Hello to all,
My #2 (HS freshman) is a talented and driven vocal performer. He has almost no interest in classical music so we are wondering what his options are for colleges that may offer programs that embrace contemporary music / Rock for vocal performance / song writing. Academically he is not at the honors level (one step below), so the more prestigious colleges may be out of reach.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
There is an older thread on this page with lots of links to previous discussions on this topic.
My D found only 5 schools and applied to three of those- USC, U OF MIAMI , BELMONT
The other 2 are Berklee ( D did not want a conservatory )and U of Colorado Denver
U of Denver contemporary seemed to be jazz only, and Clive Davis is not performance based. Hope this helps
FYI Belmont does require 2 art songs for their audition.
Is he interested in jazz at all? He’ll have a lot more schools to chose from if he can study jazz. At my son’s school a number of the jazz students, including my son have bands on the side that are popular/indie music bands.
USC Thornton and Berklee are good starting points to start your research. Since your son is only a freshman he has time to get more background in jazz and music theory, and he’ll need that even for a program where he wants to focus on rock, as those are building blocks. If he doesn’t take piano he should, as it comes in handy for music classes, songwriting and accompanying himself.
He should also look at summer music programs starting next summer. Do a local one in your area this Summer or next, and then consider one more national. Berklee 5-week is a great one after junior year, but there are many.
University of Colorado Denver’s Commercial Voice program offers instruction in contemporary styles, including jazz, pop, rock and musical theater. They also offer many other programs including Music Business, Recording Arts, and Singer-Songwriter, and options to combine programs. My daughter is a HS junior and we toured the campus and met with one of the instructors last summer. My daughter liked what she saw and heard but we have more places to visit before she decides.
List of colleges that offer rock vocal degree programs: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/1372071-rock-vocals.html