<p>Does anyone know anything about the program at Belmont? I know they offer a BM, which my S is more interested in than a BFA. But we were wondering how selective they are, whether graduates find work, what the auditon process there is like, etc. Anyone with any experiences concerning Belmont, please post and let us know more about it.</p>
<p>You may wish to PM or email WMonMTDad. His son applied and got into Belmont in this last audition cycle, though is not planning to attend.</p>
<p>We did look at Belmont. My niece just graduated this month with a degree in commercial music/vocal performance. When we first began to consider it last year it seemed like something to consider. The closer we looked it seemed less attractive..especially after also auditioning at OCU and at Elon. The MT program is about the same age as the one at Elon (approx 10 years) but the difference between the two is HUGE...in favor of Elon. During the audition day I found it extremely telling during one of the information sessions when they mentioned that they only had 2 seniors and 2 juniors at present (they take around 15-20 each year, I think, like many other schools). Going into the audition we were aware of one of their juniors...that we had seen perform when they did Cats last spring and considered to be one of their outstanding performers...that had transfered to OCU this year.</p>
<p>It is certainly a school with a strong music program. And they will probably benefit tremendously from the American Idol experience of Melinda Doolittle, who graduated from Belmont in 98-99 or so. There is a lot of emphasis, especially given its Nashville location, on music management, production, etc. They were the only one of the three schools S auditioned at that required a prepared dance audition and yet their dance program doesn't seem extremely strong. S found Elon to be MUCH more strenuous in their screening/leveling at audition.</p>
<p>They also will not even let you submit an admission application to the music school until you have auditioned and been accepted. As a result, unless you can do early Fall auditions you miss the December deadline for any of the full ride scholarships. It also would appear that they will not offer academic and talent scholarships both to a student...in other words they aren't stackable. They prefer to spread the scholarship money around</p>
<p>Bottom line...we were disappointed. Our sense was that the MT program is not sucessful in competing for resources with the other vocal programs on campus. S cut them almost as soon as he got the acceptance.</p>
<p>If you have any detailed questions I'd be glad to answer. I prefer email to PM, please</p>
<p>Charles</p>
<p>I know nothing about MT at Belmont, but I do know that they have a reputation for having a great school of music and also a good major in the business of music. We've known a few kids who have gone there and have been very happy. Most of them are either in business of music or some kind of instrumental music and ended up in bands.</p>
<p>My d has two friends that attend Belmont. I believe that they are vocal students. They both have amazing vocal talent. They auditioned only at Belmont because ,I believe that Belmont has a vocal performance program with an emphasis in Christian music. I have not read this anywhere, I just head it from my daughter.</p>
<p>My son and daughter in law met in Belmont's music school. They graduated in 2004 and 2005 and now work in Nashville. He is a commercial violinist and she is a vocalist. Both are in the music industry as day jobs. He works for a music publisher and she for a music production company. Both do studio work, which is something they love to do, as well as perform, mostly at nights and weekends. </p>
<p>She is a great singer, and the school is full of strong vocalists. I believe the classical music program is pretty good, but it's strength is on the commercial side. The little I have heard about the MT program is that it is pretty good, definitely not considered an elite program. But I think the vocal training would be good. </p>
<p>It is a school like many of the other smaller private schools. They take a strong interest in their students and mentor. You won't get lost in a crowd there.</p>
<p>One of our friends who has a daughter that attended there said the college requires more credits to graduate than many other colleges and is hard to do in 4 years. I think she said a religion course was also required. I am not sure if this is correct but you may want to check into it.</p>
<p>Not sure, but I think there are several options on the religion course. It may even be a survey of world religions. Belmont, until recent years was a Southern Baptist school with support from the Tenn Baptist Convention. Like many Baptist schools it found itself drawn into some of the political battles between various factions. Rather than adhere to some of the restrictions they opted to drop their direct Baptist affiliation. I believe there may even be some litigation going on regarding various funds. Nothing to be alarmed about as far as the school itself is concerned and again, something being played out at many of the Baptist schools. When we started looking at it last year and into this year the official line is that they are a "Christian" school with Christian values but doesn't insist that students adhere to a Baptist belief system. I think they do still award some scholarship to stuents with a parent in a Baptist ministry, but I could be mistaken.</p>
<p>PS...We're Baptist and are fairly disgusted with the impact this is having on the various Baptist schools. It has really hurt Louisiana College</p>
<p>My son graduated in four years from Belmont. He got AP credit for first semester music theory, but nothing else. He could have graduated in four without the AP credit. There were some in his class in music that started with him and graduated in four years. He was in Commercial violin performance, but I think the number of credits for that and MT are similar. </p>
<p>But there were several in his class that did not finish in four years. Compare the number of credits Belmont and other schools require for graduation. That should be the telling point.</p>
<p>I failed to mention the struggle of the local Baptist Convention and Belmont. I know that has been going on. I am more familiar with the situation between the GA Baptist Convention and Shorter College in Rome, GA. We have friends who have worked at Shorter who have a son who graduated from Shorter in MT and now is performing in NYC. </p>
<p>Our friends have been very frustrated with Shorter and the church/school struggles. The Baptist Convention won a law suit that gives the denomination more control of the School trustees. It concerns many MT students there. </p>
<p>It is my understanding a similar struggle has been going on at Belmont. I am concerned at how much control the TN Baptist Convention might want over the school. That could influence faculty hirings, production choices, and other components that may affect program quality.</p>
<p>My wife's niece just graduated this month in vocal performance/commercial. She finished in 4 years with no extra credits. Of course, that program probably requires a few less credits than MT. She's been home since graduation for a friend's wedding tomorrow, then she heads back and starts interviewing for a job, hopefully with a publisher, while she tries to begin a commercial performance career (probably moonlighting).</p>
<p>Henrob, do you know anything else about Shorter's program? There are actually a few smaller colleges in Georgia with BFA programs in musical theatre or theatre, and Shorter is the closest to us. With the HOPE scholarship here, it does make in-state college very attractive.</p>
<p>Does anyone familiar with the school know if all students are Christian? We are Jewish and I'm now thinking this may not be a school to consider.</p>
<p>I would be very surprised if all the students were Christian. While it is a school with a Baptist heritage it has been distancing itself from those roots for several years. I'm sure you could get a good sense for that issue by speaking with someone from admissions. I haven't looked, but they may even speak to it on their website somewhere. It is an urban campus in Nashville with very much an urban campus feel to it.</p>
<p>I know a little about Shorter. My daughter will apply there, but Shorter will be further down her list. She has friends who have gone there, and as I have said, close friends of ours had a son finish there about 5 years ago. He is doing quite well in NYC. </p>
<p>Shorter is very strong vocally and has been for years. It may be the best school in GA to study voice. We have been to some of the MT productions there. They are good productions, but I don't think the overall quality of MT student will be what you will find in the upper tier schools.</p>
<p>As far as religious orientation, I think Shorter is probably a more overtly religious school than Belmont. Someone may feel a little out of place at Shorter if they are not of the Christian faith, but that would be because there are many students there whose faith is a big part of their lives. But I am convinced the students and faculty are open and caring about everyone. </p>
<p>Belmont is an urban university and overall more liberal than Shorter. I have mentioned above my concern about the Baptist Conventions having more control over the schools, but no one wants to lessen the quality of education at either school.</p>
<p>Iamtmom08, I hope you consider Belmont, or at least don't rule it out because it is Baptist. I don't think that religion would be an issue whatsoever.</p>
<p>If you look up the religious organizations on campus at Belmont, many seem to be Christian. I do not see a Hillel there. That doesn't mean there are not students of the Jewish faith, but without a Hillel, my gut feeling is that the Jewish population is very small at Belmont. I don't have any official breakdown and so I can't give you factual information. I think there will be less Jewish students there than at some other colleges. Belmont has a Baptist heritage.</p>
<p>I would concur with Henrob. If you are interested in a contemporary music program (can't speak to jazz) Belmont ought to be at least looked at. I think one of the more reassuring things about Belmont as far as concerns about religious tolerance would be the fact that they have a regionally diverse student body and is continuing in that regard. My niece had friends from Chicago, Florida, and the west coast. I believe in some programs Belmont has a satellite term on both the west coast and the east coast.</p>
<p>And the other thing not to be overlooked is the fact that Nashville is absolutely a hotbed of the commercial music industry. While we were unimpressed for MT, I would absolutely say investigate it for vocal performance</p>
<p>And I agree with WMonMTDad. Even though I live in GA now, I was raised just south of Nashville, TN. I grew up immersed in all kinds of music, but hated country. Nashville is filled with music, and country is a part of it, but there are all kinds of music there. Nashville really prides itself in being Music City, not Country Music City. </p>
<p>As I've mentioned before, my son graduated with a Commercial Violin Degree and married a Commercial Voice student. My daughter-in-law is not into jazz, but my son is. He got excellent improvisational training, both in the classroom and in the violin studio. So if anyone wants to go in the non-classical vocal music direction, and possibly interested in jazz, Belmont should be considered. </p>
<p>By the way, I have developed an appreciation for country music.</p>
<p>I've never been to Belmont but have heard good things. I can't speak to the Jewish question. The 2 friends that we have had who have gone to Belmont are United Methodist, and they have not felt that the Baptist affiliation was pushed. They were fine going there as Methodists. I think the campus is perhaps fairly strict in terms of curfews, etc., but many kids may move off campus when they get older. It seems they may have more religious diversity than some Baptist schools.</p>
<p>I know they have a few people who have just graduate (like '05 and '06) on national tours like Rent, Mamma Mia, Go Deigo! Go!, Dora the Explorer (just ended), and some other tour with Networks entertainment.</p>