<p>hi everyone.
I just came across this sight, and I was hoping that you may be able to help me...
I am a singer, and I was fortunate to be accepted into 6 schools. I have deturmined that I really want a conservatory. So.... I have narrowed it down to two schools...
1) Westminster Choir College (as an ed and perf double major)
2) New England Conservatory (as a perf major and possible conducting or theory minor)</p>
<pre><code> I was accepted into two amazing (former MET diva's) studios, one at each school, and I really liked them both... So... here is my problem... I feel as if both schools are of equal calaber, and the education I would get would be steller either way...
I have been singing at WCC since I was 5. i currently take lessons there now, and I am in many of their choirs. Throughout my years there I have worked with all of the Music Ed department, and they all know me, as well as the musical theater department, and most of the voice facuilty. I also know a large portion of the student body... I am afraid that if I go to WCC I will not experience the personal growth that I could experience if I go to NEC.
I also play the harp, I will not be getting a degree in perf for the harp, but it would be really great if i could continue to study it. I would be able to do this at NEC, unfortunatly WCC is all voice with some piano and organ majors thrown in.
On the flip side of the coin... there are not a lot of solo performance opportunities frovided for undergrads through the school at NEC. They do have choral concerts (which WCC has all the time), and that is the bulk of performance for undergrads at least for the first year or so. However, there are a lot of community organizations which do operas and musicals in Boston.
Another concern is that I am very close with my parents, and they come to all of my performances. I know that they love to come see me sing, and I love them being there too. I live in NJ, so if i go to WCC they will deffinatly be able to come see everything... but if i go to NEC they can only come to some of them (but then again there arnt that many performance opportunities neways).
My last concern (i think) are the choir tours. WCC has many choir tours, NEC has none. I love choral tours, and they are an important part of my life. Infact I will be going on tour this summer to Brazil, and if i decide to go to WCC I will have to start 2 or 3 days late. This will not be a problem as I am touring with a westminster choir... but if i go to NEC, classes start 2 or 3 days after I get home.
Also, I am going to go to grad school. so... which school would better prepare me for that? Which name and reputation travels further?
So.... all in all... i really have no idea. For every pro there is a con and for every con there is a pro. I dont really care about campus vs city... and distance from home isnt really that pressing a concern except for the performance thing. Also, If i were to go to WCC i already have a job walking distance which I could keep.... but I can get another job just as easily up in Boston.... My main decision comes down to this:
Which is more inportant to me, a personal growth experience with a great education or a great education with more in school performance opportunities (also remember... my current reseme is filled with WCC stuff... so would a new school or area be good or bad?)
Thank you so much! I am really confused, and I need help. Please share ne thing u know.... good bad or ugly. Also, what would you do? Thanks again!
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<p>If you are a wonderful young singer, becoming better continuously (increased access to range, steadiness of support and tone, projection, language skills, artistic development), and you will be studying with the same teacher, it is fine to stay where you are. If in any way you feel you have reached some limits, a problem not addressed nor solved, frustration with communication, growing curiosity about other studios and their successes, then it is time to leave. Choral singing is a great community event, but it is not what you will be concentrating on doing as a serious voice student. Maximum vocal progress is only made when you do what is best for you and your voice. When you sing in a choir, you are assigned a part and you make do, no matter how the piece fits your voice. You wind up compensating and adjusting in some way, and your individual vocal development will be affected. NEC is not likely to excuse you for arriving late because you are touring with another school's choir. You will miss a major part of adjusting to a new musical community. THe major vocal pedagogues are not interested in their students spending time in choirs. If that is your focus, you belong at WCC. If you aspire to be a solo singer, opera diva/divo, and you want access to a broader musical community, you belong at NEC. Good luck.</p>
<p>I think Lorelei has hit the nail on the head. I just wanted to add that several of your other concerns are likely to be secondary issues. If you go to WCC and have time to study harp (and I'm not sure you will,) then you could continue private lessons with someone in the area or even take the train into Philadelphia or NYC if necessary. If you go to Boston and your teacher permits it (and I'm not sure she will,) then you could surely find any number of choirs that would welcome a ringer for a summer tour. It is your own talent and the hard work of both you and your teacher that will get you into grad school, not the name on the school you choose.</p>
<p>I have a friend who graduated from WCC who now teaches voice and is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Chorus. If you are headed in either or both of those directions then I agree that Westminster is a great choice. If you have the desire and ability to pursue a solo career, then you should seriously consider NEC and the opportunities you would eventually have in Boston.</p>
<p>just to clarify.... I want to persue a solo career. Also, I will be getting back rom tour two days before NEC starts, so i will not be missing ne of it... </p>
<p>thank you so much.....</p>
<p>What have you heard about the college experience/ student life at NEC? thanks again!</p>
<p>From what I have heard the advantages of NEC are in the music building, not in the student life facilities. THe dorm is not great, and many kids seek other housing as soon as they can. That being said, the advantages are in the world of the conservatory itself, the contacts you will make, the music you will experience, the breadth of the musical life, and Boston itself. Where you sleep is not all that important, as long as you CAN sleep where your stuff is.</p>
<p>From what I saw when we visited, the real advantages at NEC are the faculty and the proximity to the whole Boston cultural scene. The facilities are mixed. Jordan Hall is very nice, but you probably will not be in it all that much except as an audience member your first couple of years there. The main classroom and administration building seemed kind of dark and musty to me. The dorm is terrible, possibly the worst I have ever seen at a college. You are required to live there first year and it is very expensive as dorms go. Second year and beyond, you must find your own housing within commuting distance on the open Boston market, which is also very expensive but a decided upgrade in your standard of living. Think of that first year as paying your dues.</p>
<p>You may wish to find out about the freshman orientation program at NEC. It is possible that you will miss several additional days of activities for the incoming freshman class in the week before classes start. I am pretty sure they have some kind of program of that sort, but I don't know when it is scheduled.</p>
<p>the dorms are just that.... dorms.... im not expecting too much.....</p>
<p>I was also wondering what you may have heard about the students. Are they happy, do they like it there? Do they feel that it is a good education? What is the social scene like? Whats the atmosphere? </p>
<p>Actually, if you do a bit of searching on this site, I think you will find reports of some voice students transferring out of NEC. I'm not sure whether it was an isolated incident and I do not know why they did so. Other than that, I don't know much about the attitudes of the students there.</p>
<p>People tend to divide sharply over NEC-- some love it, others don't. There's a lot of anti-NEC sentiment on this board, for some reason; I'd take it with a grain of salt. Plenty of people love it there.</p>
<p>gaaalindafied, I have no advice to offer, others have done that perfectly well. I was just wondering if you happen to know Julia Kemp and/or Guy Rothfuss? Since you said you've been at WCC for ages, I was curious if you'd ever met either of them. My daughter used to study with Julia in her home studio, and Guy used to come in and out of the house all the time, so we got to know him as well. I've always been curious as to how they are viewed on campus. If you don't know them, no problem - I just thought I'd ask.</p>
<p>I love ms. Kemp. She is a very sweet woman, and a preety good teacher from what ive heard. I have a lot of friends who study with her and they all like her a lot. In one of the choirs i am in there we did the Mendelson "here my prayer" and she sang the soprano solo. She has a voice to match her personality. I dont know of Guy Rothfuss, but if you would like i can ask around and see what I hear.</p>