Vocal pedagogy

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Welcome to vocal pedagogy at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music! 

The College of Music voice area has a long history and lineage of strong pedagogical training. Past directors of vocal pedagogy include Berton Coffin and Barbara Doscher—two of the foremost leaders of vocal pedagogy in the 20^th century. In addition to coursework, graduate students have opportunities to teach voice as a graduate teaching assistant and through the Continuing Education program. Assistantships are granted to experienced graduate students and a fundamental part of our DMA program. 

Berton Coffin Voice Lab

The study of vocal pedagogy has broadened to encompass not only classical techniques, but also choral, pop, musical theatre and other contemporary styles. This has been exemplified in the continued study of acoustic science led by vocal pedagogues throughout the country. The Berton Coffin Voice Lab includes VoceVista and electroglotograph technologies that help students understand acoustic science and vocal adduction rates, facilitating research in the field. VoceVista software is considered one of the most reliable programs for acoustic analysis. 

Singing Health Specialist Certificate 

The College of Music’s Singing Health Specialist Certificate incorporates study of speech-language pathology, vocal pedagogy, Alexander Technique and sports psychology. This program can be completed by current CU Boulder undergraduate students in addition to their regular curriculum.  

Degrees:

• BME Choral General
• BME Choral
• MM Voice Performance + Pedagogy
• DMA Voice Performance + Pedagogy

Nicholas Perna

Tenor Nicholas Perna’s voice has been praised by the Houston Chronicle as “an impressive sound” while the South Florida Sun Sentinel commended his “emotionally driven performance.” Perna has appeared frequently with Opera Mississippi in recent seasons and was a finalist for the American Prize for Men in Opera. He has twice been selected as a Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artist singer.

Equally adept on operatic and musical theater stages, Perna’s roles include Don José in “Carmen,” Rodolfo in “La Bohème,” Ravenal in “Show Boat” and Archibald Craven in “The Secret Garden.” His symphonic appearances include Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. MORE