Skip to main content
Norges musikkhøgskole Norwegian Academy of Music Search

Intro­duc­tion to Phon­et­ics and Voice The­ory

  • Course type: Complementary course.
  • Year of study: Year one.
  • Final assessment: Assessment by the course instructor.
  • Prerequisites: Admission to the Master's Degree Programme in Music Performance.
  • Language of instruction: Norwegian/English.

Course description

This introductory course provides the student with basic competency in supervising vocalists in rehearsal activities.

The course is linked to the credits (ECTS) in the conducting course of the study programme.

Learning objectives

On completion of the course, it is expected that the student

  • will have basic knowledge of phonetics
  • is familiar with basic differences in pronunciation between Italian, German, French, English and Norwegian
  • has knowledge about the anatomy and physiology of the voice

Overview

The autumn semester includes

  • introduction to articulatory, auditory, and acoustic aspects of speech and song
  • introduction to the use of phonetic dictionaries
  • introduction to pronunciation in Italian, German, French, English, and Norwegian
  • working with singing pronunciation

The spring semester includes

  • anatomy and physiology of the voice and respiratory organs
  • introduction to singing pedagogical concepts, e.g., support, equality, sound

Structure

The phonetics part of the subject is normally taught in the autumn semester, and the voice physiology part is normally taught in the spring semester.

Students have registered automatically for instruction/supervision and assessment in the course in accordance with the study progress requirements set out in the individual education plan.

Course requirements

  1. Mandatory attendance is required at all teaching hours with student presentations. Which hours this applies to will appear from the semester plan.
  2. In the autumn semester, the student should give an oral presentation on a self-chosen piece where singers are included in the cast. The text of the piece should be in one of the languages covered in the course. In the presentation, the student should apply relevant terminology and theory about phonetics and pronunciation related to a hypothetical study of the piece. Where relevant, the student is encouraged to choose examples from their own practice. The time for the presentation is agreed upon with the course instructor. The presentation should last about 15 minutes.
  3. In the spring semester, the student should give an oral presentation on a self-chosen piece where singers are included in the cast. In the presentation, the student should explain anatomical, physiological, and singing technical concepts and issues related to a hypothetical study of the work. Where relevant, the student is encouraged to choose examples from their own practice. The time for the presentation is agreed upon with the subject teacher. The presentation should last about 15 minutes.

Final assessment

All course requirements must be fulfilled and approved before the student is given a final assessment.

Student assessment is based on the learning objectives. The final assessment will be given as a pass/fail mark, which will be determined by the course instructor.

In the case of re-assessment, the same procedures apply.

Study component

Published: Apr 3, 2020 — Last updated: Sep 6, 2024