I am a prospective Musical Theatre student. I was rejected from FSU’s Musical Theatre program, however, I am still interested in their programs and their school, mostly because I am a practicing circus artist and they have one of the few circus programs in the country. I am also considering BA programs in my search, with double majoring or minoring in music (theory/composition) or dance, which the BA program would give me the flexibility to do.
However, what I really want in college is TRAINING, and how much musical training can I get if I am a BA student as opposed to a BFA or BM student? Can I still take dance classes and vocal lessons? Dance is very important to me, as it is probably what I am strongest at in the MT world, and so are voice lessons, as I am not as strong a singer as many others and would like to continue training.
Is it possible to still get intense musical theatre training with FSU’s BA in theatre?
@kaxamdays
You have asked a complicated question- yes BA Theatre students can certainly take dance classes and private voice lessons. Yes, there are BA students who are incredibly talented and will undoubtably go on to have successful professional careers in performance.
The difference in the programs lies in the intended outcome: The BFA is designed to produce students who can compete professionally upon graduation as performers. The BA program is designed to allow students the opportunity to explore theatre and encourages them to participate in multiple aspects of the art form. The BFA has very little flexibility (for instance, they can’t participate in the circus due to time conflicts) while the BA has a great deal.
So, if you are asking if a BA student can create an “almost BFA” for themselves, I would say probably not- but if you are asking whether a BA student can create an educational experience that is rigorous and challenging and will help them grow: absolutely yes. The key is knowing what you want and being proactive about finding the resources.
If you’re not ultimately accepted for the MT BFA and are already academically accepted can you or will you be put into the Theatre BA or are you rejected from both options?
@frisbee3 A student who is academically accepted to FSU, but doesn’t successfully audition for MT will not automatically be put into the BA Theatre major, although they are welcome to apply to that program. We encourage students in that situation to look at the BA program and determine whether they think it would be a good fit. I am happy to talk with them about the program and the BA Theatre experience if it will help with decision-making.
@All4FSU - For FSU MT auditions it doesn’t specify a required length of song from what I can see. Do you want the student to sing full songs or start with cuts of songs and be prepared to sing full piece if requested? Also do both selections need to be MT or can one be pop/rock? Thank you
@frisbee3 We don’t ask for a specific length; we want students to sing what they have prepared and are comfortable with. If a student has prepared and rehearsed a 32 bar cut…great; if a student has rehearsed and prepared a full song…also great…within reason. (If the song is really long, we won’t hear the whole song but we will make sure we hear what we need to hear.)
The material is the student’s choice, but we prefer MT songs (many of which have a pop/rock sound) because we are looking at the actor’s connection to the piece and MT songs have more of an acting arc.
@All4FSU - Are you able you minor in dance with a BA in Theatre? If not, can you level into dance classes and how many can you take a semester? Voice lessons- are their voice classes you can take as a BA? Can you take private voice lessons and are they out of pocket costs or part of the BA theatre curriculum options? Thank you for any information on these questions
@frisbee3
We don’t have a dance minor (Dance is a BFA only) but Dance offers a large number of leveled classes that are open to our students, and many of them take dance every semester. Private weekly voice lessons are elective and offered as a two credit hour class through the College of Music. Like dance classes, we have a substantial number of students who take private voice. If the students take either as a class, it is billed as part of their tuition and the credits count towards graduation. We also have students who choose to do them on the side and pay out of pocket.
I hope this helps!
Michele