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Repertoire & Resources - Four-Year University Choirs

Four-Year University Choirs

Dean Luethi years. Developing a positive relationship with the voice
National Chair, Four-Year University Choirs students and their teachers can improve the learning
dean.luethi@wsu.edu and performing opportunities for all students in the
choir.
Many voice majors come into their college studies
The Growing Voice: Collegiate Voice Students with a wealth of experience in their middle school and
and the Large Ensemble high school choirs, with stage experience from musi-
by Matthew Myers cal theatre and a performance background from solo/
ensemble contest, but many of them have never had a
One of the many joys of working with choral en- private voice lesson. As they enter their weekly voice
sembles is witnessing singers’ growth over time. Choral studies as college students, their voices often grow rap-
directors often work with the same students for several idly in size and range, and sometimes this can cause
years and see them develop from beginners to leaders. confusion, as the way they sing in an ensemble begins
Whereas middle school and high school choral direc- to feel different. They experience cognitive dissonance
tors typically work with students through their voice and may grow frustrated when their voice doesn’t work
changes, college directors meet students whose voices in the same way it once did. Rather than shying away
are a bit more stable in range—though they are still from these changes, we should embrace them and talk
bound to develop and change rapidly. about them regularly! Singing in choir, whether it is
The experience levels of singers in a non-auditioned twice a week or five times a week, is a great way for
college ensemble can be especially vast: the ensemble these students to develop their skills, and a repertoire
may include new music majors with years of perfor- with varied ranges, tessituras, languages, articulations,
mance experience, nonmajors who have been in choir and styles will help them to grow in each part of their
for several years and may have taken voice lessons, voice. Differentiating collegiate choir instruction to
some instrumental music majors who read music well help individual singers grow will enhance the variety of
but have never sung in a formal setting, and some be- tone colors the choir can draw upon in their repertoire.
ginners who have always wanted to learn to sing and One challenge of working with young voice students
signed up for the class as an arts credit. The ensemble is the concept of a stable voice type. A student who
will grow together and develop skills over the semester, enters college having only ever sung alto in choir may
and then in January the ensemble will look complete- soon realize with their voice teacher that they ought
ly different as some students move into another choir, to work on soprano repertoire in voice lessons. This
some remain, and some new students arrive. student may still feel most successful singing alto parts
The ever-changing landscape of the choir is a chal- in choir or may benefit from switching to soprano II.
lenge for the conductor, but it also provides opportuni- This could change after a semester. Most students can
ties to establish a baseline of vocal training that is help- successfully sing several voice parts without causing
ful for both beginners and seasoned singers. For many strain or vocal damage, and this may need to change
of the non-music majors, their choral directors serve by the year or by the semester depending on their vocal
as their only music professors, so we can provide them growth as well as the needs of the ensemble.
opportunities to grow in all the standards of music ed- It can be particularly helpful to encourage students to
ucation. For the music majors, they may be in as many identify themselves just as singers rather than growing
as eight to ten classes with different music professors attached to their voice types (e.g., “Susie Jones, voice”
and will gain a wealth of knowledge and perspectives. rather than “Susie Jones, mezzo-soprano”). It is also
Their voice lessons, like choir, will provide them with helpful for the whole choir to understand that many
consistent work with a mentor they will have for a few alto I’s will perform soprano literature in voice lessons,

30 CHORAL JOURNAL May 2026 Volume 66 Number 8