<p>My Junior (in HS) daughter sings MT and is trained classically - however in her free time she writes and sings pop/rock. As we have been looking at colleges we have seen lots of Opera programs and many Jazz Vocal programs... but very little on Commercial/Contemporary.</p>
<p>Carole Everett's book lists New England conservatory, Shenandoah, University of Denver, and a handful of other (much smaller) schools as having Commercial/Contemporary Voice majors. </p>
<p>Any suggestions on good programs that either offer the major or have a wide selection of classes and performances in rock/pop? Additionally, she wants a big school.</p>
<p>Yes, I am telling my D that classical training will help you regardless, but she has a valid point that she really is energized by the pop/rock. </p>
<p>If there is a thread that already covered this topic - I missed it (I did read a good check of the 20 threads first).</p>
<p>Hi Sportsfan,</p>
<p>It's good to see you posting again. I hope your S has had a great 1st semester at U.M. (I heard about his college decision through the local grapevine :) ) Sounds like your D is becoming quite an accomplished performer too. I saw her name in the paper just a couple of days ago. Looks like you are heading for round two of auditions in the near future.</p>
<p>I don't know of any schools that offer Commercial/Contemporary Voice as a major. You probably know more than I do on that score. Off the top of my head, Belmont in Nashville and Berklee in Boston are the schools I've seen mentioned on this forum as being possibilities for someone interested in commercial music. </p>
<p>There was an interesting post on the MT forum a few days ago. A mom mentioned that her D is studying with an Estill method voice teacher. I had never heard of the method, so I did a little research. Here's a link that covers the basics: <a href="http://trainmyvoice.com/estill/index.php%5B/url%5D">http://trainmyvoice.com/estill/index.php</a></p>
<p>It sounds like the Estill method is designed to teach singers how to sing in any style in a healthy way. There is a certified Estill teacher in Columbus. Perhaps if your D does not find a college that fits her criteria, she would be interested in attending Ohio State and studying with the certified Estill teacher, Kerrie Obert. (You can also find other Estill teachers on the link. I recall that there are teachers in Pittsburgh and North Carolina, among other places.) </p>
<p>You might also try doing a message search for the name Angstridden. Her D was interested in pursuing a pop music career. She received quite a bit of advice from posters on the MT forum.</p>
<p>Good luck!
Kathy</p>
<p><a href="http://trainmyvoice.com/estill/index.php%5B/url%5D">http://trainmyvoice.com/estill/index.php</a></p>
<p>Dancer Mom-</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. You have been very helpful with my S and now with my D. Thanks.</p>
<p>My son loves U of M - great MT program, talentent/nice kids, and great opportunities to learn. Also no allergy problems like he had in Cinicinnati. That is a big plus for his voice.</p>
<p>How is your D doing at Florida State?</p>
<p>The program I think you are refering to at New England Conservatory is the Contemporary Improvisation department. I warn you that this is NOT a commerical music department. It is a department with an extremely broad scope which mixes training in classical, jazz, world music, and contemporary styles. It is also a very small, highly selective department. NEC in general is a fairly conservative institution, and focuses primarily on classical and jazz training. There isn't really a program for contemporary/commerical music.
In that area your best bet - at least in Boston - is Berklee. I'm a bit cautious about recommending Berklee, though, because I know plenty of people who have had bad experiences there. I also don't have much respect for for-profit educational institutions. Anyway, Berklee may well be what your daughter is looking for. Go visit it and see for yourself.</p>
<p>Hi Sportsfan,</p>
<p>I'm glad to hear that your S loves U.M. My D will be very envious when I tell her that he has no allergy problems in Ann Arbor. I think D's allergy and asthma problems are worse in Tallahassee than here. All the humidity in Florida is very conducive to mold.</p>
<p>D is enjoying FSU. She especially loved this past semester as she was studying in London. She arrived home Thursday night. Before flying home she told us that she was eager to see her friends and family, but would be ready to go back to London after a couple of weeks back in the States, LOL. She's sad that that will not be happening! She'll be back in Tallahassee in January. FSU's London Theatre Experience was a wonderful opportunity. D was the only MT student given permission to attend this year. </p>
<p>It's very difficult for the MT students to get all of their ducks in a row. They have to have enough of their liberal arts credits out of the way and be able to pass out of either dance or voice during the 4th semester jury. At FSU the jury grade of pass means that the student is no longer required to jury in that area. (You can probably guess in which area D got a pass, though some of the faculty also gave her a pass in voice. The grade of pass was unanimous in dance.) </p>
<p>D says that the theatre classes - all taught by British professionals - were fabulous. She studied voice with a faculty member at the Royal College of Music. D was probably in a theatre on average of every other day. I think she saw virtually every production that took place in London this fall. She and the other theatre students went on several school sponsored field trips throughout the British Isles and did a trip to Paris. During the Theatre Experience's 10 day fall break the students usually choose their own itineraries. D went to Dublin, Florence, and Rome. My husband and I are hoping to see many of the photos this weekend. D e-mailed a few, but most remain to be seen.</p>
<p>I hope that your S and my D will get together to compare notes about school. U.M. was at the top of D's list and she knows several kids in the MT department. Good luck with your D's college search. I hope that finding a good fit will not be too difficult. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.</p>
<p>Kathy</p>
<p>MahlerSnob-</p>
<p>Thanks for the information. My D and I had heard there were some great things at Berklee. I hadn't yet heard some of the negative, but I assumed there would be some negatives.</p>
<p>-Kyle</p>
<p>DancersMom-</p>
<p>It sound like your D had a great time in England. My son wants to go there in his Junior Year.</p>