School of Music, Theatre, and Dance

New Student Information

Congratulations on being accepted into the Kansas State University Voice Division! We look forward to having you as part of our program.

Please read the following information on beginning your Vocal studies at K-State.

1. Voice Studio Assignments & Instructions

  • Voice teachers will meet to discuss studio placement the week before school begins. You will be contacted either by the voice area head or your voice teacher with studio instructions. Click here to learn about K-State's awesome voice faculty. All voice teachers work with all voice types and vocal styles, with primary focus on the Italian bel canto technique for a sound foundational pedagogy.

 

  • Students must enroll in the correct voice teacher section. Unless already assigned a voice teacher, new students are all enrolled in the voice area head's section to "hold" their place in voice lessons. Once an instructor is identified, students will need to enroll in the correct teacher's section for the correct number of credits. In order to do this, go to KSIS and drop the section you are in (unless you assigned Dr. Rosine) and then add the corresponding section number and credits with your voice teacher's section. Questions?? See the links below or reach out to arosine@ksu.edu.

 

2. Credit Hours for Voice Lessons

  • All new voice students accepted as Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance, Bachelor of Music Education, or Bachelor of Music in Music Theatre must enroll in MUSIC 255 (Lower-Division Performance) for 2 credit hours.
  • All new voice students accepted as Bachelor of Arts in Vocal Performance, Bachelor of Music with a Composition concentration, Minor in Music, or Minor in Music Theatre must enroll in MUSIC 255 for 1 credit hour.
  • All voice secondary students must enroll in MUSIC 254 for 1 credit hour.
  • All non-majors must enroll in MUSIC 251 for 1 credit hour.
  • Transfer students will enroll in the appropriate course number after consulting with their advisor.

 

3. Voice Juries

At the end of each semester, all voice students perform a voice jury as their final semester exam. During the voice jury students perform for the voice faculty, who will grade the performance and reevaluate your status as a music major or music minor.

4. Voice Seminar and Voice Divisional

All voice students are required to attend weekly studio seminar classes and monthly voice divisionals. If you have a class conflict, speak with your teacher.

Seminars and Divisionals are scheduled on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays at 11:30. On your course schedule this is listed as "Mus 255 Lower Division Performance - Lessons" and may have the voice area head's name as the instructor. Exact dates are TBA with your voice teacher.

In addition, music majors must fulfill the recital attendance requirement. This will be outlined at the first Voice Divisional and in your voice studio. The Voice Area also utilizes a page in CANVAS with a wealth of inforomation. Once enrolled, you will receive an invitation to this page.

5. Accompanists

All voice students should obtain an accompanist for voice lessons by the end of the second week of the semester. Accompanists are independent contractors and are either hired by the student (around $250 per semester) or paid by the School. The School of Music, Theatre and Dance will pay for certain accompanists including Norma Roozeboom, Dr. Songhwa Chae and Cheryl Savage. A list of accompanists is below and will be available on the Voice Area Canvas page. Students are responsible for making contact. Your accompanist will attend your voice lesson, studio seminar class, voice divisional, studio recitals and voice jury. Other requests will be paid by the student and based on the accompanist's availability.

If obtaining an accompanist is not possible, discuss a solution with your voice teacher. You should not contact an accompanist until you have scheduled a lesson time with your instructor. Additional accompanists may become available at a later date.

Contact an accompanist below:

Norma Roozeboom: nkrzbm@gmail.com

Dr. Songhwa Chae: songhwachae94@gmail.com

Cheryl Savage: cssavage@gmail.com

6. Music

Music majors should begin building their own collection of music books and sheet music according to their voice type and level of vocal development. You will be instructed to purchase at least 1 vocal book each semester for use in your voice lessons. A good first book to own is 28 Italian Songs and Arias, ed. by Parisotti. A book of solo vocal music ranges from $15-$30.

7. Production Auditions

Most auditions will be held near the beginning of the fall semester. An accompanist will be provided for all auditions. For current information on auditions for productions, subscribe to https://kstatemtd.com

  • Auditions for the 2024 musical: A Year with Frog and Toad
    • Tuesday August, 22 at 6:00pm-7:30pm
    • Callbacks Thursday, August 24 at 7:30pm
    • Prepare 16-32 bars of a song of your choice
  • Auditions for Fall Opera Workshop Class (MUSIC 475). All performance majors are required to audition for Opera Workshop.
    • Thursday, August 22 at 3:30pm in McCain 105. Prepare one art song, sacred song, folk song, Broadway show tune or aria for the audition.
    • Bring one copy of your music for the accompanist.
  • Auditions for the Spring opera will be held later in the semester.

8. English & Italian Diction

All music majors in voice are required to take English Diction (MUSIC 233) & Italian Diction (MUSIC 285) during the fall or spring semester of their freshman year. Each course meets for ½ of the semester. Transfer students must be enrolled in English Diction & Italian diction if this requirement has not been completed.

9. Auditions for the Choral Program

  • Click here to learn about auditioning for a choir.

10. NATS (National Association of Teachers of Singing)

The mission of NATS is to advance excellence in singing through teaching, performance, scholarship, and research. It is the the main professional association for aspiring singers and voice teachers.

Most voice students will participate at the annual West Central NATS Conference and Student Auditions. This is a great opportunity for students to learn repertoire, make new friendships and learn about the art of singing. The 2024 conference will be held November 8-9 at Wichita State University. Your expenses will include

  • an application fee ($15),
  • shared accompanist fee (~$50 per person)
  • gas & hotel (~$250) this is split between roommates and riders, so the cost may vary.
  • meals (~$75)

Your voice teacher will discuss this opportunity with you.