Shorter is one, but they have a definite recent history of intolerance. In our research of 55+ MT programs, D and I saw that there are other faith based schools, Catholic and Protestant, with MT programs. (Messiah, Nazarene, and Asbury come to mind, but I know there are more. Belmont happens to be the only one that particularly interested my D.) Those others are quite clear and upfront in their requirements, as is Belmont; Belmont lists them in their handbook and their sample 4 year MT plan.
College niche has many different opinions, of course. Some people on there say that Belmont is very accepting and diverse, and some don’t. It’s common to have very different views on every school on that site. My D and I have searched it for all of the schools on her list and have almost taken some schools off her list because of it, only to read or hear opinions that directly conflicted with the negative ones later. I’m not discounting the site, but it’s hard to know what to believe sometimes!
Here is the full quote from the anonymous student that was partially quoted above:
“Sexual orientation is a bit of a touchy issue on campus, especially since Belmont was on the receiving end of a truckload of negative press regarding the subject in 2010. However, student organizations are working to bridge the gap between the LGBT and straight communities through education and open discussion. Students are generally accepting of all lifestyles. But the unique thing about Belmont is, first and foremost, it’s a community. Students and professors tend to focus on the things that unite them instead of highlighting their differences.”
Including all of the quote gives a fuller understanding to that particular student’s perception.
Here are 7 colleges with MT programs that require courses in religion for graduation:
Oklahoma City University
Catholic University
Viterbo
TCU
Pepperdine (Music and Theatre)
Baylor (offers an MT concentration)
BYU
Ohio Northern
Colleges with MT programs that have religious affiliations:
Catholic University - Catholic
Oklahoma City University - Methodist
Otterbein - Methodist
Baldwin-Wallace - Methodist
Illinois Wesleyan - Methodist
Texas Christian - United Church of Christ
Shenandoah - Methodist
Viterbo - Catholic
Brigham Young - Mormon
Baylor - Baptist
Pepperdine - United Church of Christ
Ohio Nothern - Methodist
Nebraska Wesleyan - Methodist
For example, here is a quote from Baldwin-Wallace:
Elon used to be affiliated with the United Church of Christ. Belmont is no longer affiliation with any denomination but does state that they are a Christian faith-based institution.
I am not a fan of College Niche, it seems to be full of mostly arbitrary and capricious comments. Here is a “summary” comment about U Utah, which is so poorly framed that I am not even sure I understand it:
OCU only requires you take one religion class in the course of your 4 years there. You can choose from Intro to Biblical Literature or Intro to World Religions. Frankly, I wish I had learned more about work religions given the current state of the world. Anyway it is not a hard requirement to fill. The campus has a very diverse student body. It is a very accepting atmosphere.
@EmsDad, I have to say that I agree with your assessment of College Niche! You stated it much better than I; I was trying to be kind, and I ended up not wording it strongly enough.
In any case, whether or not one likes the site, it is only fair and helpful to give full quotes if one is going to use them, especially if part of the quote clarifies or even changes the tone of the other part of the quote, as in the one mentioned in a post above.
Shenandoah offers scholarships to children of Methodist clergy. Guess some might consider that exclusionary. They also have a major in church music. Some might find that distasteful. D*mn fine MT program.
I really think bringing up the “temperature” of GLBTQ rights was out of line. This is one of the nation’s most respected universities. I have worked with many gay and straight actors from Belmont and not one has been unprofessional, judgmental, or prejudice.
Two religion Gen-Eds is hardly a major requirement, and oftentimes those can be fulfilled with classes like World Religion, Philosophy, and EVEN (at some major universities) Religion and Theatre OR Singing in the Campus Choir.
The universities listed above are NOT Bob Jones, folks.
@TheaterHiringCo - my point exactly. Religious affiliation and religious studies requirements are not uncommon, and schools with these requirements are home to many fine theatre programs. It is also not uncommon for them to include comments about faith being part of the fabric of the university in presentations or collateral.
I think it’s good to know the environment of a school in all aspects that concern the potential student and okay to “research” it. But, what was completely out of line, IMO, was the way in which it was brought up: pulling a random, anonymous quote off the internet and omitting a crucial part of it. That immediately felt like an agenda post to me, and it potentially smears a college and program undeservedly.
I like your last line above, btw, @TheaterHiringCo and agree about the religious requirements. I can see how they are not for everyone, though. (Good! Less competition at some of these fantastic programs, lol!)
We loved the open, friendly vibe we got at Belmont! I’m so glad that it’s a well-respected program.
In the interest of full disclosure, I attended Baylor one summer to pick up some extra courses (it was close to my home). Everyone referred to Chapel as “nap time.”
I attended Catholic University in DC, and I completed my ‘religion’ class requirements with Plato, Socrates, Descartes, and even Nietzsche. One of my teachers, a priest, talked about the parting of the Red Sea saying "It was a desert, they had droughts, so maybe the ‘parting’ was more of a ‘climate thing influenced by God than a wall of water suspended by air’. ~ My point is, don’t assume a ‘religious’ school has an agenda of teaching anything other than knowledge.
@Wozmom Thanks for sharing info. My D is auditioning at Belmont in a few weeks. When she signs in that morning, will she be assigned separate times to audition the dance solo and then another time for the vocal/monologue? Also, how was the group dance class set up? I called last week and asked what time we could expect to be wrapped up for the day (making travel arrangements) and they said by 2:00!! Obviously didn’t work out that way for you.
In a day and age where 78% of Americans self-identify as “Christian” and over 90% are religious to some degree (other faiths and/or believe in a ‘higher power’), a couple of ‘religious’ credits shouldn’t be a big deal for most.
It’s great to have all this information out there for folks to whom this is a relevant factor in making up a list.
I have to question whether it is truly accurate to say “Religious affiliation and religious studies requirements are not uncommon” and am a bit baffled that the quote I pasted (just what popped up when I googled - nothing nefarious) caused such a hullaballoo but I’m not even a little bit interested in getting into a wrangle about it.
I had never heard of Belmont (which has been true of many schools mentioned here) and when the religious thing googled to the surface I thought that was certainly something my kid would want to know.
As the parent of a queer child (not my MT one, in defiance of stereotype) I am always alert to any mention of the “temperature”, as you put it, of LGBTQA relations on campus at any school.
Similarly, racial diversity is a factor worth investigating for my kid. Each family has its own priorities.
I’m sorry to have offended so many of you. Never heard of Belmont and was surprised by what came up, that’s all.
@mom2MTkid When she checks in they will give her times for musicianship test and vocal/monologue audition. Once the auditions are complete they will all go to a meeting prior to leaving for student center where they hold all solo dances and then start the group dance. That is where they fell behind. The group dance was suppose to be complete around 2:30 and because there were so many solo dances the group dance didn’t start until around 3:30. They were released around 5. I think they had around 40 applicants that day.
