Voice & Drama

Weekly lessons are offered for 30 minutes for beginners, 45 minutes for intermediates (when the student begins to learn simple music literature), and 60 minutes for advanced students (who are singing more difficult literature).  However, high achieving beginners or slower learners may wish apply for more time than allotted here.  In other words, you choose the length of time of your lesson.   Tuition is paid by the time, not the level.  

Teachers write the assignment for each week in the student's Assignment Notebook, and students are expected to write in the time they spend practicing on the Practice Record page foreach week, children 12 and under have the practice record signed off by a parent.

Voice and Drama:  vocal techniques such as correct breathing, posture, diction, voice placement, and singing in various languages such as English, Italian, French, Spanish and German are taught in classes.  Students sing various styles of music--arias from oratorio and/or opera, art song, spirituals, anthems, show tunes, movie, ballads, as well as gospel and popular tunes. 

Drama is part of the regular lessons, when students are working on works of the stage.  Except for students (7 years old and above) who are taking piano and voice combination (1 hour), most voice lessons for teenagers, adults and senior citizens are for either 45 minutes or 60 minutes.  Students are expected to learn to read the music by doing theory along side the vocal lessons.

Whistling is the most recent lesson offered,  Actually the lessons are for those who already can whistle and need to enhance their skill.  Whistlers learn the breathing techniques that a singer learns.  The advantage of whistling is that the whistling can make sound with the inhaling of the breath as well as by exhaling.  Lessons include learning and interpretation of various types of vocal and instrumental music.  They also learn Music Theory.

For techniques, students use The Estelle Liebling Vocal Course edited by Bernard Whitefield, for either

• Coloratura soprano, Lyric soprano, and dramatic soprano, or
• Mezzo-soprano and contr'alto, or
• Lyric tenor and dramatic tenor, or
• Baritone, bass-baritone, bass (basso).

For classical works they use

• twenty six Italian Songs and Arias, edited by JOhn Glen Paton
• Favorite Sacred Classics for solo singers, edited by Patrick M. Liebergen
• Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers, compiled by Willis C. Patterson
• The First Book of Soprano Solos, Part II, copiled by Joan Frey Boytim
• Singable Songs for Studio and Recital,  Thirty Songs selected by Martin Mason
• An opera or stage work is usually done at the end of the fall term, and in the Voice and Drama Camp.

For sacred spiritual, hymns and gospel song, they use the arrangements of

• Mark Hayes
• Hall Johnson
• Harry T. Burleigh
• Jay Althouse's Spirituals for Solo Singers

For Stage and Movie,

• Broadway for Teens, young men and young women editions, compiled by Louise Lerch
• The Teen's Musical Theatre Collections, Young Men's and YOung Women's editions, by Louis Lerch
• Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein
• Treemonisha by Scott Joplin

and jazz works of Ellington, Sinatra and others.