Vocal coaching is often a career choice made more by evolution than deliberation. “Students of music graduate with an eye towards performing but find coaching is where the money is,” says Roger Havranek, chairman of the voice department at the University of Indiana Bloomington School of Music.
As many musicians know, the world of performance is highly competitive. But every performer needs an accompanist, and accompanists often evolve into coaches or conductors, or a vocalist finds a gift for bringing out the vocal best in others. Unlike other areas of music education, there hasn’t been a uniform approach to training coaches, nor has there been a set of standards governing the education of coaches.
Now, slowly but surely, schools of music across the country are implementing programs for coaches, either as an integrated part of the curriculum for a degree or as a degree program itself. “There’s a desperate need for this kind of education,” says Havranek. “People need to be trained in the larger world. There aren’t any basketball majors–schools expect athletes to have something else to fall back on when they graduate. The same should be true for music.”
And it isn’t only pianists who are learning how to coach. Clifton Ware, professor of voice/pedagogy at the University of Minnesota School of Music, said, “When serious-minded singers realize they might have to teach to survive, they become very interested in learning how [to coach].” Ware is developing an intensive teaching program for the music school that will provide a thorough pedagogical background for vocalists who want to learn more about the theory of instructing other vocalists.
In Indiana, Havranek is also overseeing the implementation of a vocal coaching and accompanying master’s degree. While no date has been set for the program’s launch, he views it as potentially encompassing a wide variety of musical education, including accompanying, languages, sight-reading, repertoire, and a thorough grounding in a variety of music styles–not only opera but musical theater and popular music. “We really want it to cover the whole works, not just opera,” he says. “Coaches need to understand different styles because it’s likely they’ll be asked to provide that knowledge during their coaching careers. They’ll be more employable with a wider background.”
There is precedent for a program that covers such an extensive range of musical education. “We’re hoping to model it after the University of Illinois’s program, developed by John Wustman.” Wustman developed the Illinois master’s degree in vocal coaching and accompanying, and he is enthusiastic about spreading his vision. Given his impending retirement from Illinois, he is considering visiting Indiana to assist with structuring the program there.
In Minnesota, Ware agrees that a good program should cover more than a few basics. “The basic skills [should] include vocal technique, musicianship, diction (to include linguistic expertise in English, French, Italian, and German, among others), and essential performance skills. Keyboard skills are of great help, of course.”
Both Ware and Havranek say they’ve seen demand rising for these kinds of programs and degrees, and the need for them could soon exceed the supply. But as often happens when demand increases, supply starts to pick up pace. New programs, such as the ones being developed in Indiana and Minnesota, are already being considered at other schools.
Vocal coaches already know how valuable their services are. Prospective vocal coaches now have more opportunities than ever to create a career for themselves with a full academic background tailored to their needs. Proponents of these programs agree on their value–not just for the education but for the opportunity to allow vocal coaching to become a full-fledged career choice, complete with degree.
For more information:
The Juilliard School
212/799-5000 ext. 223
admissions@juilliard.edu
Alberta College Conservatory
780/423-6230
music_info@abcollege.ab.ca
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
School of Music
217/333-2620
j-rath1@staff.uiuc.edu
University of Indiana, Bloomington
School of Music
812/855-7998
musicadm@indiana.edu
University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
School of Music
612/624-5740
mus-adm@tc.umn.edu
