2. Undergraduate Applied Lessons

Assignment of a Primary Studio Teacher

Each new voice student is assigned a primary studio teacher with whom they take voice lessons. Beyond lessons, voice students also get the opportunity to work with all of the voice faculty in classes, performances, and studio masterclasses.

The assignment of a primary studio teacher occurs at the end of Week 1 of the Fall semester.

• On the first Wednesday 2pm voice studio class in Beckwith Hall, each new voice student is expected to sing one song of their choice for voice/choral faculty and current voice students.

• The student should bring sheet music, but an accompanist will be provided.

• Afterwards, the list of students and their assigned voice teacher are sent via email and posted on the Voice/Choral board outside of the choir room.

• Studio teacher assignments are based on the student’s vocal characteristics as well as logistical considerations such as studio space and scheduling.

NOTE: The student’s studio teacher and academic advisor are not always the same faculty member. Academic advisors will be assigned in the first month of the Fall semester.

NOTE: Voice students entering a music degree during the Spring semester will be assigned a primary studio teacher and advisor based on their audition to the Challey School of Music.

Scheduling Lessons

Students will need to provide their schedule to their voice teacher to schedule a recurring weekly lesson time each semester. Lessons officially begin in the second week of the semester.

Applied Voice and Supplementary Applied Study Course Numbers

MUSC 167, 267, 367, and 467 (collectively referred to as MUSC X67) are Applied Voice Lesson course numbers. All are half-hour private lessons. These courses are taken each semester by students in all vocal music degree tracks until the student has completed the applied lessons curriculum requirement for their major. Students should register for the section of voice lessons that corresponds with their primary studio teacher.

MUSC 173, 273, 373, and 473 (collectively referred to as MUSC X73) are Supplementary Applied Study course numbers. Enrolling in any MUSC X73 Supplementary Applied Study course adds an additional half-hour to the student’s voice lesson each week.

• MUSC X73 Supplementary Applied Study must be taken concurrently with an MUSC X67 Applied Voice Lessons course number.

• If MUSC X73 is taken by performance majors fulfilling degree requirements or by other music majors in the semester of or prior to their degree recital, there is no additional applied lesson fee. All other X73 registrations are by permission of the instructor, area, and CSoM and are assessed the additional applied lesson fee.

Course Registration and Credit Hours

The degree track tables below indicate the semester in which students should take MUSC X67 Applied Voice Lessons, MUSC X73 Supplementary Applied Study, and MUSC X80 Recitals.

Studio Class

Studio Class is a required performance forum for all students in applied voice study. Its purpose is to complement the one-on-one private lessons that students receive each week.

• Studio Class meets every Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. 

• Locations for studio class vary among rooms in the Music building. The applied teacher provides a schedule including locations at the beginning of each semester.

• Studio Classes alternate between area-wide meetings and studio meetings. An area wide meeting includes all students and teachers of voice whereas studio meetings include only the immediate voice teacher and their students.

• Attendance at Studio Class is required each week. 

• Performances are expected to be memorized unless the use of music is approved by the student’s applied teacher. All music performed in studio class must be music that students have worked on in their private lessons. 

• Students are expected to dress professionally for all performances. Examples include a suit and tie, tuxedo, formal dress, or a pantsuit. Students should discuss their performance attire with their studio teacher or ensemble director if this expectation creates any hardship.

Concert Attendance

Concert Attendance is a forum in which students are exposed to a wide variety of musical performances.

• Concert attendance is required of every student enrolled in any MUSC X67 Applied Voice Lessons course and is worth 20% of the student’s final grade each semester.

• The Voice-Choral Area distributes a schedule of required concert attendance events at the beginning of each semester. Many events occur in the evening and/or on weekends.

• Student Convocations held on Fridays at 2:00 p.m. in Beckwith Recital Hall are also counted as part of Concert Attendance requirements.

Collaborative Pianists and Accompanying Fees

All students enrolled in MUSC X67 Applied Voice Lessons are paired with collaborative pianists from our graduate program or from the community. This professional relationship develops musicianship and collaborative performance skills.

• Fees and guidelines for collaborative pianists are outlined in a collaborative pianist contract distributed with the syllabus for MUSC X67.

• The collaborative pianist attends all voice lessons and offers some rehearsal time outside of lessons as outlined in the pianist contract.

• The pianist also makes themselves available for ancillary projects such as NATS auditions, vocal competitions, local gigs, and other auditions.

Music Scores and Materials for Voice Lessons and Ensembles

Students are expected to purchase scores and other materials necessary for applied music lessons.

Choral scores are usually provided by the ensembles and should be returned after concerts are completed. Additionally, students are required to purchase their own vocal score for Handel’s Messiah that is published by Oxford Music.

Students participating in NDSU Opera should purchase their own vocal scores.

Regular Juries

Juries serve as the final exam for each semester of applied study. The voice-choral faculty evaluates students on their growth in vocal technique, musicianship, musicality, and artistry over the course of the semester. Constructive feedback regarding the student’s performance is given with the expectation that students continue to improve on both their strengths and weaknesses in the following semesters’ study. Policies include:

• Voice juries are usually held on Tuesday and Wednesday of Finals Week in Beckwith Recital Hall. A sign-up sheet will be posted approximately one month before Finals Week.

• Regular juries are taken by all students except those who plan to enroll in MUSC 367 the following semester. These students should complete a Barrier Jury. Please see the Barrier Juries section below.

• Students sign up for one 10-minute jury slot, after consulting with their collaborative pianist about availability.

• Students may be exempt from performing a regular jury during the semester in which they performed a recital.

• Students will begin with a vocal selection of their choice, and the voice-choral faculty will choose on a second selection from the student’s remaining jury repertoire.

• Students should be able to answer general questions about all their assigned repertoire. Topics include: translations of foreign language texts, the composer, the author of the text, and the larger work, if applicable.

• Students are expected to dress professionally. Examples include a suit and tie for men and a knee-length dress or a pantsuit for women. Students should discuss their jury attire with their teacher if this expectation creates any hardship.

Barrier Juries

The Barrier Jury is a special jury that occurs at the end of the second semester of MUSC 267 for all vocal students in Music degree programs. The goal is to determine whether the student is progressing well towards their degree and will be allowed to register for MUSC 367. All guidelines for regular juries described above apply to the barrier jury, except: 

• Students shall sign up for two 10-minute jury slots, for a total of 20 minutes, after consulting with their collaborative pianist about availability.

• Students will perform all four songs in their jury repertoire in the order of their choice. 

• The student’s academic record and progress toward degree completion is also taken into consideration.

  • If the student is progressing well, they will proceed in their degree track and register for MUSC 367 the following semester.

  • If there are concerns regarding the student’s progress, the voice-choral faculty will make recommendations for passing the barrier jury the following semester.

• Recommendations may include seeking tutoring for theory or sight singing courses, improving attendance, re-taking a course to improve their GPA, etc.

• If the barrier jury is not successful, the student must repeat MUSC 267 until they successfully complete the barrier jury.

Jury Repertoire Requirements

All jury repertoire must be memorized.

MUSC 167 (all students)

• Three songs per semester

• Foreign language songs are not required in the first semester

• The teacher may assign additional repertoire, etudes, or vocalises

MUSC 267, 367, and 467 (Music Education, BA, and BS Tracks)

• Four songs in two or three languages per semester from various musical periods

• Repertoire should include four of the following languages by the end of junior year: English, Italian, German, French, Latin, and Spanish

MUSC 267, 367, and 467 + Supplementary Applied Lessons (Vocal Performance Track)

• Six songs in at least three languages per semester from various musical periods

• Repertoire should include five of the following languages by the end of junior year: English, Italian, German, French, Latin, and Spanish

Barrier Juries (All students at the end of the second semester of MUSC 267)

• Four songs in at least three languages

• At least two different musical periods

Applying to the Vocal Music Education Degree Track

All students who wish to enter the vocal music education degree track must first successfully complete the barrier jury and apply to the NDSU School of Education before their official degree program can be changed to the Bachelor of Music – Vocal Music Education. Until then, the student shall be classified as a Bachelor of Music – Pre-Music Education student.

Auditioning for Vocal Performance Degree Track

Freshmen who wish to audition for the vocal performance degree track may do so at their second regular jury. The student must present four vocal selections of varying styles and languages. 

Transfer students and current students who wish to change their degree track to vocal performance must still audition for vocal performance with permission from their studio teacher and advisor. All students must have completed at least two semesters of applied voice study before they are allowed to audition.