Beginning of a Beginner’s Vocal Journey
A learning journal documenting the first stages of vocal study, musicianship, and performance
Beginning Without a Musical Background
The first year at Santa Monica College has brought an introduction to a new area of study: voice. Enrolling inElementary Voice has offered an opportunity to explore singing not simply as a personal interest, but as a skill that canbe studied, practiced, and developed through instruction.
Although there are musically inclined members of her family, the student entered the course without a prior musicalbackground. Concepts that might be familiar to someone who has studied music for years—musical notation, scales,pitch, diction, and vocal technique—are therefore part of a new learning experience.
Santa Monica College describes its Elementary Voice course as an introduction to fundamental singing principles, including breath control, tone production, diction, and appropriate song material. The course is designed to welcome students who are beginning their vocal studies. (Santa Monica College Music Program )
The eight videos collected here document several stages of that early experience, from introductory vocal instructionand basic scale practice to the preparation and performance of an Italian art song. Together, they provide a record of thelearning process and a reference point for revisiting concepts as the course continues.
1. Introduction to Vocal Technique and Artistry
The beginning of vocal study involves learning to approach the voice as an instrument. Unlike a piano, the voice is partof the body, and its use involves coordination, awareness, and practice.
Video 1: Introduction to Vocal Technique & Artistry
This introductory video provides a starting point for exploring the relationship between vocal technique and artisticexpression. Technique establishes a foundation for producing sound with greater consistency and control, while artistryconcerns the communication of musical ideas and expression.
For a beginning student, these two elements are connected. Singing involves more than producing the correct notes; italso involves learning how to shape a musical phrase, communicate the meaning of a text, and make deliberateexpressive choices.
The early stages of vocal study establish the vocabulary and awareness needed to approach these tasks with increasingunderstanding.
2. Learning the Text Before Singing: Caro mio ben
One of the early challenges in classical singing is working with a song in a language that may not be familiar. Before aforeign-language song can be communicated convincingly, its words must be approached as spoken language as well asmusical material.
Video 2: Reciting Foreign-Language Text of Caro mio ben
The recitation of the Italian text of Caro mio ben introduces an important aspect of vocal preparation: learning to speakthe words before setting them to music.
This process allows attention to be directed toward pronunciation, syllables, and the natural flow of the languagewithout the additional demands of pitch and rhythm. It also begins to establish a connection between the text and itsemotional meaning.
For a student new to formal musical study, this is an opportunity to discover that song preparation extends beyondlearning a melody. Language itself is part of the musical work.
3. Exploring Dramatic Recitation
After becoming acquainted with the text, the next step is to consider how it can be communicated expressively.
Video 3: Dramatic Recitation of Caro mio ben
Dramatic recitation builds on the initial work with pronunciation by introducing a more expressive approach to spokendelivery. Changes in emphasis, phrasing, and emotional intention can influence how an audience understands a text.
This is particularly relevant to classical vocal repertoire, in which the words and music work together to communicatean emotional message.
The exercise also highlights a useful distinction: expression does not begin only when singing starts. Attention to thetext, its meaning, and its delivery can begin before the melody is introduced.
As vocal study progresses, this groundwork can help connect pronunciation with phrasing and musical interpretation.
4. A Glimpse Inside a Beginner Voice Class
Learning to sing involves both individual preparation and participation in a teaching environment where musical skillscan be demonstrated, observed, and refined.
Video 4: Beginner Voice Class in College
This recording offers a glimpse into the experience of studying voice at the college level. For a beginning student, theclassroom provides a setting in which vocal concepts move from explanation into practice.
The process of learning in a voice class can require concentration on several things at once: listening, followinginstruction, coordinating the voice, and responding to feedback. These demands become more manageable as theunderlying concepts grow familiar.
The experience also illustrates that vocal development is not limited to independent practice. Instruction, observation,and the opportunity to try again are important parts of learning an unfamiliar skill.
5. Looking More Closely at the Learning Process
Video 5: Peek Inside College Beginner Voice Class
A second look inside the classroom adds to the record of the student's early experience with voice instruction.
For someone entering college without formal musical training, observing and participating in the learning process canhelp make unfamiliar terminology and expectations more understandable. Repeated exposure to exercises anddemonstrations allows individual concepts to become more recognizable over time.
The classroom experience also places vocal technique in a practical context. Ideas introduced during instruction musteventually be applied through listening, physical coordination, repetition, and self-assessment.
Taken together, the classroom recordings document an important part of the learning journey: the transition fromencountering new concepts to becoming more familiar with how they are used.
6. Developing Musical Awareness Through a One-Octave Major Scale
Scales are a basic building block of music education. They provide an organized sequence of pitches that can helpdevelop pitch awareness, listening skills, and familiarity with musical patterns.
Video 6: One-Octave Major Scale — Beginner Voice Practice
The one-octave major scale introduces a structured exercise in which pitches are sung in sequence. For a beginningsinger, the exercise offers an opportunity to work with pitch relationships and to become more comfortable reproducinga series of notes.
Scale practice also creates a foundation for later work with melodies. Familiarity with musical patterns can make iteasier to recognize how individual notes relate to one another and how a melody moves.
When accompanied by a pianist, the exercise provides an additional musical reference. Listening carefully to the pianoand coordinating the voice with the accompaniment are skills that can be strengthened through repetition.
A simple scale may appear less expressive than a complete song, but foundational exercises help prepare the singer forthe more complex demands of repertoire.
7. Applying Instruction to Caro mio ben
As the course progresses from introductory exercises toward repertoire, the work on Caro mio ben brings severalaspects of vocal learning together.
Video 7: Caro mio ben in Class, With Notes From the Voice Teacher
This classroom recording documents work on the song with feedback from the voice teacher. Such a lesson provides anopportunity to connect the preparation of the Italian text with the practical demands of singing.
Teacher feedback can help identify areas that require further attention and provide direction for subsequent practice.The process also demonstrates that learning a song is rarely a single-step task. Text preparation, vocal coordination,musical accuracy, and interpretation must gradually work together.
The pianist's role is also an important part of the learning environment. Singing with piano accompaniment requires thevocalist to listen, maintain coordination with the music, and work within a shared musical structure.
For a student without previous musical training, these experiences introduce the collaborative nature of vocalperformance alongside the individual work of developing the voice.
8. Bringing the Preparation Together in Performance
Video 8: Caro mio ben — Voice Class Practice Performance
The practice performance of Caro mio ben brings the preceding stages of preparation into a single musical activity.
The earlier recitations focused attention on the Italian text and its expressive delivery. The classroom work introducedfeedback and the practical demands of singing. The performance stage brings those elements together with melody andaccompaniment.
A practice performance also creates an opportunity to observe the process as it currently stands. It can serve as a recordof what has been attempted, what has become more familiar, and what may benefit from additional practice.
The value of such a recording is not limited to the performance itself. When revisited later, it can help make changes inmusical understanding and vocal coordination easier to recognize.
Rather than representing a final destination, this stage is one point in an ongoing process of learning.
The Role of Video in Documenting Progress
The eight recordings serve as a collection of learning materials and a record of the student's work thus far.
The professor shares mini-lectures through video, and having the recordings available in one place makes the materialconvenient to revisit. YouTube is being used as a practical organizational tool for the student's files, not because theprofessor requires mini-lectures or class videos to be uploaded there. The voice teacher does require certain recordingsto be submitted as part of the coursework, making recorded practice a useful component of the learning process.
Keeping the videos together makes it possible to return to earlier exercises, review the preparation of Caro mio ben, andcompare different stages of classroom work.
Video also preserves details that may be difficult to remember from a lesson alone. A recording can be reviewedalongside written notes, allowing attention to be directed toward a particular exercise, instruction, or performance.
For a beginning student, this collection provides a practical way to revisit material without relying exclusively onmemory.
Looking Ahead: An Ongoing Learning Journey
The first stages of Elementary Voice at Santa Monica College have introduced several interconnected areas of study:vocal technique, expressive speech, foreign-language diction, scale practice, classroom instruction, teacher feedback,and repertoire preparation.
The progression documented in these recordings illustrates how learning to sing involves more than one skill at a time. Basic exercises provide a foundation, text preparation supports communication, and repertoire offers an opportunity toapply developing skills in a musical context.
Coming to voice study without a prior musical background makes the experience an introduction not only to singing,but also to the language and practices of music education. The presence of musically inclined family members providesa personal connection to music, while formal study offers a new framework for understanding and developing thatinterest.
There is still more to learn. Future practice and instruction can build on the material covered so far, with earlierrecordings remaining available for comparison and review.
This blog post was generated to provide an organized reference point for the student's learning journey in Elementary Voice at Santa Monica College.
As the course continues, the post and its linked videos can serve as a record of the concepts introduced, the work completed, and the continuing development of vocal and musical skills.
Video index: 1. Vocal Technique & Artistry · 2. Italian Text Recitation · 3. Dramatic Recitation · 4. Beginner VoiceClass · 5. Inside the Classroom · 6. One-Octave Major Scale · 7. Caro mio ben With Teacher Feedback · 8. Caro mioben Practice Performance