Near the end of each semester, students look forward to registration time. Often, as an undergraduate voice major, this means sitting down with your advisor, a required course list, and the course catalog. This is an exciting moment to plan a fresh start for the next semester. You choose the requisite music history and theory courses, the voice lessons, and the ensembles, and then your advisor turns and says, “You still need two credit hours for electives. What would you like to take?”
If you haven’t given this a thought, your mind may quickly turn to the cliché of basket-weaving and physical fitness classes, after which a weak feeling of panic sets in. With all your other stressful classes, the last thing you want is to have to struggle through is a tedious elective course. Your advisor mentions private piano lessons or a music technology course . . . and suddenly basket weaving doesn’t sound too bad.
With a little thought and planning you can avoid these situations, and choosing your electives can turn from an exercise in intellectual deflation to one of career preparation. That’s right, your choice of electives could one day make the difference in getting the role or position you always dreamed of. At the very least, your experience in these classes may give you some options if a professional performing career doesn’t materialize immediately. This article details some of the most helpful electives available for your future and shows how some of the leading conservatories are using elective courses to prepare their students for a career in the singing business.
Elect the Essentials
Surveying the degree requirements of vocal programs, both large and small, throughout the nation reveals a national consensus of essential classes for a classical singer. Your degree program may already include these classes. If it doesn’t, you should consider these classes your first priority when you choose electives.
The most common nationwide extra-musical degree requirement is foreign language study. Almost all vocal programs require students to take at least one year of university classes in Italian, French, and German. Some programs also ask for at least six semesters total in one of those three languages. The knowledge you gain in these classes will prove indispensable when you perform or teach in a classical setting—you should consider that knowledge essential before you enter the professional singing world.
Many universities also require their singers to take a conducting class, usually geared toward choral conducting. This can help you understand the sometimes incomprehensible hand and arm motions of orchestra conductors. The primary benefit of this class, however, reveals itself outside of solo performing. As singers, most of us will be asked at some point to conduct a group of singers—a church choir, a community choir—or even to help at an opera chorus rehearsal. Conducting experience can also be a substantial boon in obtaining a professorship as many voice teachers are also asked to conduct an ensemble. A simple semester-long conducting course can dramatically alter your competence and comfort level in front of a choir. In addition, if your program allows it, a course in music education methods can enhance your marketability as a teacher and could provide a money-making alternative if your plans for performing don’t come to fruition immediately.
Setting Yourself Apart
Our nation’s leading conservatories pride themselves on training stage-ready artists who will stand out in their fields of study. To achieve this goal, they structure their programs to include required courses that augment their singers’ total “package.” A few conservatories, such as Juilliard, go so far as to require Alexander Technique classes as part of their vocal performance degree. Two courses in particular seem widespread through conservatory curricula, and are even found in the curricula of smaller schools: theater and dance.
In our age of increasing technology—including the likes of YouTube clips, large projection screens at opera houses, and operas at the movies—a singer can no longer “park and bark.” Directors and managers are looking for singers who look good, sing well, move well, and act well. You have to be convincing both vocally and dramatically, and the skills you gain in acting courses can greatly enhance your marketability.
Many vocal programs encourage singers to take a theater class. Some include it in their required curriculum. Schools such as the University of Michigan understand the demands of the modern stage and require their vocal performance majors to have three semesters of theater classes. These classes compliment the work done in stage movement or opera workshop classes and can help singers gain a better understanding of how to interpret their characters and create convincing dramatic portrayals. Some of the greatest singers of this era have learned how to move an audience by integrating strong acting ability with a moving vocal performance.
A number of programs, such as the Cleveland Institute, the University of Michigan, and Juilliard, also require singers to enroll in at least one semester of dance. Juilliard requires two semesters of dance, including modern, jazz, and Baroque dancing styles. The initial reaction of some singers may be, “Why would I want to know Baroque or Classical dancing styles? I’m a singer!” When a director has listened to an afternoon of sopranos auditioning for Die Fledermaus and a singer who says she is trained to dance the waltz walks in, the director may suddenly emerge from his “Mein Herr, Marquis” trance and take notice. Sometimes that is all it takes to land a role.
If your vocal program does not have a requirement for theater or movement/dance classes, perhaps you should include them in your elective choices. These small things are often what serve to set you apart as a singer in a very competitive field. In addition, the concepts of posture, body awareness, muscular fitness, voice projection, and character development all inform and feed back into your singing. Acting and dancing can indeed make you a better singer.
Preparing for the Business of Singing
Between now and your first role with a regional opera company, what is your game plan? How will you get there?
Working on vocal technique and expression are definitely essential pieces of the puzzle. So are the other courses I have discussed above. The business of singing is competitive and difficult to break into, however. Achieving a full-time professional career requires a great deal of effort and self-promotion, but you can take advantage of the tools that can help you reach that goal, and save money while you’re doing it. At least one of the following courses can be a great benefit in the beginning stages of a career: photography, Web design, marketing, or business.
Throughout your life as a singer, headshots are a requirement. Keep your headshots current. People should not look at your headshot and wonder how long ago it was taken. Singers often avoid updating their photo because of the high cost—hundreds or even thousands of dollars for the photo session and the rights to the photos or the necessary number of 8×10 copies. A photography class and investment in some basic equipment can be a lifetime financial benefit and it can create money-making opportunities: other singers may ask you to photograph them as well.
A website is another modern essential for the aspiring singer. This tool allows agents, directors, and managers easy access to your contact information, schedule, photos, sound clips, and a repertoire list. If you sing for a concert season, song project, or other artistic venture, a website can advertise your event, as well as provide information for upcoming concerts. However, a website can be costly, up to $2,000 or $3,000 to start the site and then periodic maintenance fees thereafter. A Web design class can teach you the basics of XHTML, style sheets, and graphics that will allow you to create your own dynamic, appealing website, with capabilities far beyond basic programs such as iWeb—and you get the added benefit of being able to change the content of the site how and when you like.
Finally, a singer must manage his or her own brand like a small business owner. This often means advertising, managing our schedules and finances, purchasing insurance, and filing taxes properly, among other challenges. A course in marketing or business can provide a marketing advantage and save money that you might otherwise pay to others to manage your financial affairs.
Know Before You Go
Launching a professional singing career is a difficult process, but the preparation you obtain in school can ease many of those hardships. Sit down soon and plan out your elective courses carefully so as to maximize your time in school and further prepare yourself for the demands of the stage. Then, when your counselor asks which elective classes you want to take, you will have an answer. A little advance planning could turn into a lifetime of benefit.
