is complete. If necessary, a TCU-excused absence will be generated for all parties, but efforts will be made to schedule hearings at a time when all parties are available. 

Any notes and translations to be used at the recital must be presented for approval at the time of the hearing. Poets and translators must be credited. Upon the successful hearing, this document must be immediately edited to reflect faculty suggestions and presented to the Music Office for publication. The Music Office requires two weeks for program production. It is strongly suggested that you submit your finalized program and notes to the Music Office within 24 hours of your successful hearing. It is also strongly recommended that you do not publicize your recital until after your successful hearing. 

Click here for a handy guide on crafting a TCU format program and program notes. 

Use of sheet music in recitals is prohibited, except for those works that are traditionally performed on book: chamber music and oratorio ensembles. Oratorio arias, including those with instrumental obbligato, must be performed from memory, as well as any ensemble typically performed in a theatrical setting. No matter the breakdown of repertoire, 75% of the recital must be memorized.

Students in the MM, AD, and DMA degree plans may apply to substitute a major opera role for one of their degree recitals. All students must give at least one degree recital on campus. This policy is only available to those enrolled in degrees that require more than one recital. The policy is as follows: 

• The Major Professor and Director of Opera’s approvals must be obtained. The decision to allow a replacement would be based not only on the needs of the student, but the student’s track record both in opera and the voice studio. Approval is by no means a guaranteed thing.  Studio teachers that do not wish to allow these replacements can as a matter of studio policy deny them. Veto power is retained by both parties for any reason. 

• A role substitution application must be completed and submitted to the Chair of Vocal Arts no later than 5:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the semester in which rehearsals for the relevant opera commence. 
• The Director of Opera becomes the instructor of record for the recital course.  
• Operatic roles used as recital substitutions will not waive the Final Jury requirement in the same manner as a recital. If a role is substituted for a recital, the student must still take a Final Jury with their complete semester repertoire, none of which may be excerpts from the role. 
• Only roles designated as Leading by AGMA Schedule C documents will be considered. The designation of Leading does not guarantee an approval of the student’s application. 
• The student must produce a significant body of opera and role research in addition to the rehearsals and performances. 
• A comprehensive Role Hearing (either by committee or in a rehearsal) will be required, at which time all research and accompanying materials must be complete and submitted.

Click here to access the application to substitute an operatic role for a degree recital. 

All students may opt-out of recital live streaming if they so choose. The Major Teacher and the Vocal Arts Division reserve the right to cancel live streaming of any performance for any reason at any time.

Located on the third floor of the Mary Couts Burnett Library, the Music/Media Library houses several thousand scores, print books, CDs and music discipline-related videos. The Music/Media Library and Hamilton Audiovisual Center provide a creative space for musicians to listen to music, watch performances, study scores, write research papers and attend specialized classes.

The Music/Media Library is led by TCU’s music and media Jedi Master Cari Alexander.  She has written a comprehensive guide on what we have, how to find it, and how to use it.  Begin your search with this guide and chances are your search will end with this guide.

Students may bring their own laptop or check out one from the Library Information Commons to obtain internet/computing access for their studies. Computers for the Library Catalog and the numerous music-related reference and streaming databases are available for research. *

Noteworthy print databases include Grove Music Online, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, Music Periodicals Database and The International Inventory of Musical Sources (RISM). Streaming audio/visual databases include the full gamut of Alexander Street Press products such as Classical Music Online, Opera in Video, and Jazz Music Online, as well as standalone Naxos Music Online, and Met Opera on Demand.  Click here to see the full list of subscription-only music databases TCU offers to students free of charge.  Of particular interest to singers will be access to IPA Source, Met Opera-on-Demand, Music Online: Opera in Video, Naxos Music Library (audio), and Music Online: Classical Scores Library.

TCU students are also eligible for a TexShare card from the TCU Library. A TexShare card allows you to check out books while visiting other TexShare participating libraries.  This allows TCU students to take advantage of the other great music libraries in the Metroplex, such as those at UNT and SMU.

Print books and music scores are in open stacks for browsing. * Audiovisual materials, while in a closed stacks environment, are easily accessible via catalog search and a library call number provided to staff.

The Music/Media Library also houses the archives for the TCU School of Music, beginning in 1949, and the Archives of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition Foundation. Both the Music/Media librarian and the Cliburn archivist/liaison for the School of Dance have offices in the Music/Media Library.

For more information, contact:
Cari Alexander
Music/Media Librarian
c.alexander2@tcu.edu

*COVID-19 Accommodations:

The Library—all its functions, all its services, and all its materials—require special handling during this time of pandemic.  Check the library guide on Covid-19: Library for the latest details on what’s required to access and use resources.  This information is fluid, so be sure to check back regularly to make sure you are completely up to date.

Classical Vocal Repertoire 
The country’s foremost expert in vocal sheet music, Glendower Jones, owns this store. There is nothing you can come up with that he cannot locate for you. Start your search here, and 99% of the time, it will end here. He offers both print and digital music.

Beethoven & Co
A fine print sheet music house, independently owned and well run.

Sheet Music Plus
Print and digital sheet music.

J.W. Pepper
Good for basic repertoire if you don’t need it quickly.

Hal Leonard
The largest music publisher in the world for both print and digital music, with a large digital learning component for rehearsal tracks and language work. Publishes the Musical Theater Anthologies.

MusicNotes
Excellent source for musical theater repertoire in single songs. Digital music is printable, able to be saved as PDFs, and viewable/playable on tablets using their branded app.

IMSLP
IMSLP, also known as the International Music Score Library Project or Petrucci Music Library, was started in 2006. The logo on the main page is a capital letter A. It was taken from the beginning of the very first printed book of music, the Harmonice Musices Odhecaton. It was published in Venice in 1501 by Ottaviano Petrucci, the library’s namesake. The ultimate goal of the IMSLP is to gather all public domain music scores, in addition to the music scores of all contemporary composers (or their estates) who wish to release them to the public free of charge.

Art Song Central
Art Song Central is principally an archive and directory of free, printable sheet music for singers and voice teachers. An emphasis is placed on standard classical and traditional repertoire.

Music

Your Accompanist

Classical piano accompaniments, collections and repertoire mastery tools for singers. 5000 tracks to choose from with instant downloads, allowing you to rehearse immediately. All tracks are performed by a singer-sensitive accompanist, and MP3s are DRM-free: use on any device.

Lyribox Music Store

Lyribox Music Store tools are divided in three different categories:

• Recordings (high quality accompaniment, vocal line, text recited by a vocal coach)
• Manuscript (literal and literary translation, biographies (composer, poet, etc.) and digital sheet music available in any key)
• Videos (accompaniment with scrolling score, vocal line with scrolling sheet music, and audio text with scrolling translation).
• Tools may be purchased, used with a subscription, or accessed through their branded apps on both Apple and Android products.

Accompanist

Appcompanist gives you full control (tempo, key, direction, rubato, fermata, and melody blend) over thousands of piano accompaniments:  Opera, Art Song, Musical Theater, and over 450 Vocal Exercises (Vaccai, Concone, Marchesi, Garcia, etc.). Available for Apple products only.

Opera Practice Perfect

OPP accompaniments are the played piano part of the piano/vocal score of a complete opera or choral work. The tempi of the accompaniments are matched to a well-known recording of each opera thus providing the nuances of renowned singers following the baton of a world-class conductor. They carry many standard works and can be purchased by the role or complete works.  Available as MP3s or CDs.

Diction and Texts

IPA Source

Online since 2003, IPA Source is the web’s largest library of International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) transcriptions and literal translations of opera arias and art song texts. Now with over 12568 titles.  TCU students have free access to this service through the Music/Media Library at Mary Couts Burnett Library.

Diction Domain

The Domain includes books, websites, recordings, software, fonts and other materials and tools that are of use to singers learning to perform in various languages. The emphasis is on materials and resources of benefit to singers and teachers of vocal diction. A few representative (but in no way exhaustive) resources from related fields of spoken diction and linguistics are also included, in the hope they may provide further leads for vocal diction research.

SingersBabel

SingersBabel offers tools to help you learn the meaning and pronunciation of texts found in art songs, oratorios, and secular and sacred choral music. Hear a native speaker reciting the text while seeing the original text, word-for-word English translation, and International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA).  They offer an app for Apple products, with promises of an Android app soon.

RussianArtSong.com

This site has a huge offering of Russian art songs and arias:  IPA transcriptions, word for word translations, song lyrics read by a native speaker, multimedia online diction manuals, vintage common domain sound recordings, and biographical information.

Hal Leonard Diction Coach Series

All anthologies in the Hal Leonard Diction Coach Series include recorded diction lessons, IPA, and word for word translations. Each piece is recorded twice. In the first version the coach recites the text as an actor would speak it, showing flow of the language and the mood. The second version is a slow, deliberate lesson, allowing time for the student to repeat each line. These language coaches from the Metropolitan Opera and the Juilliard School adapt the “R” in German and French in the slow versions, and are very sensitive to liaisons between word sounds in the musical settings. All Diction Coach Series anthologies include accompaniment tracks.

The Lied, Art Song, and Choral Texts Page

This website houses an extensive, growing archive of texts to 139,718 settings of Lieder and other art songs (Kunstlieder, mélodies, canzoni, романсы, canciones, liederen, canções, sånger, laulua, písně, piosenki, etc.) and other vocal pieces such as choral works, madrigals, and part-songs, in 125 languages, with 27,606 translations to Catalan, English, French, Greek, Italian, Dutch, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and many other languages.

Aria Database

A diverse collection of information on over 1000 operatic arias, includes translations and aria texts.

Art Song Central

Art Song Central provides IPA transcriptions of the free sheet music they offer.

Skills

MusicTheory.net

SightReadingFactory.com

PracticeSightReading.com

Memorization and Performance Psychology

The Four Stages of Memorization. A top-ranked article by Gerald Klickstein.

Memorization: Psychological Data and Some Practical Tips, by Scott M. Smith.

Read the Preface to Guide to Memorizing Music, by Alfred J. Goodrich (1906).

The Musician’s Way, by Gerald Klickstein (Oxford, 2009; 15th printing, 2019).

Comprehensive guidelines to learn, memorize, and perform.

The Bulletproof Musician, by Dr. Noa Kageyama

What does mental training actually look like? How exactly is practicing for skill and practicing for performance different? How the heck does one manage nerves, or “practice” confidence or focus? Answering such questions is what this blog is about. Taking what researchers have learned, and what great musicians have been saying for decades, and figuring out how to put all of it into action. Both in the practice room, and on stage.

Deliberate Practice, a blog by Jason Haaheim, Principal MET Tympanist

He writes, “’What I’ve learned’ has been unique given my unorthodox path to the MET Orchestra. I was appointed principal timpanist in 2013; prior to that, I worked for 10 years as a senior scientist at a nanotechnology company in Chicago. I double-majored in physics and music as an undergraduate, and earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. I did not attend a conservatory, nor do I hold a graduate degree in music. But for me, that’s actually been an asset — I feel that I’ve gained unique insight into the mutually-reinforcing realms of science and music, particularly in terms of how to engineer an audition process and what it really means to practice.”

NATS offers a wealth of resources and opportunities for the students of its members, as well as membership to the students themselves by either joining or creating a local SNATS (Student NATS) chapter.

Students of NATS members have access to one of the organization’s most widely recognized activities: Student Auditions. They also have the opportunity, along with members, to compete at a national level through the National Association of Teachers of Singing Artist Awards (NATSAA), the National Music Theater Competition (NMTC), and the National Student Auditions competition.

The National Opera Association promotes excellence in opera education and pedagogy through its support of a diverse community of opera educators and professionals.

NOA holds an annual conference, along with a growing series of regional events, featuring performances, panels, workshops, and other continuing-education opportunities for opera educators, performers, scholars, composers, students, and everyone interested in our craft. Major activities of NOA include the encouragement of young artists and composers through competitions and performance opportunities, sharing resources for collegiate and regional productions, and publication of scholarly articles. Special projects of NOA include The Legacy Project, Sacred in Opera, the Young People’s Opera Project, and the Lifetime Achievement Award.

The owner of YAPTracker writes:

The YAP Tracker website is the brainchild of a technically savvy opera singer and her artistically sensitive computer programmer husband. I, the opera singer and Excel instructor (my “day job”), managed my applications in the past with a standard Excel spreadsheet, but I still found it difficult to stay current with all opportunities.

Having won several competition prizes in the last few years, I decided to expand my already unmanageable list of applications and investigate other competitions to which I could apply. I was surprised by how many were out there; my current system would no longer suffice to keep track.

And thus, YAP Tracker was born. We collaborated with singers of every professional level, from graduate school students to managed professionals, and we came up with what we consider to be a product that will benefit artists at any stage of their career. Our technical team has also paid special attention to those that are less technically able; we believe YAP Tracker to be a very user friendly product with a tremendous depth of features and functions that will continue to grow as we assimilate recommendations from our newest users.

We hope to see you around the YAP Tracker community!

As a member you will enjoy the following benefits:

• Access to over 3000 audition opportunities published each year. See last year’s breakdown for more details
• E-mail alerts and reminders for upcoming deadlines
• Tracking tools including personalized calendar, expense tracking and auditors
• Notifications when auditions and contracts have been offered to other singers
• Mobile friendly version