For those accepted to undergraduate vocal performance programs, did you find that success in competitions did/didn’t correlate with how many programs you got into? Is there a difference in what they’re looking for? Thanks!
This is actually a pretty tough question. My answer is only opinion as my D has never focused a lot on competitions. Someone with more experience may have a better answer.
In a general sense, YES they are looking for the same “technical” things. Tone, musicality etc. And yes, if you are winning a lot of competitions (and doing other work), you could probably feel pretty confident that you are on the right track.
BUT if you are not “winning” and doing OK in competitions, or you haven’t focused on competitions, that doesn’t mean you won’t get accepted.
High school competitions can be strange. As a Freshman, my D won a competition done at high school - I can’t remember the name. But then I found out that you “win” your group and there were no really good singers in her group. The next year she was in a very strong group and got maybe an honorable mention…I can’t remember…but the only year she won was Freshman (BEFORE she had started classical voice lessons lol). Senior year she placed behind a girl who got accepted at no music schools and my D got accepted at all. Hmmmm. Her friend sang a very technical song in a sweet soprano voice and really worked it. My D also sang a technical song in her low mezzo with a lot of ease. They liked “her work” according to the teacher who was in the room. My D did hers effortlessly…and it didn’t impress (her teacher basically said the judges were “dumb” - that was his word). You are not suppose to look like you are “working”. But my D usually got some sort of basic recognition…but the results were all over the place…and I think the judges can be questionable.
My D did a few other competitions…she did one yearly through her music school which was good prep and with kids interested in music. After graduation, the school asked my D to help judge that particular group. She was surprised that the other judges (older) were not classical vocalists (but MT) She had very different opinions from them. They again seemed very attracted to “the show” aspect of it. Who was “giving it their all” and not concerned that maybe that person was completely out of breath. For a VP audition, that would not be good. You should be in control of your voice.
She did a few others with varying results…but in general got some nice comments.
So the best I can say is: sometimes it’s correlates and sometimes it doesn’t. I think a private voice teacher’s opinion is a much better indicator of your potential success (particularly if that teacher has sent kids off to music programs).
Yes. And… No. @bridgenail is right above. High School Competitions CAN be strange; who is putting on the Competition, what are they looking for, etc.? Oftentimes, a more local competition can have adjudicators who are used to hearing certain kinds of voices, may be partial to more youthful voice types, etc (especially in parts of the country where there aren’t big college programs for Opera). College audition panels are looking for something else; they look for potential, and abilities to fill roles, personality, etc… Colleges want to produce alumni who have careers in Singing and represent their teachers and program well. To put this in perspective, my D entered several competitions; she had a big local first place win, a second place win, was a finalist and everything else was a dud; so, she placed maybe half the time (which is actually really pretty good odds for a Soprano), as she didn’t do a lot of competitions. She always got good feedback and scores, for the most part. She chose her Undergraduate programs carefully and auditioned at 7 programs; she failed to pass the prescreen at one and was accepted by the other 6. My D has a “mature” voice type, and a pretty big voice, which we know means it may take longer to solidify technique and come into her own. In other words, I think she has lots of potential and perhaps an unusual voice; while college programs see that and are excited, at Competitions she is at something of a disadvantage against girls with more put together voices. A trusted teacher with a lot of experience will have a good idea of where a student will fall in terms of college auditions.
My daughters experience for undergrad was that yes-she won a lot of competitions, never walked away with less than second place in local, state and national competitions in high school and was accepted to every college and conservatory she applied to including CIM, CCM, Lawrence, DePaul, Indiana with full or substantial scholarship offers. . As an undergrad she has entered many state, local, regional, national and international competitions and has been awarded first of second place. She does the competitions for the feedback from the adjudicators because although everyone is looking for something “different” there is often a thread of commonality running through all the comments whether it is that she is doing “X” well, (yea!!) or they would like her to do “Y” differently (yea! because no one realized that there was a different, better way to do it, or that she was pronouncing something not accurately), for the experience of working under pressure, and also to get herself out there in front of other voice professors, teachers and coaches. She is applying to grad schoola now and thus far she has passed 3 prescreens that had Dec. 1 deadlines-with 5 yet to hear back from. That said-don’t get hung up on competitions. There are sometimes politics that are out of your control involved, and voices, performance style, confidence develop at different rates in different singers, and because you don’t “win” this year doesn’t mean you are not on the right track.
Wow @vivasolar ! Congratulations to your D on what I must say is an incredible record of showings in competitions. To @skpenny , so you do not get discouraged, I will share that I know working singers in their 20s with excellent YAP contracts and management who had nowhere near that kind of competition record in HS or Undergrad! At a wonderful (National) competition my D attended in HS, the main adjudicator (Also a highly regarded University voice teacher) said that “if SOMETHING happens one out of every six times you audition or sing for someone-be it a competition or for entrance to a program-you have been successful.” I think these one in six odds are much more realistic for even excellent singers.
Totally agree with you @dramasopranomom . I think we must have been at the same competition listening to the same adjudicator. The most valuable take away for DD has been learning to work under pressure-whether external or self-imposed, and basic communication, manners and graciousness. As she has gotten a bit older, and the “gap” between she and other singers has narrowed or outright disappeared her experience is much more of adjudicator preferences in terms of voice, rep, presentation… I still cringe though when I see beautiful, talented, hard working young women (usually high school level) dressed like hookers at competitions. I get the whole free the knee thing, but not free the upper thigh. WHERE ARE THIER TEACHERS?