<p>(I understand that I’m posting this in the MAJOR section. They don’t have a section for minors, but I thought it fit best here.)</p>
<p>I’m a junior in high school. I plan on majoring in Education (for teaching high school English, most likely, or maybe to teach Drama/acting) and minoring in Musical Theater.</p>
<p>My three top choices for schools as of right now are Montclair State University and Seton Hall University.</p>
<p>However, applying to these schools is aiming a bit low for my academic skill.
I am in the top 10% of my high school class (last time I checked I was number 11) and my GPA is around a 3.7. </p>
<p>My choices are limited, because:
I want to stay in the tri-state area (NJ/NYC/[maybe PA if it’s not too far]). I’m in Northern NJ, so NYC is about a half hour from me, which is fine. I don’t want anything over an hour away.
Not many schools offer Musical Theater as a minor.</p>
<p>Although I am in the top 10 percent of the class, my grades are not AMAZING. They’re good, but they’re not outstanding, especially since I’m racking up on Advanced classes.
I’m not looking for Ivy-League colleges, because I probably wouldn’t get in. I’m looking for ones with higher academic requirements than Montclair and Seton Hall, but lower requirements than Ivy Leagues.</p>
<p>I looked at NYU, but it doesn’t offer a MT minor, so I had to rule it out. However, that is similar to the type of school that I am looking for.</p>
<p>I understand that my question might be a bit hard to decipher, so I’ll reinstate it:
What are some schools that offer majors in Education, minors in Musical Theater, and are within the tri-state area of NJ/NYC/and maybe PA?</p>
<p>My guess is you are going to find it very difficult to find a minor in Musical Theatre, as the majority of MT programs are so intense that there is not room for anything other than to do it as a major. My advice to you would be to find a school where you can major in Education and also be able to take classes in theatre, dance and possibly voice lessons. This would need to be a school where these types of classes would be open to other than Theatre, dance and music majors. One option, also a school that prides itself on admitting students that have strong academic records, is Muhlenburg, in Allentown, PA. It has a gorgeous campus, is very friendly, and is known for its excellence in training in all 3 areas. It doesn’t offer an MT major, but many kids who want such actually end up going there because they want access to a broader range of curriculum. They do have a major in education. I know that dance and theatre classes are open to all, not sure about voice lessons. I also know that they have started a showcase in NYC in the senior year that is open to even those that are not MT majors.
My daughter decided after a wonderful tour there that she would be VERY happy there is she were not admitted to a BFA in MT (which she was). I strongly recommend you look into it.</p>
<p>Hofstra seems like a good idea, though, because they are obsessed with me. They send me tons of e-mails and letters in the mail already, so that could be a good thing.</p>
<p>What schools that have Secondary Education Programs that would lead to certification in English or Theatre that ALSO have a MT Minor, or lots of opportunities for non-majors to participate in theatre, music, dance classes and production even if not a major.</p>
<p>You might want to check out Wagner on Staten Island. I’m not sure about there department today, but they used to have a musical theatre of acting focus geared towards education also. You might explore them and see what you could put together to accomplish your goals.</p>
<p>I have heard they have a great music program, and they are known for being a teachers college.</p>
<p>They describe the theater teaching degree on another page on the website:</p>
<p>“Teaching certification is offered through a B.A./M.S.T program consisting of the Pre-Teaching Track in the B.A. program and the Master of Science in Teaching Theatre Education program in the College of Education.”</p>
<p>Even though it’s a 4 hour ride from NYC Suny Cortland has an excellent teacher education program and offers a musical theatre minor. Also they have weekly bus rides to NYC including theater night trips.</p>
<p>Remember that Montclair has an Honors program that is actually quite good. My daughter has a BFA from there. She started in the Honors program; with the rigors of the BFA she was unable to squeeze in all the requirements to finish in Honors, but it definitely helped the academic level.</p>
<p>My D sounds very much like KittyCatWindow except that we live on the West Coast. So we’d like to pose the same question she did but not llimited to the east coast. Any suggestions???</p>
<p>The reason many students, my son included, want to major in MT is so that they can get the actual courses that comprise such a program. In most schools, it is virtually impossible to schedule the dance, voice, theater, music courses needed to get the solid grounding that makes up an MT major. The only way to get it is to be in the program. Also in many colleges, the chances of participating in MT department productions are zilch without being in the program itself, and my son did not want to be on the outside as a theater major, looking in at the MT kids doing what he dearly wanted to be doing for the four years of college. It would have been torture for him. But as far as getting the actual degree, as an MT major, he could not have cared less, and as an auditioning actor, it doesn’t make one bit of difference whether you majored, minored or anythinged in MT. You just have to know the stuff and a good MT program gives you the grounding.</p>
<p>So you want to MINOR in MT. Why? Why not just look for schools that have and allow you to take the courses you want in the subject? It’s not like a MT minor is going to make any difference in your qualifications. If you are able to dance, sing, act, read music and know the basic tenets of those performing arts, and have taken courses to cover them to some degree , that is all you need. I don’t know what a minor in MT would even comprise of. MT as a major basically takes over your schedule. It is not unusual for those in that discipline to be taking 8 courses in a term, plus being in productions is mandatory. My son was in the unusual situation of having all of his core academic requirements met when he started his program, and it was still a rough go. Do you have an example of what an MT minor is?</p>