I’m just kind of surfing all the options here. My parents would really like me to go to a Christian College, and I am willing to if the musical theatre program there is actually good. Are there any Christian Colleges that have a really good program? Any answers are appreciated!
Yes, Belmont University in Nashville has an excellent musical theatre program.
Also look at Catholic University in Washington, DC.
Oklahoma City University is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and has an excellent MT program.
There are several schools that are loosely affiliated with churches. I’m not sure what your parents may be looking for in the college, but OCU is Methodist, Elon has a historic relationship with the Church of Christ but is no longer affiliated, Baldwin Wallace was founded by Methodists, and Catholic University.
Samford University is Southern Baptist and has an audition MT program. I know someone in the program, but don’t really know much else about it.
TCU (Texas Christian University) has a terrific MT program.
As noted above, the degree to which Christianity permeates the curriculum and culture at each school varies, but here is a list of schools of MT programs that have Christian affiliations that are mentioned with some regularity on this forum (this list is not inclusive of all such schools):
Abilene Christian - Churches of Christ
Pepperdine - Churches of Christ
Baylor - Baptist
Brigham Young - Mormon
Catholic University - Catholic
Seton Hill - Catholic
Viterbo - Catholic
Molloy/CAP21 - Catholic
Texas Christian - Disciples of Christ
Millikin - Presbyterian
Tulsa - Presbyterian
Muhlenberg - Lutheran
American - Methodist
Emory & Henry - Methodist
Oklahoma City University - Methodist
SMU - Methodist
Otterbein - Methodist
Baldwin-Wallace - Methodist
Illinois Wesleyan - Methodist
Shenandoah - Methodist
Ohio Northern - Methodist
Nebraska Wesleyan - Methodist
Belmont - Interdenominational Christian (formerly Baptist)
I might be wrong, but I believe all of these are formal affiliations with the exception of Belmont, which has a commitment to Christianity but not a formal affiliation.
We have a friend at Bethel in TN. Strong Christian school with an interesting ‘Renaissance’ program. He loves it.
SMU only has a musical theatre minor, and it is available only to Dance, Voice, and Theatre majors and minors
SMU only has a musical theatre minor, and it is available only to Dance, Voice, and Theatre majors and minors
All musical theatre programs are interdisciplinary. SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts has highly regarded programs in Dance, Voice, and Theatre, and their new MT minor, which you can only enter through audition after qualifying for a BFA in Theatre, Dance, or a BM in Voice, seems to me to be a very strong, up-and-coming MT program.
Azusa Pacific
pm me if you want to talk more. a number of these schools are affiliated with various churches but some lean pretty secular these days, if that is what you are after, then all of the above should be fine. if not, you should probably look into this further. some will be more religious than others.
and i think messiah college has a MT option but i do not know about strength of program. They are in central pa near Harrisburg
I just found out this week that Rochester College in Rochester Michigan has an MT BFA… Affiliated with the Church of Christ, not very secular. I know nothing about the program except that it exists.
@endlesswonder - If you haven’t already, you & your parents might want to have a conversation about what they want you to accomplish (from a Christianity perspective) at a Christian school. I don’t know detail about all the schools previously listed, but from what I do know most probably won’t provide a deeply Christian experience without additional effort on your part. By effort I mean finding a good church, support group, etc. Very few require things like daily chapel, Christian codes of conduct, etc. Most schools that provide that level of experience have limited theatre programs at best.
We are a pretty active Christian family and I looked into this a little before our daughter went through the audition process last year. She is now at a public university studying theatre. Through another theatre student she found a great church near campus that offers Sunday worship, weekly Bible study on campus, and other fellowship opportunities. I believe she is able to build her Christian life & experience while still at a public school.
So like everything with MT (and life) there are many paths to get there. Think about what you really want to accomplish and you will find a place that gets you there.
You might consider Asbury College.
I know someone who wants to major in musical theatre and applied to Liberty University in VA.
There are obviously Christian communities at even the most secular colleges, but I think OP was saying her parents wanted her at a Christian college.