A Community- Engaged Model for the Vocal Pedagogy Practicum: Integrating Outreach, Scholarship, and Intergenerational Learning
By Carol McAmis, Ithaca College & Ivy Walz, Texas Tech University
The Vocal Pedagogy Teaching Practicum provides supervised teaching experiences in which students apply principles of vocal pedagogy, voice science, repertoire selection, and instructional design through instruction of community volunteer singers. This framework is intended to be embedded within the overall structure of an undergraduate or graduate vocal pedagogy course.
The practicum integrates experiential learning, reflective practice, and peer collaboration. It positions teaching as both an analytical and creative process, emphasizing adaptability, student-centered instruction, and applied skill development.
As a model that also aligns with community engaged learning, by design it incorporates reciprocal partnerships from its foundation with structured reflection. Through professional mentorship, students develop competencies in teaching, communication, diagnosis, and artistry while providing meaningful vocal instruction to community participants.
This model aligns with NASM expectations for professional preparation and with articulated community-engaged learning principles, emphasizing reciprocal partnerships, reflection, and civic engagement. Additionally, as institutions are increasingly interested in entrepreneurial concepts in terms of career readiness, this model provides a rich opportunity for teaching concepts of professional voice studio management.
Many vocal pedagogy courses discuss teaching; but this framework requires students to teach. The practicum moves learning from theoretical understanding to demonstrated competency, and provides a meaningful engagement with the community through accessible, healthy vocal instruction for adults and other populations who may not otherwise receive it.
Why teach adults in the community?
Students Learn
Professional preparation
Applied pedagogical skills
Lesson planning
Teaching effectiveness
Instructional flexibility
How does this align with Community-Engaged Learning?
Students:
Engage in sustained community partnerships over a semester
Assume responsibility for communication and scheduling
Develop professional accountability
Learn relationship-centered teaching practices
As you consider adopting the model, a few important points:
Consider your institution’s priorities and where community engagement falls in ongoing discussions.
Consider your voice area’s goals and priorities within the vocal pedagogy program.
Who will you partner with to gather the volunteer students? It can be a community choir, or it can be on campus staff and faculty outside your school of music, or other.
As you set up the course, you will need to build in mechanisms for clear communication and ensure that expectations and timelines are stated at the course outset.
Consider how much time you have within the current course structure for the practicum. How much of the model is possible at present? Where do you want to build in the future?
As the instructor, you will need to provide ongoing mentorship and check-ins, and you will need to consider that this model requires that you as the instructor normalize experimentation and uncertainty in teaching, and to foster an inclusive and supportive studio environment.
The model is adaptable and can be scaled for undergraduate or graduate pedagogy courses, small or large class sizes, community outreach or partner-based programs, hybrid or fully in-person delivery models.
For consultations on adopting the model:
Carol McAmis: multidimensionalsinger@gmail.com, mcamis@ithaca.edu
Ivy Walz: ivy.walz@ttu.edu, ivywalz@gmail.com
Practicum Structure and Pedagogical Design
Lesson Structure: 10 lessons per semester (30–45 minutes each; 30 minutes minimum requirement)
Scheduling: Students are responsible for coordinating lesson times with their assigned volunteers
Group Instruction: Incorporate periodic group lessons to cultivate class voice teaching skills and support collaborative learning. Many adults are choral singers and enjoy learning vocal skills as part of a group.
Student Matching and Initial Meeting
Student–Volunteer Pairing: Matching may be random (e.g., drawing names) or intentional, based on student strengths, experience levels, and other considerations
Initial Meet-and-Greet Session (In-Class):
Facilitate introductions between student teachers and volunteer singers
Establish a welcoming and professional studio culture
Accessibility Mechanism: Provide alternative engagement (e.g., recorded session, shared materials) for students unable to attend the initial meeting
Intake Process & Assessing Assigned Volunteer:
Develop a collaborative intake questionnaire during class time that includes baseline interview questions to assess: Musical background, Vocal experience, Goals and expectations, Availability and commitment
The intake serves as the basis for an overall assessment of goals. Students assess their volunteer singer’s goals to inform lesson planning and instruction.
Intake Assessment - Students Assess
Technical Goals
Artistic Goals
Diagnostic Inquiry: Where should instruction begin? What foundational skills are needed? What vocalizes are appropriate and why?
Instructional Emphasis: Encourage analytical listening and responsive teaching, Introduce the concept of teaching as an adaptive, exploratory (“stochastic”) process
Pedagogical Application of the Practicum – in class time
3. Class Instruction on Repertoire Selection:
Align repertoire with volunteer student goals and vocal capabilities
Evaluate feasibility and developmental appropriateness
Offer alternative repertoire when necessary for realistic outcomes such as:
Sequencing of instruction
Collaborative Learning
Include regular Q&A sessions in class so that you can address teaching challenges
Supplement class plans with in-class peer teaching exercises framed as experimentation: “Let’s try this out” approach
Emphasize applying pedagogical strategies together, rather than achieving long-term vocal outcomes
Some class lectures can focus on a wide variety of topics in teaching – a great wealth of opportunity.
4. Assessing Vocal Pedagogy Students work in the Practicum
Lesson Documentation and Reflective Practice
Required Components:
Students submit lesson plans and reflections as a compiled teaching report documenting growth over time - Define and communicate how often this will occur, i.e. midterm, final, etc.
Reflection Questions
What worked?
What surprised me?
What did I learn about teaching?
What did I learn from my volunteer singer?
How did this experience shape my understanding of community-based music instruction
5. Final Teaching Assessment (occurs after Capstone Teaching
Option A: Each student conducts a 20-minute teaching sample with their volunteer during class, provide a mechanism for peer and teacher feedback.
Option B: Each student conducts a 20-minute teaching sample with their volunteer privately with you observing, providing feedback.
Option C: Each student provides a recorded 20-minute teaching sample, provide a mechanism for feedback.
Assessment Criteria (Rubric):
Lesson Planning
Clarity of Instruction
Observation and Responsiveness
Time Management
6. Culminating Performance Experience
Final Sharing (Recital Format): Hold this before the final teaching assessment.
Expected Outcomes:
Most volunteer singers will prepare 1–2 songs during the semester
Public or in-class performance of repertoire studied
Announced at the beginning of the semester to establish long-term goals
Maintain a low-pressure, celebratory environment, i.e. memorization optional
Encourage creativity with allowances for
Self-accompaniment (guitar, accordion, piano)
Movement or theatrical elements
Group performances