Vocal Studies | College of Music

All Graduate Voice Performance Majors entering the University of North Texas, College of Music are required to take a Proficiency Exam in Italian, German, and French Lyric Diction. This exam will be administered during Graduate Orientation week, prior to the first semester of study. This exam is the first step in assuring competency in foreign language diction. Competency will ultimately be evaluated at the end of the MM and DMA degrees as a part of the exit examinations for both degrees. If found deficient through the entrance exams, competency can be achieved in one of two ways: personal review and study, or required/recommended coursework, depending upon the degree being sought.

MM Students are required to take graduate level diction, MUAG 5215. They must, however, be competent to study diction at the graduate level. This competency will be determined by the entrance exam.

DMA students will receive recommendations for courses to take in the languages in which they do not demonstrate proficiency.
 

Placement Exam

Part A is a written diagnostic examination over the student’s knowledge of lyric diction rules for each of the languages above and their proficiency with the International Phonetic Alphabet as a tool for phonetic transcription. Students will transcribe a poem in each language into IPA and answer True/False, Multiple Choice and/or Short Answer questions about the language rules and usage. One hour will be allowed for this portion of the exam.

Part B is a spoken diagnostic examination of the student’s knowledge of correct language sounds and prosody in the listed languages. Students will recite phrases at sight in each language. This portion of the exam will be approximately 10 minutes in length.
 

Demonstration of Proficiency

MM students must achieve a minimum score of 70% correct on each part of the exam to demonstrate acceptable proficiency.

DMA students must achieve a minimum score of 80% on each of the exams to demonstrate acceptable doctoral-level proficiency.
 

Re-taking the Examination and Remediation Course

MM students scoring below 70% on any part of the exam will be given a second opportunity to re-take that part of the exam in November. MM students scoring below 70% on their second attempt are required to complete remedial course work with a grade of C or better by enrolling in MUAG 1909 (Italian Lyric Diction), and/or MUAG 1907 (German Lyric Diction), and/or MUAG 1906 (French Lyric Diction). Upon successful completion of all required remedial courses, MM students are deemed eligible to take MUAG 5215 (Advanced Graduate Diction). This course is offered in the fall semester.

DMA students scoring below 70% on any part of the exam will be given a second opportunity to re-take that part of the exam in November. DMA students scoring below 70% on their second attempt will be strongly encouraged to enroll in MUAG 1909 (Italian Lyric Diction), and/or MUAG 1907 (German Lyric Diction), and/or MUAG 1906 (French Lyric Diction).

DMA students scoring between 70-79% on any part of the exam will be given a second opportunity to re-take that part of the exam in November. DMA students scoring between 70-79% on any part of the exam on their second attempt will be strongly encouraged to enroll in MUAG 5215 (Advanced Graduate Diction) as an elective. DMA students who demonstrate satisfactory proficiency may also take MUAG 5215 as an elective.