I have just reached the end of my junior year, and I have decided that musical theatre is the thing that will make me most happy in my future. At this point, I think I’m gonna go for it. I’ve drafted up a solid list of schools and have looked into Unifieds. I’ve begun finding appropriate songs I could sing and am researching monologues that will be a good fit for me and at an appropriate age.
My main concern with going into college for musical theatre is that I cannot hit those high tenor notes. However, I can confidently say that I am a very good singer. I’m a singer first who also acts and dances. I’ve been in choir my whole life, have participated in my state’s All State Choir for the past four years, have had several large roles in plays and musicals, and also am classically trained. My vocal range is from about an E2-F4.
I feel like I could be very successful in vocal performance, but musical theatre is my passion. I know that there aren’t a lot of lower voice singers in theatrical roles and that it is very limiting. I also know that a full ensemble sound needs a bass voice as well and that it is needed to some degree in a theatrical setting.
I just need to know if it is worth going through the process of auditioning for musical theatre schools with my limited financial situation and go for my dreams or attempt to do something more reasonable with my life. My grades are excellent, 1450 on the new SAT, and top 1% of my class of about 800 students. Any feedback would be appreciated.
Well-trained baritones are always in demand for college MT programs. Being a baritone is not really limiting at all. Yes, many leading male roles are tenor or bari-tenor parts, but there are many roles for baritones (almost all villains/antagonists, for example), and, as you say, they are always needed in the chorus. Plus, your range may expand with more training, age, and experience, and colleges know this. Your vocal range should not be a detriment to pursing a degree in MT in any way, in fact, being a baritone is probably more of a help than a hindrance for college auditions. In the end, it will come down to what you bring to the audition room, not your voice part.
Good grades and test scores will bring great merit aid at many MT programs. Just google “Merit Aid XYZ College” to see what each school that you are interested in offers, and contact their financial aid office if you want more information. There are also threads on merit aid in this forum such as this one:
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1745140-which-schools-give-the-best-merit-aid-another-freakonomics-post-p1.html
Here are some of the great roles out there for Baritones:
The D’Ysquith Family in A Gentleman’s Guide
Bruce in Fun Home
Don Lockwood in Singin in the Rain
Conrad Birdie in Bye Bye Birdie
Javert in Les Mis
Bill Starbuck in 110 in the Shade
Billy Bigelow in Carousel
Bobby Child in Crazy for You
The Beast in Beauty and the Beast
Frank Butler in Annie Get Your Gun
King Arthur in Camelot
Aaron Fox in Curtains
Alan Swann in My Favorite Year
Ablin in La Cage
Andrew Jackson in Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson
There are many, many more - just look up “Baritone” roles at the Stage Agent website.
@Zdunc108 I am also a classically trained baritone and I was able to get into several well respected Musical Theatre programs this year. As long as you choose songs that show off your voice and individuality you should be fine! You totally got this
Totally agree with everything @EmsDad has posted and also with @MTheatreKid’s suggestion to pick songs that show off YOUR voice and individuality. My S is currently a junior MT major in an audition-entrance program. He is a baritone and happy to be so. When he was your age his vocal range was very limited (voice didn’t change until freshman/sophomore year of HS) and his voice teacher thought it might be a good idea for him to shoot for bari-tenor. S agreed, since he was feeling exactly what you’re feeling - that you HAVE to be a tenor to make it big in MT. This was a mistake and he now wishes he had chosen audition pieces that sat comfortably in his true range, rather than pushing his upper range to show that he was going to “grow into” the bari-tenor and be able to play with the little - er, big - boys. His current voice teacher thinks he’s going to mature into a beautiful John Raitt-like baritone - and yes his range is STILL expanding so bari-tenor is still a possibility. On top of all the pluses EmsDad listed above, I’ll add that IMHO, being a baritone also adds a measure of job security in the MT world (if such a thing even exists). While tenors may be getting all the “hip” younger roles in Newsies and BOM, male actors who sing lower can age beautifully into more “mature” roles - think Charlemagne in Pippin - and thus be able to sing and tread the boards until they keel over.
@Zdunc108 - It sounds like you’ve got some good vocal training, but I would suggest adding as much dance (ballet!) training as you can - this summer, if possible. You are correct that baritone/bass voices are needed in the ensemble, but in today’s market where having multiple performance skills is the norm, being a bass/baritone who can dance - or at least, “move well” - is a big plus. My S also finds it EXTREMELY useful (and also frustrating) to be one of the few guys in the “quartet” who can read music and understand music theory - the music director really appreciates that as well.
And ultimately, MT is all about being able to “act” the songs, to make them believable, heartfelt and to tell a story. Pick songs that show off who YOU are as a person and the characters you could play, not just how beautiful your voice is.
Definitely look for schools that will give merit “pay” for your stats, but also don’t be afraid to go for a financial reach school or two. There are stories all over this board of students who have gotten substantial money from programs that EVERYONE knows NEVER give money - just be willing to let them go if you get in, but the financial picture does not work out. Any chance you will be a National Merit Finalist? If so, there are several schools that give free/near-free rides for Finalist and even Semi-finalist and Commended. My S is fortunate to be in that position and is currently able to be working on his Broadway-bound, NYC nest egg.
As MTheatreKid says, “You totally got this”.
The only other thing I’d add to all this good advice, is that you are still too young to know what your range will be when you fully mature. Men take a longer time to mature in range, particularly baritone. My own son - who was in All State, and classically trained - was a bass-baritone, and now, 3 years after high school, has moved up to a ‘baritone-tenor,’ or really just a baritone with a wider range and much stronger in the upper registers. Part off this is due to natural maturity and part to training. A good program knows this and will also be looking for potential in the voice.
Thank you everyone so much for you comments! I really appreciate the advice here 
Dance worries me in the audition process as well. I have a lot of natural ability for dance from what I’ve been able to do in shows. I have done a lot of partner dancing (including lots of lifts), and I have even choreographed for younger children. However, I’m not sure if I can afford to take any dance lessons, and I do not have any specific ballet or jazz experience. I am currently in a community production of Into the Woods to help occupy my time this summer, but I know dance is something I would very much wish to invest my time in. Is there anything at all I could do on my own to help improve my dance skills? I am trying to come up with money to take some ballet classes in the fall, but as of right now I just cannot afford it.
^^^Can you take on a small job to fund dance classes? For example, one night of babysitting should help you to pay for one or two dance classes per week.
If you can’t arrange for lessons, look on youtube or purchase one or two introduction to Ballet videos (available from Amazon and other similar sources) that can help you learn the terminology and basic positions, although it really, really helps to be able to get feedback from a dance teacher on correct technique. The same can be done for basic Jazz combinations. While no substitute for dance classes or lessons, knowing the basic terminology and the fundamental techniques of ballet and jazz can help with college dance calls.
I’m looking very diligently for a job right now, and by the way things are working out, I will probably be guaranteed a job relatively soon. However, I also I need to save up this summer for the application fees for all of the colleges I want to apply to (which is very expensive), plus club fees at the beginning of the year (a few hundred dollars), and GA Thespian Conference fees for later in the year (another $200). I just am not sure if it would be wise to spend money each week on a dance class if I do not know if I will have enough money for these other things (particularly college application fees). My parents are going to pay for Unifieds, but that’s about it.
If you live in an urban area, there might be a community recreation center that offers dance classes at very reasonable rates. It’s probably too late in the season for this, but there might also be an entity that offers summer camps/classes to kids and would be willing to let you participate in classes if you helped out with the kids. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but they might be especially thrilled to have a male helper.
Many colleges will waive at least some of application fees. You have to ask but they will do it. 
I agree ballet is very important. Even one hour a week would help a lot. You might check with local dance studios. They might be willing to cut their rates for you. You never know. Some audition coaches provide scholarships to help with selecting material so don’t be afraid to inquire. I know Mary Anna Dennard does this. Others may as well. Good luck!
Hey I am very similar to you. Just a grade above. I am a bass baritone and had to pay for a lot of the various fees myself from saving up money with my summer job. And, I was a bit worried about my dancing ability. I had never taken formal classes before because I always did fine learning choreography.
Anyway, you will likely grow into a G natural by the beginning of college. By the time your out you’ll be able to belt As or at least A flats. Boys voice drop when they are teenagers but then when they mature around 18-20 years old they pick up higher resonance. College auditors know this when they take up bass baritones. If you ever need any song suggestions feel free to message me I spent a lot of time finding rep last year. So many bass songs are for old men or some weird villain type. Most characters for 18 year olds are tenors. But I found a handful of songs that are low and for young guys.
Dance wise I would suggest just using YouTube and learning a lot of basic ballet terms. The person running the dance auditions at almost every school would throw out ballet terms like “pliet” and 1st or 2nd position. If you are loosely familiar with these basics it will help a ton. It would also help if you could learn to do a single pirouette too, a lot of dance calls involved one of those.
The money thing really sucks especially when it seems like everyone else’s parents are paying for everything and more.
When I was a junior in high school I had a D above middle C and a Bb two octaves below middle C. I can now, on a good day, vocalize up to a high C (the one an octave above middle C). I still consider myself a baritone, but completely out of practice I can easily get Ab’s and still sing low Gs. Male voices change over time, up to around the age of 27-30. So what you are capable of doing now is not an indication of what you will be doing later. During puberty the larynx descends approximately two to three vertebrae and the vocal folds nearly double in size. That massive shift throws a lot of things off and your body has to take time to build strengthen its muscles and develop new motor skills to cope.
There is also a crazy misconception among men that they all have to be tenors for musical theatre. Even though we have agents and casting directors on campus telling our male students that they NEED baritones for the ensembles of their shows, my male students still worry that their voices are too low. James Earl Jones made a fortune with his low voice. So did Barry White. There’s work out there.
As far as the finances are concerned, that is definitely an issue. What I would suggest is adding a few BM programs onto your list where there may be choral scholarships available. Assuming that is something you like. With your GPA, you also need to do a lot of research on academic scholarships. With that test score and GPA combo, you would qualify for the Presidential Scholarship at Shenandoah, which is something like $22,000 off of $30,000 tuition. There are other schools where that kind of GPA could land you a full ride. You may also want to look into acting programs where you can take lessons with a good voice teacher and take dance as well, either through the school or through a private academy.
It sounds like you are in Georgia. If you are, reach out to Amanda Wansa-Morgan at Kennesaw State and tell her Matt from Shenandoah said to email her. She is amazing and has only been there for a year. She is working on building the program up and may be very interested in someone like you. When money is tight, in-state schools are the way to go if you can make it work.
~VT
@VoiceTeacher - The Presidential Scholarship at Shenandoah was something my S had his eye on when he went through this process a few years ago. Unfortunately, in order to be considered for that scholarship the deadline for admission to Shenandoah was February 1 (if I remember right), while auditions for MT and subsequent acceptance came much later than that. This meant that an MT student wouldn’t be admitted to the university until after the scholarship deadline. Is this still the case?
Thanks for the sharing your knowledge of male vocal development.
They were more flexible this year and gave a few Presidential Scholarships out later in the season. Unfortunately at SU, we have no say over those deadlines (and no say over scholarship amount in general). Best advice for future auditionees is to audition early.
~VT
I’m starting college this fall and I consider myself a bass-baritone. Always sang lowest parts in choir and was always jealous of my tenor friends who could sing the notes to get leads in the school musical. Anyway, I could reliably sing to the Eb above middle C and sometimes the E natural when I had good technique. Almost no role on Broadway ever sings only to an E. Don Q. and Emile from South Pacific are the only two roles I know of that top out at an E natural. Besides, those two roles I couldn’t play for 25+ years. Anything above an E I had to falsetto and that wouldn’t really work. Being a bass singer as a teenager really blows. However now, about a year after I started really preparing for college auditions, my range has improved a bit. I can belt out Es and Fs pretty well and sometimes F#s by they can be hard to sustain. I think this has come because I’m 18 years old and constantly doing vocal exercises. For me, it just came down to consistent and also smart practicing every day. The singing voice is a muscle just like any other biceps or abs you have to always be doing worthwhile practicing daily for a long time if you want to be really in shape. The voice works the same way. It’s amazing how much even just a daily dose of 10-15 minutes of vocal exercises can help if you keep it up for a long while. You can find scales and simple practices to do on YouTube for free too if you don’t have a piano with you.