Choosing and Assessing Vocal Repertoire: A Comparative Study of Grading Rubrics to Determine Difficulty

An issue that voice teachers face, particularly in the early stages of their career or when encountering a unique compositional style, is determining the difficulty level of a song. Various voice pedagogues have developed grading rubrics to guide teachers in making informed repertoire decisions. Two small comparative studies of six grading rubrics were conducted in order to understand how songs are currently evaluated, what criteria are used, what the challenges are for assessing difficulty, and to determine whether or not there should be a standardized grading rubric. The utility of tailoring a rubric to a specific composer or genre is also considered.