Date of Award

Fall 2023

Document Type

Open Access Dissertation

Department

School of Music

First Advisor

Alicia Walker

Abstract

The field of contemporary commercial vocal pedagogy is relatively new, with serious academic study primarily taking place over the last twenty-five years. In that time, however, a growing body of research has shown that the function of the vocal mechanism operates in essentially the same manner across classical and contemporary commercial music (CCM) genres, but the application of vocal function is what differentiates classical and CCM singing. Since secondary music educators often represent the only vocal training their students will ever receive, it is helpful for them to know the differences in vocal techniques and how to effectively train singers in multiple genres. Training programs for secondary educators often include applied lessons with a primary focus on Western classical music and choral methods courses to apply those vocal techniques to choir, preparing them to teach classical vocal styles in the classroom. Recent surveys of secondary choral educators have shown that they regularly include popular music in their curriculum and are often responsible for music directing musical theatre productions, but a vast majority have never received any training in those genres. With the growth of pedagogical resources for CCM styles, choral directors can find a wide variety of exercises to use with their ensembles. This document gives choral educators a system by which they can apply CCM training techniques to the choral rehearsal, enabling their students to perform healthily and authentically in numerous popular vocal styles.

Rights

© 2024, Luke Lee Browder

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