Instructor: Madeline J. Elizondo

Email – mc55377@gmail.com

Office Hours: As posted and by individual appointment

Anticipated Student Workload:

There is no coasting through voice lessons, vocal progress is expected and is graded accordingly. To aid in your progress, you are expected to meet the following minimum workload requirements:

• Attendance of weekly voice lessons

• Attendance and participation in weekly workshops. You will sign up to sing at specific classes, this should be treated as a professional obligation. If you are unable to sing, you must provide your own replacement and notify me of this. You must dress for performance when you are scheduled to sing in studio. Support your peers; critique with care and “love” in the sincere desire to help one another. You are a studio group member, together we are a team. Avoid natter (“negative chatter”). It doesn’t help and it doesn’t reflect well on you. Maintain a group integrity and help each other.

• You should be practicing between 60-90 minutes a day for your voice lessons. Warm-ups should take 10-15 minutes followed by work on the repertoire I’ve assigned you. The importance of DAILY vocalization cannot be over emphasized. I will be able to tell at your lessons whether or not you are taking this course seriously enough. In addition to singing 60-90 minutes a day, you should spend a minimum of 20 minutes every day in Silent Practice. This is when you do your studying/memorizing of texts, breathing exercises, research on your repertoire, etc. Not learning your music quickly is not acceptable.

• I expect you to practice exactly what I have given you, in the manner that I have presented it in your lesson.

• Attendance at student and faculty solo voice recitals throughout the semester

• Attendance at additional required events

• Daily check Email for studio announcements and possible schedule changes. Each of you must set up, maintain, and regularly check an Email account. We need to be able to communicate, and Email is the best way for us to do that.

Attendance:

On time attendance is expected at all lessons and all workshops/labs [Fridays at noon]. A positive, interested, and teachable attitude is expected and is beneficial when you have “extenuating circumstances.”

You are allowed 2 absences per semester. Unexcused absences will not be made up.

Excused absences are limited to:

• Illness with a note from Health Service or a doctor the day you return to class

• A note for official school business [choral tour, field trip for another class, etc.] This must include a signature from the appropriate faculty member.

• Observance of religious holidays

Examples of unexcused absences include, but are not limited to:

• Malfunctioning alarm clock

• Not feeling well [a cold, tired, headache, etc.] - unless illness is confirmed with a note from the Health Service or a doctor as noted above.

• Extended weekend plans [to go home early Fridays or return late on Mondays, etc.]

If you are unable to make a lesson or other expected attendance event for any reason, you need to call me before the fact. This is just good manners. The best way to reach me is on my cell phone at (512) 557-3091. J I care, and your grade will reflect this. Note: Verbally telling me of a conflict is not adequate, nor is an email notification. Please do not forget to inform your accompanist of any change of schedule that might affect their schedule as well.

Lessons I must miss due to circumstances or professional obligations will be made up or covered by another qualified voice instructor.

Lessons missed due to University-recognized holidays and Departmental events [auditions, choir tours, etc.] will not be made up.

Arriving more than 10 minutes late to any lesson or workshop will count as 1/2 of an absence. Late arrival shortens your lesson and interferes with your progress. Tardiness to lessons may be made up through visiting two lessons of other students. If you wish to take advantage of this substitution, ask me which students’ lessons would qualify for making up for tardiness. Arriving more than 15 minutes late to any lesson or studio class will count as a full absence and cannot be made up.

General Lesson Protocol:

Please arrive promptly, warmed up and ready to sing at each assigned lesson time (not “sung out” after a last-ditch practice session). A ten to fifteen minute concentrated warm-up prior to each lesson should be sufficient. [I will provide recommended pre-lesson warm-up procedure.] At your lesson time, knock on the door, then enter, not waiting for any reply. Please note that you are always welcome to quietly and respectfully visit other students’ lessons and that there may be visitors in your lessons from time to time.

You must supply a 3-ring notebook with dividers in which you are to keep a copy of the syllabus, copies of your music, an up-to-date cumulative repertoire list of selections studied in your voice lessons, and Performance Workshop Critique Sheet. The notebook must have sections clearly marked for each language, arias/oratorios, critiques, repertoire lists, and all handouts and assignments. I encourage you to use the same binder from semester to semester.

It is expected that all music assigned will be learned outside the lesson time. Lessons will not be used for note learning. Students coming to their lessons without a reasonable idea of the pitches, rhythms, and text of their music may be asked to spend that lesson period in a practice room learning them. Lesson time is business – friendly, but businesslike. We have a job to do. I can tell when you are not prepared and are stalling.

To stay healthy, I recommend:

· Sleep 7-8 hours a night, established in a regular pattern.

· Eating well. Eat fresh and nutritious foods, avoid processed foods, late night snacking, sodas, alcohol which creates reflux among other problems. Take a good quality vitamin or whole-food supplement.

· Drink 8-9 glasses of water a day. This is essential for a singer.

· Avoid loud excessive talking. Spend your voice wisely.

· Exercise 30-45 minutes a day. Walking or some other form of exercise is vital.

· Avoid drugs and medications as much as possible. Side effects cause problems for singers.

Course-related expenses:

Vocalists are fortunate not to have to purchase or rent their musical instruments, but there are other costs associated to vocal study, such as the purchase of music, recording materials to be used for study, and accompanist costs. Here is a list of expenses you should expect to incur as a part of this course:

• Music

You may be required to purchase music assigned you. Typically this will amount to one or two music books or anthologies each semester. This music will serve as your textbook cost for the course. You are also welcomed to look for other sources of assigned music, such as checking for it in the library or borrowing it from a friend, but I will not make copies of music for you. If you find that an assigned piece of music is unavailable through the above-mentioned methods, a substitute selection will be arranged. Purchase one singing volume per semester. Start your collection now!

• Accompanist

Singers seldom sing in a true solo sense, but are most often a part of a team in the performance of music. As a general rule, students will need to have an accompanist available at some point during a lesson.

Keep rehearsal appointments with your accompanist. Pay them on time. They will not play for your jury if you have not paid them and you will receive an F for the semester. Specific payment arrangements are to be agreed upon between the two of you. You are to make one copy of each music selection assigned you to leave in their music binder.

Note: Good accompanists are precious! Use their time wisely, inform them of schedule changes, be prepared musically (they are not there to pound out notes for you — not to mention that you receive less value to your dollar in such a situation) and above all, treat them with courtesy and respect.

• Recording of your lesson

All studio voice lessons must be recorded. It is up to you to bring a blank (and cued up!) cassette tape of an appropriate length to each of your lessons, or provide another means to record your own lesson. Digital voice recorders are a wonderful example of this, as are some mp3 players with recording capability.

Performance Dress:

How you look and dress when you sing has everything to do with building your confidence and the audience’s confidence in you.

Women: Classical and Elegant

Dresses must be below the knee, a blouse/skirt combination is okay but usually not as visually appealing. Hose should be worn with closed-toe pump-style shoes. An elegant presentation is one with the focus on your face, with appropriate make-up and a hairstyle which is out of your face (and especially your eyes).

Men:

Dress slacks, dress shirt, tie, dress shoes with dark socks. Hair and face well groomed. Jacket optional according to the weather.

Set an example to others in the way that you present yourself. If you establish a pride in your appearance, it will carry you onto the stage with more confidence and dignity. Other singers, students and faculty will take your efforts more seriously. Remember, you make a visual impression before you ever sing a note. This is an important part of your artistry. Splurge on this creatively and enjoy the illusion you evoke!