International Best Practice in the Teaching of Lyric Diction to Conservatorium-Level Singers

Abstract

This doctoral thesis examines international best practice in the teaching of lyric diction to conservatorium-level singers. It provides a unique perspective on lyric diction teaching in that it focuses on pedagogical process and includes the perspectives of multiple experts across a variety of languages and working in different countries. Most of the literature regarding lyric diction at the conservatorium level focuses on pronunciation rules and descriptions of relevant articulations. As such, it can be seen to focus predominantly on the ‘what’ of lyric diction teaching, and significantly less on the ‘how’. It rarely explores the role of the lyric diction coach/teacher and his/her pedagogical approach in successful lyric diction learning. This thesis addresses the ‘how’ of lyric diction teaching by focussing on the pedagogical approaches and priorities of selected expert lyric diction coaches whose work with conservatorium level students is informed by their understanding of lyric diction at the professional level. Chapters 1 and 2 of the thesis introduce lyric diction in an historical and socio-cultural context and provide explanations of vocal acoustics, singing technique, phonology, articulatory phonetics, and foreign language phonology acquisition as they pertain to lyric diction. Chapter 3 addresses the backgrounds and experience of expert lyric diction teachers and coaches, highlighting the skills and qualities they perceive as integral to the effectiveness of their pedagogy. It also provides an insight into lyric diction coaching for professional singers. Chapter 4 presents analysis and discussion of the key themes that emerged from the primary source materials collected for this study. This encompasses broad-ranging facets of lyric diction pedagogy fundamental to the subject as a whole and applicable to all languages. The key themes emerging from the research indicate pedagogical priorities that diverge significantly from those indicated by much of the lyric diction literature. The analysis is synthesized in Chapter 5, revealing the overall picture of best practice in conservatorium-level lyric diction teaching derived from this research.