<p>Does any one know colleges that offer voice and dance electives to their BFA and BA acting only students?</p>
<p>At U of Arts acting students can take voice and dance electives. Also, MT productions are open to all acting majors and have an option to minor in MT.</p>
<p>Thanks. This is very good to know. As iit stands now my son needs years of voice and dance lessons to even make it into the chorus of a college musical. </p>
<p>He knows his limitations. And why not use his college time to expand that part of himself. It can only make him more desirable professionally.</p>
<p>At James Madison students in the Theatre program can take dance classes, small group voice classes, and musical theatre performance electives. Some also take private lessons with graduate students. All students may audition for plays and musicals.</p>
<p>Just to follow up about UArts, it offers a MT minor to acting majors for which a student can audition. That is what best opens the voice lesson, MT performance classes and MT dance classes to acting majors. Other than that, acting majors can take dance classes provided that there is space after MT students are given priority. Also, there are a couple of MT performance classes that acting majors can take as electives but the choices are very limited because in general MT Performance classes are limited to MT majors and minors. Voice lessons are similarly limited but the voice teachers do offer private lessons on a fee basis which could perhaps be arranged.</p>
<p>KatMT, just so somebody at your school knows this – the only reason my son is not applying to JMU is that acting students don’t have access to the voice faculty for private lessons. He is more of an “actor who sings” than a “musical theatre guy” but he takes singing very seriously. The top three questions we are using to look at schools are, What is the quality of the acting training, do your graduates get jobs in theatre, and do the acting majors have the opportunity to study voice with the faculty.</p>
<p>My son is an acting major at UArts.He is considering enrolling in an introductory ballet class, and so I guess it’s easy for actors to do that. More advanced classes might not be open to non-dance majors.</p>
<p>There’s a difference between the dance classes through the MT Department and those through the School of Dance. The former are open to acting students only after MT students have been given priority registration but the general rule is that acting students can take MT dance classes (ballet, tap and jazz beginners, intermediate and advanced). Dance classes through the School of Dance are generally for dance majors only but can be taken on a class by class basis by theatre students with instructor permission only. When my daughter was at UArts, she and several if her friends took dance department classes but had to satisfy the instructor that they could keep up and only if there was room.</p>
<p>So do you think that a guy like Huge Jackman could sing, dance and act all at the same time? Or did he need more training in one of the areas of his triple threats to get as good as he is now? </p>
<p>My son is not really interested in being a triple threat. He just wants to act. It’s me who thinks having the skill of singing and a little dance could pay off career wise in the end. </p>
<p>It may not be something he ends up caring about during college but knowing what schools might offer it could make some schools more appealing.</p>
<p>Prodesse… Since the Musical Theatre and Theatre students at JMU study an almost identical course of study, with Musical Theatre students having additional required course work in musical theatre, dance, voice, and music, your son could consider auditioning for Musical Theatre at JMU since guaranteed access to private voice lessons is important to him. </p>
<p>Students can indicated when they audition for Musical Theatre that they would like to be considered for both Theatre and Musical Theatre if they wish. Interested students in the Musical Theatre program can take the same full sequence of acting courses as those in the Theatre-Performance Track, and of course audition for plays as well as musicals. Just a thought if your son thought JMU was a good fit in every other way than the guaranteed access to voice lessons. :). </p>
<p>Just to make sure the whole picture at JMU is clear for anyone interested… </p>
<p>Some theatre students do take private voice and/ or group voice with faculty. The graduate students who also teach some private lessons and group voice classes are very strong as well… many with professional performing and teaching experience prior to coming to JMU to pursue their MM or DMA. </p>
<p>However, private lessons for credit are not guaranteed to students for whom they are not required (ie. Musical Theatre, Vocal Performance, etc…). Unfortunately, there are not the number of private voice studios at JMU to guarantee private lessons for credit for all students who want to take them. However, students who are interested DO have opportunity to pursue private, and group voice study, and I have yet to talk to a student who has actively pursued it and has not been able to engage in some form of vocal study at JMU if it is important to them.</p>
<p>There is also a specific section of the Musical Theatre Performance class that is offered each year for students not in the Musical Theatre concentration. In addition, interested students in the Theatre concentration have access to musicianship and piano classes.</p>
<p>On a side note there are Theatre alums who have been very successful pursuing musical theatre work post grad. Many of the students in the Theatre program are “actors who sing.” We encourage them to develop this skill if it is of interest to them.</p>
<p>Hope this is helpful :)!</p>
<p>Shacherry, I really think it might be best to let your son pursue what he’s most interested in. A lot of the conservatory type programs don’t have room in their curricula for training in singing and dance, and don’t even put on musicals…or only rarely.</p>
<p>Not everyone can do everything. Sometimes you have to prioritize and figure out what you’d be most willing to give up.</p>
<p>You mention Hugh Jackman. Hugh Jackman is blessed with MT talents and is very handsome, but he’s really not that terrific an actor.</p>
<p>If your son is “starting from scratch” with singing and dance, it might be better to focus on dance. There is a heck of a lot of formidable competition out there, singing-wise, but it’s a little rarer to come across male actors who are good dancers.</p>
<p>My own son is a dance minor at Boston University, where he is a Theatre Arts major. Faculty members have told him they feel he is one of the students who will find work after graduation, and one of the reasons is that he is a male actor who can dance.</p>
<p>MichaelnKat - my son has never taken a formal dance class in his life, but said that he might be able to sign up for basic ballet. This was something of a shock when he announced it over the Thanksgiving break, because he would probably have hurled a large, heavy object at me had I ever suggested ballet to him in the past. I guess he has been encouraged by teachers and classmates, who have remarked on his natural ability in movement classes. He might not be able to register, but he certainly seemed to think it was a possibility.</p>
<p>Stagemum, he may very well be able to register for beginning ballet through the MT department. The spots will first be filled by freshmen MT majors for whom ballet is mandated and who have been assigned to beginning ballet sections. It is common for Mt majors to waive out of beginning dance sections in the department because of significant prior dance experience. As I mentioned above, the Mt dance classes are separate from the dance classes offered through the School of Dance which would require specific instructor approval and would also require the student to have a very strong dance background in order to keep up with the dance majors.</p>
<p>I think it’s great that your son is broadening his vision. The more versatile the performer, the more opportunities become available.</p>
<p>Haha, stagemum, my D has new ideas practically every week that have me gasping for air. These crazy college students!</p>
<p>Good luck to all of these kids who want to explore, take risks, and LEARN.</p>
<p>sacherry - BFA Acting and BA Dramatic Arts majors at Coastal Carolina can take dance and voice classes at CCU. Casting in all shows is open and cross casting does occur.</p>
<p>As for Hugh–I think he’s super hot and has a lot of charisma and energy, but it’s probably these skills more than his acting or certainly his singing that have carried him so far. He’s just gorgeous. If you’re gorgeous leading man material with energy and charisma and can act passably and sing passably, I think that definitely is a lucky thing. But I think Shacherry you’re right that no matter how hot you are or aren’t, it’s still always good to expand your repertoire to make yourself more marketable–if you have the discipline, interest and ability. </p>
<p>COuld your son take dance and voice lessons privately now to see if he’s interested and what potential talent he has? You can hire dance teachers privately for a limited time if your schedule is crazy. I do agree with NJTheatreMom that male dancers are rare and much more employable–but they do have to be excellent dancers. My own son just moves well–he’s had some training but he’d have to be trained in ballet & tap for several years to be a competitive dancer in MT. Down here in South Jersey private lessons are actually pretty cost efficient, although I don’t know how it would be in other areas. But I guess that would be my first approach–to get him voice & dance lessons now and gauge level of interest and potential.</p>
<p>Connections,</p>
<p>That is exactly what he should do take private lessons now. He does not have to wait till college to explore this.</p>
<p>On the subject of movie stars singing in movies. I am dying to see Les Miserables the movie. I keep reading great, like Oscar, great things about the movie. But with all those singing movie stars I just don’t get it. That movie makes it look like every A list movie star is Broadway ready. </p>
<p>How can a movie version come close to the Les Mis on Broadway. That show is spectacular!</p>