<p>My D will be applying to a number of vocal performance programs this year. She is also hoping to get a simultaneous degree in a non-music subject and we have learned at lot about her options in that regard. She is, however, also going to apply to some very selective colleges and universities that do not offer a vocal performance major-- then she will decide what to do when she sees where she gets accepted. My question is: How possible or impossible is it to get in to good graduate degrees programs in vocal performance with an undergraduate degree in general music (i.e. a BA in music)? I have read (and heard) from a number of sources that for voice, since voices mature later, it is not as necessary to have an undergrad degree in performance as it is in other instruments. Ok.... but is it realistic to think you could pursue a graduate degree in vocal performance if you do not have an undergraduate degree in vocal performance?</p>
<p>Do you mean a BA in music performance or something like musicology? Either way, as long as your D is still taking voice lessons and can perform well in an audition she can go on to grad school in performance. We know of two successful grad students who studied string instruments in undergrad and went on to VP in grad school. However, both students did struggle a bit with technique and so they both took a year off before applying (but this is common with plenty of students who do their undergrad in voice as well)</p>
<p>JUST an addendum to my post above. Both of the singers I mentioned took private weekly voice lessons the entire four years as undergrads.</p>
<p>Thank you, that is helpful. She would definitely take voice lessons all through undergrad and participate in performance groups. Most of the colleges where she could get a BA in general music do not offer a BMus of any sort-- though some offer a concentration in performance. So the BA would be in general music. That said, there is often a choice of taking some more performance related electives, AND she would take Italian, German, and French language classes.</p>
<p>You don’t even have to have a BA in music to go to a good grad school in vocal performance. PM ABlestMom whose daughter did a completely different undergrad degree and is now entering Rice for her graduate degree in VP. Voices take time to develop and if you have good private instruction and do performances you can still get there.</p>
<p>Another thing to remember is that she will have to take whatever Music Theory and Music History classes that would be required in grad school that she did not have as an undergraduate.</p>