The voice area of the College of Music at CU has a history of sound pedagogical training, starting with the work of Berton Coffin, who did research in vowel formants with Pierre Delattre. Dr. Coffin wrote several books espousing the teaching of voice based on sound scientific principles and is famous for his vowel chart showing how vowel modification works in the various voice types. One of his students, Dr. Barbara Doscher, carried on the tradition through her vocal pedagogy book, The Functional Unity of the Singing Voice, and through her development of both practical and theoretical pedagogy courses still taught at CU. Barbara Doscher was well-known for her excellent training of all voice types, and also for her training of prospective voice teachers.

One of Dr. Doscher's students, Dr. Patti Peterson, carries on with the tradition of teaching singers how to teach. Professor Patrick Mason and Professor Curt Peterson also had contact with Dr. Doscher and have incorporated some of her ideas into their own teachings. It is interesting to note that influences of other pedagogues, such as William Vennard, the old Italian masters, and Elena Nikolaide, with whom Professor Julie Simson worked, are present in the teaching tradition in the voice area. The voice area is proud and honored that three faculty members were selected and served as National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Master Teachers for& summer intern programs: Julie Simson (chosen in 2001) former CU professor Robert Harrison (chosen 2002), and the the late Dr. Barbara Doscher (chosen 1991 and 1992).

The voice area prides itself in not only producing excellent singers and teachers, but in the unusual congeniality and aesthetic agreement among its voice faculty. Every member of the voice faculty has well-grounded knowledge of how the voice works, both anatomically and acoustically, and students will receive fine instruction from any faculty member they choose to study with. The voice area's open-studio policy allows and even encourages students to observe lessons with teachers other than the student's assigned teacher.

• MM in voice performance and pedagogy
• DMA in voice performance and pedagogy

MUSC 5444, Vocal Pedagogy I - introduction to the study of physiology and acoustics of the singing voice. The subjects covered are breathing, posture, phonation, basic acoustics of the larynx, resonance, vowel formants, registers, and vocal health. Students are required to keep a detailed notebook of reading assignments, class lectures, films viewed, as well as hand in two extensive take-home exams. The final exam is closed-book. Primarily a lecture course, the students participate in class discussions and build a paper model of the larynx. Some texts used in class materials include those by Barbara Doscher, Meribeth Bunch, Johann Sundberg, Perkins and Kent, Frank Netter, M.D., Vennard, and Zemlin.

MUSC 5454, Vocal Pedagogy II (The Young Voice) - a course designed to cover the special physiological and acoustical conditions found in child and adolescent voices. Topics covered include repertoire, vowels, breathing, voice classification, teaching children and teenagers in the studio, vocal abuse, class voice techniques, and recital program-building. A notebook is kept and an extensive repertoire project is presented in class by each student.

MUSC 5484, Pedagogy Seminar - introduction to the practical aspects of teaching voice, including problem-solving techniques, comparing various methodologies, psychology of teaching, use of movement, vocalises and their various uses. Students teach in class and receive peer and teacher evaluation and supervision. Studio observation is required, as well as an extensive notebook of vocalises, notes on assigned readings and class discussions. The class is designed so that part of the three-hour period is lecture/discussion, the other part being teaching demonstrations. Reading assignments include the works of Pearl Wormhoudt, Eloise Ristad, Wesley Balk, Richard Miller, and James McKinney.

MUSC 3193, Pedagogy for Young Voices - an undergraduate course, required of voice majors and music education majors. Presents an overall view of how the voice works. Additional areas of study include health care of the voice, group teaching techniques, and corrective ideas for vocal problems commonly encountered in the studio and choral rehearsal. Both solo and ensemble repertoire for junior and senior high school singers are explored. Provides instrumentalists with knowledge and skills needed to work with singers in both private studio and public school choral settings.

In addition to these classes, there are opportunities for graduate students to teach voice in the university's Continuing Education program. This program is available for students who have prior approval from their teacher and have passed or tested out of MUSC 5444.