Join NEC Continuing Education for vocal offerings from A to Z. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced student, we have instructors and performance opportunities for you ranging from private lessons to chamber music to skills-building classes to opera studio and coachings. Be sure to scroll all the way through this page to see all that we have to offer! Also, be sure to check out our gospel choir!
Voice Faculty
Mark Lee, chair
Voice Faculty
Private Lessons
Whether intermediate or advanced, individuals wishing to broaden their musical training can do so through private instruction. Private classical and jazz instruction is offered by highly qualified and experienced faculty. Please visit the Private Instruction page to see the pricing structure. Lessons are open to everyone and you can enroll at any time. Placement is made by the department chairs. Please contact the Continuing Education Office at 617-585-1701 or ContinuingEducation@necmusic.edu for more info and a placement interview.
Certificate Programs
A Certificate of Merit and a Professional Studies Certificate are available in voice. A Jazz certificate is also available. Check out our Certificates page for more information.
Masterclasses & Recitals
Students enrolled in private lessons at NEC are eligible to participate in voice workshops, masterclasses and numerous recitals.
Past events have featured a wide variety of performers, coaches and voice scientists. These trainings enrich the student experience, and encourage a fuller discourse with our own faculty about all aspects of the artistic experience.
Skills Classes for Vocalists
Strong vocal skills are the foundation of all artistic singing, and include both a clear understanding of how the voice works and how to sing accurate rhythms and pitches. These Vocal Skills courses are designed to build specific skills and remove challenges that improve performance.
Vocal Chamber Music
Vocal Chamber Music
Barbara Winchester, Instructor
Saturdays 3:00 - 4:30 pm
1.5 credits $900
Non-credit $640
FALL SEMESTER ONLY
An introduction to three centuries of literature for solo vocal ensemble (music for two or more solo voices and piano or instruments). Tailored to the interests and abilities of the participants, the course includes ensemble singing, ear training, diction, and stage presence, and concludes with a concert. Literature is drawn from the works of Brahms, Haydn, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Fauré, Donizetti, Rossini, Dvorák, Britten, Purcell, Foster, and others. At the discretion of the instructor, students who are not currently studying voice may be encouraged to take some shared voice lessons in the department.
Auditions: Auditions will be held on September 8, 2012. Please prepare two contrasting pieces and be prepared to sightread. Call 617-585-1701 for more information and to schedule an audition time.
Bach Arias for Singers & Instrumentalists
Elizabeth Anker, Instructor
Wednesdays 7:30 - 9:00 pm
1.5 credits TBA
Non-credit TBA
FALL SEMESTER ONLY
NOT OFFERED 2013
This course explores the works of Johann Sebastian Bach through performance and study. Through coaching, rehearsals, presentations by the instructor, guests and students, listening, reading and writing assignments students will gain confidence in performance practice. In a master class format, students will learn issues of Baroque style, ornamentation, language and performance practice, with an emphasis on developing ensemble skills. There will be a performance at the end of the semester. Open to all singers, all strings and wind players (oboe, flute, recorder, bassoon, trumpet) and keyboard players who have an interest in organ and/or harpsichord.
Prerequisite for singers: Familiarity with singing German.
Handel for Singers and Instrumentalists
Elizabeth Anker, Instructor
Wednesdays 7:30 - 9:00 pm
1.5 credits TBA
Non-credit TBA
FALL SEMESTER ONLY
Explore the works of Georg Friedrich Handel through performance and study. Open to singers, keyboard players, all strings, and winds (flute, recorder, oboe, and bassoon) Arias from operas, oratorios and 9 Deutchen Arien will be the basis of the repertoire. There will be presentations by instructor, guests and students, listening, reading and writing assignments. In a master class format, students will learn issues of Baroque style, ornamentations, language and performance practice, with an emphasis on developing ensemble skills. There will be a performance at the end of the semester.
Prerequisite for singers: Familiarity with singing German.
Choral Groups
NEC Voices: A New Choral Experience
To learn more, or to enroll for this course, please visit the Chorus & Gospel Choir page.
NEC Community Gospel Choir
To learn more, or to enroll for this course, please visit the Gospel Choir page.
Build Your Voice: Artful and Skillful Singing
Mark Lee, Instructor
Thu 6:15 - 7:15 pm
1 Credit: $600
Non-credit $425
SPRING SEMESTER ONLY
This course introduces singers of all levels to the fundamental mechanisms of the singing voice which influence posture and stability, pitch and vibrato, timbre and diction, stage movement and expression. Each aspect of vocal performance is developed to increase overall confidence. Students apply their knowledge by preparing songs of their choice (art songs, musical theater, opera, jazz, Irish ballads, and contemporary) which are performed in class and coached by the instructor in a supportive environment. This course qualifies for 15 professional development points.
Lyric Diction for Singers I
Jennifer Sgroe, Instructor
Sat 12:00 - 1:00 pm
1 Credit: $600
Non-credit: $425
FALL SEMESTER ONLY
An introductory course in lyric diction for singers that will include a study of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). The Fall Semester will cover English and Italian diction. Texts: The Singer’s Manual of English Diction – Madeleine Marshall (Schirmer); A Handbook of Diction for Singers: Italian, German, French – David Adams (Oxford University Press). Foreign language dictionaries as advised by the instructor.
Lyric Diction for Singers II
Jennifer Sgroe, Instructor
Sat 12:00 - 1:00 pm
1 Credit: $600
Non-credit: $425
SPRING SEMESTER ONLY
This course is a continuation of Lyric Diction for Singers I. The Spring Semester will cover French and German diction. Prerequisite: Lyric Diction for Singers I.
Sight-Singing for Singers
Mark Lee, Instructor
Thu 6:15 - 7:15 pm
1 Credit: $600
Non-credit: $425
FALL SEMESTER ONLY
Singers who understand staff notation and can easily sing basic rhythms and find pitches on the keyboard are systematically taught to develop their sight-singing skills. Students are given regular drills in recognizing and singing all intervals. They also become fluent with all key signatures, learning to sight-sing accurately in all major and minor keys. Students are expected to attend class regularly and spend two to three hours a week with out of class preparation.
Thursday Voice Recitals
Open to students from any NEC voice teacher, these performances give students regular opportunities to offer newly prepared songs and vocal ensembles, increase their level of comfort in front of a live audience, and to support and encourage peers as they perform. Recitals will be announced 1-2 weeks prior, and will vary in length based upon student participation. Students should contact their respective voice teachers for more information. There is no fee for these recitals opportunities.
Opera and Art Song
Dramatic Coaching of Songs and Arias
Janice Giampa and Daniel Wyneken, Instructors
7 SESSIONS
SAT: 10:00AM-12:00PM
1 credit or non-credit: $600 per semester
OFFERED FALL AND SPRING SEMESTERS
Begins 10/26/13 for fall semester
Begins 3/29/14 for spring semester
Enhance your vocal performing power with dramatic coaching. This class is designed to prepare singers for performances in recitals, opera, and auditions. Using techniques of subtexting, inner monologue, semi-staging, musical and dramatic analysis, singers will develop their ability to create unique interpretations with energy, concentration, and dramatic impact. The class size is limited to eight. Audition requirements: Two arias. Please call Daniel Wyneken at 617-288-8177 to schedule an audition.
Vocal Repertoire: Coaching and Performance
Daniel Wyneken, Instructor
SPRING SEMESTER ONLY
SAT: 1:00PM-2:30PM
1.5 credits: $900
Non-credit: $640
Begins 2/1/14 for spring semester
Singers and pianists perform selected pieces from the vocal repertoire each week in a supportive and noncompetitive class setting. The instructor coaches the performers on aspects of the literature that pertain to both vocalists and pianists: diction, musical style, interpretation, presentation, relationship of the piano accompaniment to the vocal setting, and historical context of the repertoire. The class ends with a concert. Auditions: TBA or by appointment. Contact Daniel Wyneken at 617-288-8177 for more information and an audition time.
Summer Session Continuing Education Opera Studio
Daniel Wyneken, Chair & Music Director
Janice Giampa, Stage Director
OFFERED SUMMER SESSION ONLY
Participants: The School of Continuing Education Opera Studio offers an exciting opportunity for serious singers to receive operatic and stage training in the standard operatic repertoire. This three-week intensive program offers musical coaching and scene preparation, acting and movement, aria staging, and audition techniques, culminating in two public performances of opera scenes at New England Conservatory. Auditions: Will be held in May or by appointment. Two memorized arias are required. Contact Daniel Wyneken at 617-288-8177 for more information and an audition time. Please go to the Summer Session Opera Studio page for more details.
2013-05-14
CLAUDE DEBUSSY