<p>Does anyone know about the Harvard College, Music Concentration, 5 year Performance program. Specifically for Vocal Performance. Note: This is an undergrad degree, and not the Harvard/NEC program.</p>
<p>Son applied for the Harvard/NEC program, and is waitlisted at Harvard. Probably means he can't do the Harvard/NEC program since they only take 5 kids, and probably have already made their decision on the 5 (typically 10-20 kids are accepted to both programs each year).</p>
<p>So, I'm wondering if Son is accepted to Harvard, can he get good voice training. It is hard to pass up an opportunity to study at Harvard.</p>
<p>I assume he has to take private lessons elsewhere, but is the Harvard academics good enough for grad school in performance? Academics - music theory/sight singing/languages/diction/etc. Does Harvard's academic program (PhD in Music) translate well for someone more interested in performance?</p>
<p>My son is interested in vocal performance (opera) and a freshman at Harvard. As a member of one of the university (Holden) choirs, he receives voice lesons from a professor at either BU or NEC, not sure which. Harvard pays a portion of the cost - about one-half. I don’t believe that Harvard pays any of the costs for voice lessons for members of the a cappella groups or the Memorial Church University Choir. He had to research the choice of instructor himself and is very pleased with his selection.</p>
<p>He is also in the Memorial Church University Choir and Glee Club Lite and gets as much singing as he can fit in each day. He is looking at a dual concentration or major/minor with Music and has really enjoyed his music classes thus far. BTW, he also applied to the Harvard/NEC joint program, but was waitlisted at NEC. One of his roommates is in the Harvard/NEC program and it seems to be very intense.</p>
<p>H’s Music theory and composition programs are nationally renowned, but the Performance degree must be new. Stipends for off-campus instruction are available to any student by audition - one doesn’t have to be in one of the choirs. With NEC and Boston Conservatory in town there are a lot of voice instructors teaching in the area; some conduct lessons at Longy School of Music, which is only a block from the Quad at Harvard.</p>
<p>My mistake. I don’t believe that a member of the Holden Choirs (one of the official University choirs) has to separately audition to receive a private stipend for voice lessons. AFAIK my son did not. I believe that the “performance” program will be similar to Princeton’s “certification” in music performance. That is, it will not be a concentration subject, but rather an add-on to the music concentration. It is not in place yet, but is in the planning stages. There was a study done last year (?) at Harvard concerning enhancing all of the arts programs (including additional buildings), but I believe that the performance program was one of the immediate recommendations because it would not require much additional cost for the University. Don’t expect it, in any event, for at least a couple of years.</p>