Christopher Card

Vocal music education has been active in schools around the world for many decades and there
are many methodologies and tools available to teach music to students. In the short seven years
that I have been on the scene educating teenagers on the art of vocal song, I have found myself
working harder than I perhaps need to for lack of handy materials to assist in developing the
talents of my students.

Throughout the academic year I find myself in my office at school long after the principals show more have
left, and even after many of the coaches, as I work to prepare materials for my. students. For
many parts of my job, I am alone to pull various resources together to pass on to my students.
One three month period of the year is especially challenging in preparing materials for my
students. During the middle of the year my students prepare for Vocal Solo & Ensemble. Each
student needs guidance on selecting appropriate art songs for their preparation and performance
for Solo & Ensemble, which needs to be done out of class with my assistance.

In order to have my students get all they can out of the Solo & Ensemble process I require them
to do one song in a foreign language in addition to an art song in English. The most common
source offoreign language songs is the 24 Italian Art Songs and Arias by G. Schirmer. This
collection ofItalian Art Songs includes 'standards' that all vocal students should study in
developing their solo voice.

In order to prepare my students for Solo & Ensemble I spend two weeks before school, after
school and during lunches playing through songs to help students in the selection of their solos.
Then come more weeks of making tapes for the pronunciation ofItaiian texts and providing
practice tapes for students to practice on their own time. Countless hours of personal time is
spent to help prepare students on basic things. This time could be better spent with voice
lessons, music study, or more importantly ... time spent with my family away from school! show less