Penn State Voice Faculty Present Musical Theatre Singing Workshop
June 19, 2007
Voice faculty from the Penn State School of Music will present a workshop for teachers and performers of musical theatre singing on June 29-30 on the University Park campus. “Bel Canto/Can Belto” is the first workshop of its kind to be held at Penn State, and teachers and performers from around the country are scheduled to attend and discuss issues such as demonstration and teaching of appropriate musical theatre sounds and choosing the right repertoire for students.
The Penn State musical theatre program has achieved national recognition for the quality of its curriculum and the success of its students. Unlike most similar programs, it has three musical theatre voice specialists on its faculty. This fall, the School of Music will include musical theatre vocal pedagogy as part of its voice pedagogy curriculum, an important step toward legitimizing non-classical vocal technique.
“Penn State is really taking the lead in creating university training for teachers of musical theatre singing. We hope to have a positive impact on the next generation of musical theatre singers,” says Mary Saunders, associate professor in the School of Music and head of voice for musical theatre. Her DVD tutorial for teachers of singing, “Bel Canto/Can Belto: Teaching Women to Sing Musical Theatre,” will be released this fall.
Penn State faculty participating in the workshop include Saunders; Raymond Sage, assistant professor; Beverly Patton, associate professor; and Norman Spivey, associate professor and chair of the voice area in the School of Music. For faculty bios, visit www.music.psu.edu/prospective/faculty/voicefac.html.
Contact: Bev Patton, bap10@psu.edu