EA225-5-FY-LO:
Music and Singing II
2024/25
East 15 Acting School
East15 (Loughton) Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 5
Current
Thursday 03 October 2024
Friday 27 June 2025
15
09 March 2023
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)
BA W441 Acting and Contemporary Theatre
Students will expand their ability to interact musically and dramatically in small ensemble pieces, usually sourced from musicals and popular styles. You will progress to the interpretation of more varied, complex and demanding material and performance situations, and you will work on expanding your singing range and vocal agility.
By the end of the module you will have a substantial knowledge of vocal technique which you can apply to support the singing and safeguarding of the voice. You will have at your disposal a varied repertoire of songs of different tempi and styles that fall within your acting and singing range in preparation for your work in final year. Students are encouraged to continue to develop personal warm-up exercise routines.
The aims of this module are to encourage students to:
- Develop responsibility for independent singing practice
- Accumulate a more varied, complex and demanding repertoire
- Develop greater understanding of relevant musical styles
- Develop the ability to interpret and communicate musical material to an audience
By the end of this module you will be able to demonstrate advanced ability in the following music/singing techniques and performance materials:
Technical
- Breathing (correct use of techniques)
- Rhythm (feeling the pulse of the music)
- Resonance and placement (intonation, free and unrestricted tone)
- Physicality (posture, alignment, release)
- Articulation (energized text, use of vowels and consonants)
Sung Material
- Small group arrangements
- Duet singing
- Solo singing (demonstration of journey through song/connection)
- Application of technical skills to support character through song
- Development (ownership of voice, working through inhibition)
No additional information available.
- Students work with music and singing tutors in group practical classes
- Normally 4 hours of music/singing classes per week except during acting priority weeks
- Learning also takes place in one-to-one tutorials.
- Students will be expected to practice music and singing in independent study
- Verbal and written formative assessment and feedback
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Bettelheim, B. (1991) The uses of enchantment: the meaning and importance of fairy tales. Harmondsworth: Penguin.
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Lecoq, J.
et al. (2002)
The moving body: teaching creative theatre. London: Methuen. Available at:
http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781474244800?locatt=label:secondary_bloomsburyCollections.
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Mamet, D. (1998) True and false: heresy and common sense for the actor. London: Faber & Faber.
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McKee, R. (1997) Story: substance, structure, style and the principles of screenwriting. New York: ReganBooks.
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MacDonald, I. (2008)
Revolution in the head: the Beatles’ records and the sixties. 2nd rev. ed. London: Vintage. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=683850.
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Pinker, S. (1995) The language instinct: the new science of language and mind. London: Penguin.
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Fromm, E. (1951) The forgotten language: an introduction to the understanding of dreams, fairy tales, and myths. New York: Grove Press.
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Harari, Y.N., Purcell, J. and Watzman, H. (2015) Sapiens: a brief history of mankind. London: Vintage Books.
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Pullman, P. (2017)
Dæmon voices: essays on storytelling. Edited by S. Mason. Oxford, UK: David Fickling Books. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5116586.
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Furse, A. (2024) Performance Making. London: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
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Wright, J. (2006) Why is that so funny?: a practical exploration of physical comedy. London: Nick Hern Books.
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Chekhov, M. and Gordon, M. (1991) On the technique of acting. New York, NY: Harper Perennial.
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Goleman, D. (1996)
Emotional intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ. London: Bloomsbury. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=5291911.
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Cohen, B.B., Nelson, L. and Smith, N.S. (1993) Sensing, feeling, and action: the experiential anatomy of body-mind centering. Northampton, Ma: Contact Editions.
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Calais-Germain, B. (1993) Anatomy of movement. Seattle: Eastland Press.
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Hackney, P. (1999)
Making connections: total body integration through Bartenieff fundamentals. New York: Routledge. Available at:
https://www-taylorfrancis-com.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/books/9780203214299.
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Newlove, J. (1993) Laban for actors and dancers: putting Laban’s movement theory into practice?: a step-by-step guide. New York: Routledge.
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Newlove, J. and Dalby, J. (2004) Laban for all. London: Nick Hern.
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Olsen, A. and McHose, C. (2004)
Bodystories: a guide to experiential anatomy. Hanover, NH: University Press of New England. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?pq-origsite=primo&docID=6359575.
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Clayman, C.B. (1995) The human body: an illustrated guide to its structure, function, and disorders. London: Dorling Kindersley Pub.
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Richards, T. (1995)
At work with Grotowski on physical actions. London: Routledge. Available at:
http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780203360231.
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Wolford, L. and Schechner, R. (2001)
The Grotowski sourcebook. London: Routledge. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1539237.
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Grotowski, J. and Barba, E. (1991)
Towards a poor theatre. London: Methuen Drama. Available at:
http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9780203819814.
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Gutekunst, C. and Gillet, J. (2014) Voice into acting: integrating voice and the Stanislavski approach. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama.
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Crystal, D. (2004) The stories of English. London: Allen Lane.
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Crystal, D. (2019)
Pronouncing Shakespeare: the Globe experiment. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Available at:
https://doi-org.uniessexlib.idm.oclc.org/10.1017/9781108566759.
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Dimon, T. (2018)
Anatomy Of The Voice: An Illustrated Guide for Singers, Vocal Coaches, and Speech Therapists. North Atlantic Books, U.S. Available at:
https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1571344.
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Sharpe, E. and Haydn Rowles, J. (2011) How to do standard English accents. London: Oberon.
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Rodenburg, P. (2005) Speaking Shakespeare. London: Methuen.
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Carey, D., Carey, R.C., and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (Great Britain) (2022)
The vocal arts workbook: a practical course for developing the expressive actor’s voice. 2nd edition. London: Methuen Drama. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/1072581.
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Linklater, K. (1976) Freeing the natural voice. New York: Drama Publishers.
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Linklater, K. (2009)
Freeing Shakespeare’s voice: the actor’s guide to talking the text. London: Nick Hern Books. Available at:
https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/universityofessex-ebooks/detail.action?docID=896778.
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Carey, D. and Carey, R.C. (2015)
The Shakespeare workbook and video: a practical course for actors. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama. Available at:
https://app.kortext.com/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https://idp0.essex.ac.uk/shibboleth&target=https://app.kortext.com/borrow/580357.
The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course.
The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students.
Further reading can be obtained from this module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Practical |
Continuous Assessment |
|
30% |
| Practical |
Group Arrangement |
|
20% |
| Practical |
Duet |
|
20% |
| Practical |
Solo Song |
|
30% |
Additional coursework information
Continuous assessment through observation of contribution to class work. (30%)
Performance of a group arrangement (20%)
Performance of a duet (20%)
Performance of solo song (30%)
Class work is assessed on commitment and personal development.
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Mr Neil Somerville, email: nasome@essex.ac.uk.
East 15 Teaching Staff
No
No
No
Ms Isobel Beatrice Pemberton
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
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