Opininons on the inclusion of vocology lesson in voice education in conservatories

In this study, which aims to reveal the necessity of giving the vocology lesson to the students who receive vocal education in conservatories by taking the opinions of the lecturers, descriptive survey model was used as the research model, and the study group of the research consists of the lecturers of the State Conservatory Performing Arts Opera Department in Turkey, selected by the convenient/purposive sampling method. In the research, a questionnaire consisting of 11 questions was used as a data collection tool, and the data were analyzed by descriptive analysis technique. Accordingly, it was presented as 2 main themes and sub-themes under each theme. In the sub-theme related to the first theme, in which the opinions of the instructors about the teaching of vocology as a lesson were evaluated, it was revealed that the vocology lesson should be given by the field expert, and at the same time, this lesson could be given in the presence of a voice instructor or the information given should be supported by the voice instructor. In the second sub-theme, while most of the lecturers expressed their opinions about giving the vocology lesson to all students, the majority of the participants also gave a positive response to the students who have voice problems. Therefore, it has been concluded that whether a student has a voice problem or not is not a determining factor in giving the vocology lesson, but it should be given to all students. In the third sub-theme, the instructors stated that the vocology lesson should be given in the preparatory class of the undergraduate program or at the undergraduate 1 level, that is, as soon as possible, and that it should be given 1 or 2 hours a week mostly. In another sub-theme, the lecturers made mostly positive statements about the courses related to the physiology, anatomy, vocal diseases and prevention methods of the voice in conservatories, which are basically the same but with different names and contents, being given under the name of "Vocology Lesson". In the second theme, the contributions of the inclusion of vocology to the curriculum within the scope of a course are respectively given to the instructors and students; students have knowledge about vocal health and protection, increase efficiency in the education process, students have knowledge about the anatomy and physiology of the voice, students recognize the instrument they use, embody abstract facts, students use their voices consciously, students gain scientific knowledge, lighten the burden of the instructor thanks to scientific awareness were expressed with sub-themes such as raising awareness about breathing and posture in students, and important opinions were put forward. In the research, it was emphasized that every student receiving singing education should have sufficient scientific knowledge about how the vocal mechanism works, and if a multidisciplinary approach is followed by combining the disciplines of ethics and psychology, acoustics, anatomy and physiology, this will have a positive impact on singing education, these several disciplines should take part in the educational process. It is thought that it is/will be of great importance for students to learn the anatomy and physiology of the vocal mechanism through vocology education, and to carry this awareness to their performances as a result of their understanding of the working principle of this mechanism, as it will have positive effects on their vocal performances. In the future, it is recommended to develop tools to measure the level of knowledge of vocal education students about disciplines including pedagogical vocology. Keywords: Voice training, Vocology, Vocology lesson, Pedagogical vocology