<p>My daughter’s starting to look into schools seriously, and she’s concluded that there are few dance classes offerred at Northwestern. We were thinking this school was likely to be her first choice, but she’s actually scratched it off her list because of this.</p>
<p>This doesn’t seem plausible to me, given the MT program and everything. Has she missed something? What do the dancers at the MT program do to get their dance component up?</p>
<p>Hi monydad:
read the threads on this site as they explain this better than I am stating it but, in a nut shell..... MT is not an actual major but rather a concentration that you can audition for after freshman or sophomore years.....</p>
<p>I did in fact do a search in MT forum, prior to my post, on Northwestern and dance, and did not get my central question addressed. Perhaps I should have done some different search?</p>
<p>Perhaps I didn't explain myself properly.</p>
<p>My central question was not so much about whether MT at Northwestern is an actual major or if instead it is a certificate program, or a concentration.</p>
<p>Whatever it is called apparently its "program" is of sufficient stature to merit a separate sub-heading under "Musical Theater Schools" on CC. Or are you saying this designation is in error, and the "program" there really isn't a serious one like the others are? IF this is the case, well ok. Otherwise, I'd have thought they have to have dance, no?</p>
<p>What I really wanted to know is whether the students at Northwestern that are interested in MT, irrespective of how this program is certificated, can get adequate continued training in dance, and how does this happen there?</p>
<p>Because my daughter claims to have looked into it a bit and claims there's like no dance.</p>
<p>Hopefully my specific question is clearer now.</p>
<p>monydad, not sure if you and your D have looked at this page but it details the courses which students in the MT certificate program must take. It looks like a minimum of six dance classes in the two years of the program, for both voice and theatre majors:</p>
<p>Also check this page about the MT certificate program which is found in the Dance program's site:</p>
<p>The dance department, and major, look fairly intensive so I can't see where your D thinks that "there's like no dance" :). The audition for the MT certificate program includes a dance audition. I guess the best thing to do would be to speak to someone at Northwestern and get the details on those required minimum six dance classes. Best of luck.</p>
<p>Monydad,
I am a believer in going directly to the source for information. Check out the following pages at the Northwestern website:
This is the home page for the department of dance:
<a href="http://www.communication.northwestern.edu/dance%5B/url%5D">www.communication.northwestern.edu/dance</a>
Northwestern does offer a dance major through the department of theatre, which is housed in the School of Communication.
The following links also give some information on the dance courses available and the requirements in dance for both students pursuing the music theatre certificate through the school of music or the department of theatre:
<a href="http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/nucatalog/catalog0507/crsch0507.pdf%5B/url%5D">www.registrar.northwestern.edu/nucatalog/catalog0507/crsch0507.pdf</a>
<a href="http://www.registrar.northwestern.edu/nucatalog/catalog0507/commcat0507.pdf%5B/url%5D">www.registrar.northwestern.edu/nucatalog/catalog0507/commcat0507.pdf</a>
My reading tells me that MT students pursuing certification through the school of music take 3 dance classes and MT students pursuing certification through the department of theatre take 6 dance classes.
I'm sorry that I do not have any 1st had knowledge about Northwestern and their dance program, but perhaps perusing the dance department site will tell you what you want to know about their dance training.</p>
<p>Hi again MONYDAD ...I am not saying it is not of stature or in error, definitely not ...but rather we discovered during the D's search that you could be there for vocal or for theater and it is possible to not be able to enter into the "program" after having been there a year of two also it is very heavy with liberal arts because of the type degree and then added certificate....NW is very upfront that they do not claim to be a pre-professional theater program but....that is why I always mention that they offer a certificate in MT rather than a degree in it to people first....just because that was an eyeopener to us. </p>
<p>NW has volumes of alumni who are very accomplished and notable in MT so I know it is up there with many of the very reputable programs.</p>
<p>I had called them last year to ask specifics to the departments and the BA end of the degrees because when you do/if you do enter this certificate it actually becomes, as you are probably already aware, a combo of two schools within NW (Music and Communication). Because is was mix and had non credit courses involved, it just wasn't a clear cut picture for my D's liking. </p>
<p>The web address I found, that you probably already have is as follows and describes the course requirements and offering for both theater majors and voice majors....
<a href="http://www.communication.northwestern.edu/theatre/undergraduate/certificate/%5B/url%5D">http://www.communication.northwestern.edu/theatre/undergraduate/certificate/</a></p>
<p>We decided that after all the research that the BA route nor a certificate was the way my D wanted to go...so obviously it is really a matter of personal preference.</p>
<p>Best of luck!</p>
<p>Excuse me again...got off the track, forgive me....the dance required is listed at that website...it is 6 credit hours so it is less than alot of programs that are four year degree programs in MT</p>
<p>Thanks, guyz, I will forward this info to her. Her conclusions didn't make sense to me.</p>
<p>Maybe mtmumzie's last observation can give d more credence- perhaps there is some required, but less than most other programs?</p>
<p>Otherwise I have no idea what d based her conclusion on.</p>
<p>monydad, one thing you have to remember is that this is a two year program so yes, there will be fewer classes than you'd get in four but she also needs to look at not only what Northwestern offers in its first two years, but what the other schools she's interested in offer in their four year programs. A comparison of curriculum for each school is one of the most important exercises in this search. Another thing I'll mention is that you need to differentiate between six classes and six credit hours at each school, the definition can vary. mtmumzie indicates that it's six credit hours at Northwestern but the site states six classes, no credit. These are the kinds of things which need to be explored. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Thanks to "alwaysamom"....can't even read my own notes.....it said courses no credit and I write credit hours...sheesh! better quit while I am ahead today. Good point with the comment about two years....I love how these forums bring up such good things to think about...I have been a lurking/reading mom for a year or so and finally decided since I can now say been there done that with the application process and auditions I felt I could speak up here or there...keep up the good work future MT's and their parents!</p>
<p>A point of clarification:</p>
<p>THe dance courses are given credit at Northwestern, right? I mean they aren't treated like PE courses or something, are they?</p>
<p>Because I can't imagine someone taking 6 courses and not getting credit for them; that's a lot of extra work!</p>
<p>Maybe the "no credit" in the MT program writeup means the dance courses aren't counted towards the required credits for the MT certiificate? And not that a student won't get college credits for these courses?</p>
<p>monydad, I think that's the type of question you will have to ask Northwestern. It's clear from the site that they're referring to the dance classes as non-credit but it is also clear that they are a requirement for the MT certificate. I'm not sure that it matters whether or not you get college credit for them, does it? If they're a required component of the program, then they must be taken. Application of credit to specific courses/classes in many of these programs is not something which is universally done. For instance, at Tisch, the credits are awarded for studio classes as a whole, they're not broken down for the many individual studio classes which students take there. It may be done similarly at Northwestern. I wouldn't worry too much about that if I were you. :)</p>
<p>Monydad,
The Northwestern website does say that the dance classes required for the MT certificate are non-credit courses. I looked at all of the performance course listings for the department and saw that the lower level dance classes are zero credit and the upper level courses are taken for one credit. I do not know whether or not it is possible for more skilled MT dancers to take the upper level dance performance classes for credit or not. It is something you might want to ask Northwestern theatre or dance faculty about. However, as Alwaysamom says, I would not worry too much about whether or not your D will receive credit for the dance courses. It's the training that matters. As a parent who will be paying those tuition bills, you might inquire as to whether or not you will incur a fee for those non-credit dance classes. At my D's school, FSU, all MTs attend a MT studio class conducted by the School of Music co-chair every Tuesday. The class is required, but it is not listed in the course catalog and there is no fee attached. At most schools students receive no credit for performing in or crewing productions. Certainly, students want to participate in their school productions! I do know of a couple of schools that allow upperclassmen to sign up for a course with a title something like "Production/Performance" that gives them 1 or 2 hours credit for being in a show. Even those schools only allow the credit to be granted once or twice. It is simply a fact of life that most performance majors are required to take classes that require large amounts of time and grant very few credit hours :)</p>
<p>It's not just the fee. It's a matter that she only has so much time available. So many credit hours to take in a semester. If she has to do something but not get credit for it then it's just on top of everything else she has to do, no?</p>
<p>And then by not giving credit for it aren't they implicitly saying that dance isn't that important to them? But it's important to her...</p>
<p>Well, I'm not sure that that's how you should look at it. If it's 'on top of everything else she has to do', then it's also on top of everything everyone ELSE has to do, too! It's a required component of the program so regardless of the credit status, kids have to do it and obviously, if it's required, then it's a do-able thing. :)</p>
<p>I also don't think you should conclude that they're 'implicityly saying that dance isn't important to them'. Again, I think you really need to discuss this dance/credit issue directly with someone at Northwestern. It's not a fruitful discussion for all of us to speculate as to why they do it this way.</p>