Student Session
"We're Gonna Go Through It Together!": Teaching Strategies for Functional Music Theater Group Voice Classes
Sunday, June 28
Presenter: Amelia Rollings
Some university music and theater programs require students to participate in a group voice class at some time during their training. Independent studio voice teachers or high school music teachers may choose to implement group voice classes to enhance student learning. If taught effectively, group voice classes can allow students to learn basic vocal technique, understand how to sing in a variety of vocal styles, and familiarize themselves with standard classical and/or music theater repertoire in an environment that also encourages student camaraderie and healthy competition. This workshop will have a dual focus as it offers functional music theater voice building exercises specifically aimed at changing the coordinative process of the vocal mechanism, but does so in the format of a group voice class. While this workshop will focus on teaching strategies for music theater group voice classes, its principles can be applied to group voice classes of any style.
About Amelia Rollings
Amelia Rollings currently serves as Assistant Professor of Music Theater Voice at Western Kentucky University. The National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Voice Foundation awarded Rollings the 2018 Van L. Lawrence Award, an award given yearly to one voice pedagogue engaged in scientific research. Rollings holds a Ph.D. in Vocal Pedagogy from The University of Kansas and a M.M. in Voice Performance and Pedagogy from The Pennsylvania State University. Rollings has presented her research in such refereed venues as The Voice Foundation Symposium, The International Phenomenon of Singing Symposium, The Singing Network, the Pan-American Vocology Association Symposium, the National Association of Teachers of Singing National Conference, the Musical Theatre Educators Alliance, the Fall Voice Conference, and the Ohio State Voice Forum. Her most recent publication on the effects of high-heeled shoes on postural and acoustical measures of female singers can be found in the Journal of Voice.
