My D is very interested in Northwestern for VP. She visited and had a wonderful lesson there last year. We have recently heard from a few people that it may not be a great program for undergrads. Does anyone have experience with this? Thank you of any information.
I have no special knowledge of the Northwestern program. I,m guessing the comment however has to do with a stong graduate program (which I think they have). It is common for singers to be discouraged by some from attending schools with stong graduate programs as they may not get as much attention nor performance opportunties. My D did attend a school with this type of reputation for undergrad mainly because she had a studio offer from a very good teacher who felt confident my D would do well there. It worked out for her. I wouldn;t take it off your list. I would just be aware of that issue and if she gets accepted make sure she has a teacher to talk with about her chances for growth and performance opportuntiies. There are no guarantees but having a good teacher on your side definitely helps in this type of environment.
My daughter is currently a freshman VP major at Northwestern. Although she has just begun her undergraduate studies, let me share her feelings about the program thus far and why she chose it over another excellent school without a graduate program. Many may say that having graduate students around means that they get all the good roles and all of their teacher’s attention while the undergraduates are left to sing in the chorus. But another way to look at having a graduate program in place is that first of all, undergraduate voices are usually not ready to take on many leading roles in opera productions. Having only undergraduate students to fill those roles may force a voice to perform something it is not ready for. Having those more mature voices allows a program to choose more challenging works to perform. Being in the chorus of an opera production as an undergraduate is nothing to belittle. You are learning the ins and outs of being part of a company and a production, while at the same time observing the experiences of the graduate students as they prepare to perform. My daughter chose to attend a school with a graduate program on purpose. Her reasoning was that having that level above her would raise the overall level of instruction and opportunity in the program while providing the example and mentoring from a group of students who had already gone through what she was just beginning. As she was making her decision about where she wanted to go, she did ask questions of those in her department and potential voice teachers about how undergrads were viewed, and was satisfied with the assurances they gave her about the level of commitment to undergrads vs. grad students. At Northwestern, all auditions are open, and undergrads are cast in major roles if so deserving. So far, she is happy with her choice. She feels her voice teacher is very attentive to each student in her studio, no matter what their grade level. I can not say this is true at every school, but this is her experience at NU. By the way, she is having some terrific experiences already. Of course there is the breathtaking new music building where she gets to spend every day. She got to attend a very exclusive concert with Renee Fleming, Eric Owens and others and had a meet and greet with them. She attended a performance of the Chicago Lyric Opera at very inexpensive student pricing. She is just surrounded every day by an amazing musical experience, while at a world-class university, exactly what she was looking for. She says there is such a positive comradery throughout the freshman voice majors, the voice department in general, and within Bienen itself. It was also a positive that the university shows tremendous support and investment in Bienen, and values the arts as a significant part of what makes NU special. I hope I don’t sound like a cliché salesperson, but it has turned out to be a wonderful experience for our daughter. If you want more info you can PM and I would be happy to share.