IntroductionThe master class remains a profoundly used but rarely researched topic in performing arts education, and no formal curriculum exists for this kind of educational experience. 1 When colleges and universities ask professional artists to offer a master class, the range of educational objectives and instructional formats are overwhelmingly wide. Universities throughout the world routinely offer master class experiences to performing arts students (Nordlinger 2001). Nevertheless, these events remain largely unanalyzed. In order to fill this gap in educational literature, I devised this study to explore a fuller range of instructional possibilities. With master class curriculums reaching across the entire performing arts spectrum, a theater-oriented voice curriculum required specific consideration. As a theater artist and educator, I saw this need as especially important since master classes originate from the music education tradition and not within the theater field (Nordlinger).The article that follows has two distinct components. (a) I describe the process of how I collected data about master classes. Using formal educational research strategies, I explain the background of this study, the method of how I investigated the topic, and the results of my study. (b) The second part of this article is a large Addendum, which is the voice master class curriculum I developed as a part of this study. My hope is that educational institutions and teaching artists can use my findings in this study and the curriculum I developed.
Background of the studyThe concept of a master class came out of music education. Nordlinger (2001) defines a music master class as an occasion when a professional artist leads an instructional event for only one session and usually for only one time. However, the structure, goals, and scope of master classes fluctuate considerably from discipline to discipline; they also significantly vary within music education (Hanlon 2006;Lalli 2004).Artists have offered and are offering master classes at all levels of instruction from secondary schools to small community colleges to the most elite conservatories (Rosenblum 1985). Nevertheless, outside academia, the current vernacular usage of the term master class carries a vague connotation that refers to any lesson or kind of instruction (although, usually an artistic one), which is brief and intense. Even within educational settings, the term is somewhat hazy. While the scope of a master class was *of primary concern to this study, Rosenblum's journalistic account of a master class in music education offers an introductory overview of the topic: Imagine a crowded concert hall. On the stage are a teacher and a musician who-having just performed-anxiously awaits a critique. The teacher takes a moment to collect his thoughts, [and] then offers a few suggestions-perhaps a word about the tempo or the dynamics, maybe an observation that the mood needs rethinking. The student listens intently and begins his performance anew, this time with a fresh qualit...
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