What you will study
As a major in Vocal Performance at UCM, you’ll focus on developing your technique
and understanding of the voice over all four years of your bachelor’s degree. Our
program, fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM),
uses evidence-based pedagogy to build your knowledge and level of vocal achievement.
The best colleges for vocal performance give you the tools to analyze — and apply
your technique to — a range of vernacular music. You’ll learn correct diction for
multiple languages and practice different genres throughout the undergraduate program.
By the time you graduate with your Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from UCM,
you’ll have an expansive classical repertoire.
Vocal Performance majors at UCM enjoy weekly one-on-one lessons with their applied
voice mentor and participate in small group courses such as:
- Vocal Pedagogy: Learn how the voice works and cement your understanding by teaching applied voice
to others. Feedback from your instructor and peers will strengthen your confidence
and help you identify new areas for growth.
- Opera Theatre: Rehearse and produce full operatic scenes or even full operas under the skilled guidance
of UCM faculty, who perform opera regularly in New York City and around the world..
Excellence in Vocal Performance
- Top 15%: Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for General Music (College Factual, 2022)
- Top 15%: Most Focused Master's Degree Colleges for General Music (College Factual, 2022)
- Top 8%: Most Popular Colleges for General Music (College Factual, 2022)
Unique learning opportunities in vocal performance
The University of Central Missouri fosters welcoming, inclusive student engagement
on par with the nation’s best colleges for vocal performance. At UCM, you’ll have
ample ways to get involved in student life that can both deepen and broaden your experience
of the discipline:
- Student organizations: If your career interests include opening a private studio, join the student chapter
of Music Teachers National Association (MTNA). To explore an interest in leading a
choir, try the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA).
- Extracurricular performances: Gain valuable professional experience by performing opera scenes at the annual opera
practicum, or collaborate with BFA students on a musical theatre production.
- School ensembles: Vocal Performance majors typically join the UCM choir. You can also choose to explore
more commercial music with one of the multiple student-led jazz-rock combos.
- Junior and senior recitals: Demonstrate your growth as an artist with a recital of your repertoire highlights
— a performance and learning accomplishment vital to further work or study in the
field.
What can you do with a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from UCM?
UCM Vocal Performance majors are artists who seek to build a professional performance
career and to acquire the understanding of pedagogy, theory and technique that will
qualify them to instruct others in voice.
UCM’s accredited Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance will prepare you for advanced
programs and to compete for professional performance roles. Whether you want to be
a featured soloist with an opera company or to run your own private voice studio,
the University of Central Missouri will help you launch your dream career.
UCM Vocal Performance majors have historically enjoyed a 100% first-destination success
rate after graduation from our program.
Learn about vocal performance jobs
Typically, a major in Vocal Performance leads to graduate study in vocal performance,
though some students choose to enter the professional world before earning a secondary
degree. Use our interactive tool below to see current trends and predictions for the
field of vocal performance.
Financial assistance options for your Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance
The University of Central Missouri has been committed to affordable, accessible education
since our founding in 1871. A Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from UCM will
prepare you for a vibrant career in the arts — without the price tag of some of the
other best colleges for vocal performance in the region.
UCM assists 94% of undergraduate students with grants, awards, loans, scholarships
and more. A financial aid advisor will work with you to determine how to finance your college education.
As a major in Vocal Performance at UCM, you may also be eligible for dedicated funds
such as:
- Concert Choir Service Award
- Conan and Patricia Castle Vocal Music Scholarship
- Dr. Ralph Hart Scholarship
- Dr. Jon Ferguson Music Scholarship
Learn more about program-specific scholarships for Vocal Performance majors by using
the UCM Scholarship Finder.
Meet Charlsee S.
BM Vocal Performance ’22
“As a Vocal Performance major, I have experienced such incredible versatility and
diversity among the Music Department here at UCM. There really is something for everyone,
and the community is great. Our department welcomes you with open arms!”
Meet Dr. Stella Dayrit Roden
Professor, Music, Voice and Vocal Pedagogy
Dr. Roden is a highly regarded performer with degrees from the University of Connecticut,
James Madison University and New England Conservatory. The opportunity to be mentored
by an artist of Dr. Roden’s caliber is one of the reasons UCM is among the best colleges
for vocal performance in the state.
Hear Dr. Roden Perform at UCM
Meet Dr. Kristee Haney
Associate professor, Voice and Musical Theatre
Vocal Performance majors work closely with widely known professional artists such
as Dr. Haney, a mezzo-soprano with an expansive operatic repertoire and robust concert
and crossover career. Dr. Haney has performed across the country and overseas with
companies such as the Metropolitan and New York City Operas.
Meet Dr. Jacob Sentgeorge
Professor, Voice
Dr. Sentgeorge, an internationally active tenor, also composes for voice and electronics.
He holds a Doctor of Music in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy, has taught Applied Voice,
Diction and Vocal Literature and has directed opera workshops and musical theatre
productions. Studying with Dr. Sentgeorge will ground your classical voice education
in a wider context of musical vernaculars.
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