I’ve never had a private voice teacher (or voice lessons) as I stated in my first post. If I did, I’d be primarily asking them. I will talk with my choir director on Tuesday. If I decide to go for an auditioned degree program, I’ll take around 8 lessons with her, for preparation. Otherwise, I will take lessons with her on the side (and forego the music degree). The total amount I have saved for lessons so far is $240 and she does give lessons.
I know it’s worth it, but for the next 2 months I have neither the time nor the additional funds for lessons or practice - I’m taking 15 credit hours, 12 of which are challenging, and other ECs require my time.
So I talked briefly with my director, who doesn’t necessarily think it’s a good idea for me to add a major in music but does think I could make it into the BM program. I’ll talk with her more about why tomorrow (she did bring up some good points and was rather surprised as I’ve always come off as very STEM-focused to her).
Thanks for the update.
She may have been surprised because she may not know the extent to which your math/stats major is complete (I guess you can take all the Master’s level classes still available to you.)
You could try to add a CS minor to your French minor and still have space for serious music classes.
Can you finish your bachelor’s in math and statistics and then try to get into a master’s program for voice? If you did lessons in the interim perhaps that path might work.
@CharlotteLetter , I agree that your Director may have been surprised, and she may not understand your credit situation, or it may take her a little while to get her mind around the idea. I’m glad you’ll be meeting again. Also, I’d still like to encourage you to consider that trial lesson/ meeting with the top vocal faculty at UNM. As in most things, it is a good idea to get a second opinion! And the vocal faculty will be used to listening for potential in a relatively untrained voice! Don’t give up!
Just had lunch with VP professional who said go out there and sing and don’t worry about a degree in VP. She insisted that lessons and performances will advance you more than a degree. My response, however, was that school provides opportunities for both and also, at the grad level, provides some funding. So I do wonder about the grad school idea once your BS is done.
Just an update: I met with the CFA Music Advisor. I will probably be most comfortable with a minor (which would be 5-6 semesters total due to various university requirements) or a BA (6-8 semesters). However, I’d like to keep my options open, so I hope to spend my first year as a performance major, and then switch to a BA if desired (or if necessary due to being denied sophomore approval to concentrate or to perform junior/senior recitals).
I’m meeting with the Director of Vocal Studies in about two weeks for a sample lesson; he will also let me know where I stand regarding voice lesson vs group voice placement. To complete a BM in 4 years, I naturally need to place into lessons my first semester, whereas for a BA I only need to do so in my third.
Auditions for lesson (and ensemble) placement are legitimately the first week of classes, but after meeting the director of vocal studies, I’ll have a better idea of where I stand.
So the fall schedule of classes is out, and I’m admittedly a bit surprised at the sheer amount of course time required for freshman performance majors. This is my likely schedule if I follow a performance plan (and include my needed courses):
MW schedule:
8-8:50 Aural Skills
9-9:50 Special statistics course that is offered infrequently, so I won’t give up taking it
12-12:50 Group Piano
1-1:50 Diction for Singers
3-4:50 Choir
T schedule:
7-7:50 PE (either weights or swimming - I don’t have to take PE and don’t need the units, though)
8-9:15 Music Theory
9:30-10:45 Required freshman honors course
2-2:50 Concert Music
R schedule:
7-7:50 PE (either weights or swimming - I don’t have to take PE and don’t need the units, though)
8-9:15 Music Theory
9:30-10:45 Required freshman honors course
F schedule:
8-8:50 Aural Skills
9-9:50 the stats course
Of course, the applied music (voice lessons) are not on this schedule. My parents expect me to come home on weekends, so I probably will do so often - Sunday through Thursday nights I will probably be on campus. I also hope to work (2-10 hrs per week)… and I also need time to practice, focus on the cool statistics course, and do other things. I hoped to stay in the choir I’m currently in (obviously not credited) which is Tuesdays 4-5:30 & Thursdays 5-6:15, as well as Civil Air Patrol which is Thursdays 6:30-9:30pm. I need to maintain a 3.3 GPA and have no idea how hard music “courses” are.
On the other hand - that schedule has me REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY excited. It looks fun and I want to really focus on music.
I’m meeting with the director of vocal studies this week to discuss specifically voice-related placement, goals, etc.
Thoughts?
If the schedule makes you really excited, I would stick with it! Hope your meeting with the vocal studies director goes well!
That IS an exciting schedule, @CharlotteLetter !! So very pleased for you! If the extracurricular Choir and perhaps Civil Air Patrol (and the part time work) are something you can drop at any time (if need be), then I think you could experiment with “doing it all”! Perhaps you can just check in with yourself (and maybe your advisor or private teacher) every week or so to be sure it’s not all too much throughout the first few terms? If you discuss at the outset the possibility of dropping a thing or two if it becomes necessary, then it may be easier for you to actually do if the time comes. Congratulations!
It’s a heavy schedule, but it looks well-balanced between the special stats class, the freshman honors seminar, and the different music (theory and performance) classes. Well done!
How many credits is that? Would you be able to drop one of the music classes if need be?
It’s 18 credits with PE, 16 without. (Voice lessons are 2 credits.) I most likely will not take PE because I’m not crazy about having only 10 minutes in between PE and Theory - instead I’ll just use the campus gym, which is pretty cool and maybe buy a $50/yr pass which gets me into a variety of group fitness in the campus gym. I’m currently taking 15 credit hours and still practicing voice and piano thought… and commuting… so hopefully 16 credits isn’t too much.
I need 15 credits to maintain my scholarship (and only 1 credit per semester of PE counts) and with how the credits work out (Diction, Music Theory, and Aural skills are each 2 credits, while the honors seminar and stats class are each 3, Concert Music is required but 0 credits) and courses that must be taken together (Music Theory and Aural Skills must be taken together, while choir and Concert Music are required if I’m enrolled in any group instruction or applied lessons) the only class I’d be able to drop would be Group Piano. Since I’m going to start out in Group Piano 1 and I already know some piano, the first semester should be pretty easy (after I complete the semester 1 material, I’ll continue on semester 2 material during fall, but I don’t think I will struggle/have to expend too much effort until I reach semester 3 material) - so dropping Group Piano would be kind of pointless.
I am hopefully going to tutor math 5-10 hrs/week - applied yesterday and have already heard back, with an interview on Tuesday. The manager seems impressed and optimistic (we talked informally today because the tutoring center is in the library where I study on Wednesdays).
Also, I took a housing tour today - there are private rooms in the dorms that I could use to practice (no pianos, but I shouldn’t need them if I have a pitch pipe).
After looking at how many credits you would be taking with and without PE, I would drop PE if you absolutely do not need those credits because 18 credits is a lot.
If you don’t need to take PE, then don’t. 
16 credits should be absolutely doable.
So, today I met with the coordinator of vocal studies/had a meeting and sample lesson (which was great). I can most likely have studio placement if the number of students accepting music scholarships is the similar as in previous years. If many more accept scholarships, I will need to be a bit better, though, and he will recommend some voice teachers and grad students for me to look into working with over summer (in addition to my choir director).
Just an update & questions… I’m taking lessons - my teacher says I’m improving but I can’t really tell - and trying to fit in time to study theory/aural skills (working full time until a week before school starts). During the first week of classes, I’ll audition for choir & voice placement, and be placed into the appropriate theory track (either freshman theory/aural skills or music fundamentals).
My schedule is:
2: Diction I
4: Music Theory + Aural Skills (or Music Fundamentals + “lab” depending on placement)
1: Group Piano I
1: Choir
2: Voice lessons or group voice (probably the former)
3: Freshman honors seminar
3: Graduate stats programming class
- theory/aural skills (or music fundamentals) are 8am every day, with the stats course following at 9am 3x/week and the seminar at 9:30am 2x/week, but that won't be much of an issue since I'm now used to waking up at 5:30am for summer swim team.
I do need to keep a 3.3 GPA - is this manageable for the non-talented-but-super-hard-workers like me in music? Freshman seminar should be straightforward, and the professor for the stats course is great - plus I will work hard, and group piano 1 will be mostly review, but for the other 9 credits of foreign classes - how would you suggest managing? I have no idea how grades really work in music.
You should be able to handle it. It’ll be a lot of work but your biggest challenge is likely to be Music Theory. Stats and seminar will be what you’re used to and have shown you can handle, and the rest will be “work to do” but not “hard” as long as you stay on top of things.
I’m not sure how the grading goes though, it seems pretty unique to each class/professor.
I loved this semester! I made great friends (and an amazing boyfriend) and WOW, music professors are enthusiastic! Everyone is willing to help us improve if we try (even if we’re super not talented), and I’ve definitely improved as a singer despite being constantly sick (re: laryngitis thread http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/2103300-laryngitis-and-juries-freaking-out.html)
I was failing music theory/aural skills at the beginning of the semester, but the tutors and professors were really helpful… theory is great fun! Diction is also really fun (like now I understand why my choir director always told us it’s “a le lu yah” not “al le lu yuh”)… anyway here are my final grades:
Diction, Music Theory 1, Aural Skills 1, and Group Piano 1: A+
Women’s Choir, Stats programming, and honors seminar: A
Voice lesson: A-
Semester GPA: 4.1
Killin’ it @CharlotteLetter ! Go go go!
Great job, @CharlotteLetter !!! Look at you negotiating Freshman difficulties and illness, etc., AND killing the grades!!! Enjoy your holiday.