English and Spanish Diction for Singers

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Understand the International Phonetic Alphabet (I.P.A.) symbols to pronounce English and Spanish sounds.

• Comprehend and apply the diction rules and exceptions of English and Spanish lyric diction to song texts.

• Transcribe English and Spanish texts with the I.P.A. symbols proficiently.

• Demonstrate proficiency in English and Spanish sounds in speaking and singing through presentations of standard English and Spanish art song repertoire and quizzes.

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Class Participation & Attendance	20% or 100 Points
Quizzes	20% or 100 Points
Assignments	20% or 100 Points
Song Presentations	20% or 100 Points
Midterm & Final Exams	20% or 100 Points

Class Participation & Attendance (20% or 100 Points) is an equal part of your grade in this class. We will have group assignments, activities, and class worksheets that will be a part of this grade, and it is crucial that you participate in order to learn and apply the coursework material.

Quizzes (20% or 100 Points) will be spread throughout the semester. You will have one quiz in the English section of the class and one quiz in the Spanish portion of the class, which will be equally weighted at 10% each. There will be a written portion of the quiz which you will transcribe certain words in IPA in the language of the unit we are in and a spoken portion which you will submit on Canvas as an audio or video file by the end of the day.

Assignments (20% or 100 Points) will include take-home worksheets to transcribe for the next week. They will be given out almost every Thursday and will be due by the next Thursday.

Song Presentations (20% or 100 Points) will include a performance of a song in the language we are studying in that unit. You will introduce the piece and composer, speak the text of the piece, and then sing it for the class with the correct pronunciation. You will also submit your sheet music with the song text transcribed in I.P.A. and the direct word-for-word translation written in the music. You will have one song presentation for English and one for Spanish, equally weighted as 10% each.

Midterm & Final Exams (20% or 100 Points) are weighted equally at 10% each and will challenge your level of comprehension by the end of each unit. The Midterm Exam will test you on the English language, and the Final Exam will test you on the Spanish language. Be prepared to transcribe words and phrases in the language and submit an audio or video file by the end of the day.

Your grade will be calculated end of the semester at a total of 500 points.

Grading Scale:

Percentage	Letter Grade
93%-100%	A
90%-92%	A-
87%-89%	B+
83%-86%	B
80%-82%	B-
77%-79%	C+
73%-76%	C
70%-72%	C-
67%-69%	D+
63%-66%	D
60%-62%	D-
Below 60%	F

Attendance/Participation:

Attendance and class participation are crucial to this course, as we go through the material together. Three unexcused absences are permitted throughout the entire semester; however, if you are late to class or leave early three times, this will count as one unexcused absence.

If you exceed three unexcused absences, your grade will be lowered by five points, and if you miss eight classes, you will automatically fail the course.

If you have an excused absence, such as illness or a school function, please email me promptly and preferably with documentation.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

• English Lyric Diction Workbook by Cheri Montgomery

• Spanish Lyric Diction Workbook by Cheri Montgomery