@NYCMusicDad I don’t disagree with your sentiment at all (hence my D’s BS degree). I do however want to point out that “practice” for a vocalist is not simply singing. It requires a lot of book work and listening to the opera (if cast) … not always an issue for freshman and sophomore (maybe) year. However this is NOT their academic study. This is in addition…and honestly translating is only so inspiring…there is some drudgery in this (which trips up the less disciplined student).
The first thing you need to do when cast in a role (besides buy a big expensive hard cover book) is sit for hours translating (unless English) and then learn the notes. You have to know the whole opera so you don’t get “lost” on stage. This can be the fun part… the history, the composer, the point of view of the director. But it is more time. Then you’ll also be assigned a diction coach who you will meet a couple times a week (as needed) to nitpick at your pronunciation plus you will start principal rehearsals and must be fully memorized…all while working on your repertoire for studio class AND doing you academic work. Some days may D did not sing since she sang in rehearsal so she couldn’t wear her voice down. But there were hours of book study, listening (until 3 hr opera familiar to memorized) and coachings. For my D’s first supporting role she was advised to take her credits down to the lowest possible to still be full time for the semester. Any idea of a minor was gone. She could have said “no” to the role but that wasn’t going to happen. It was sophomore year and even with her credits dropped low she barely survived. Some kids who get cast a lot take an additional semester to graduate due to dropping their schedules so often. For students not cast a lot it IS easier (and sometimes it’s not a talent issue but an issue of too much supply in one voice type). So freshman year usually feels pretty darn manageable. But depending on the student’s path, time for other pursuits can become a real issue. It was no big deal to us bc she was learning a ton…but ideas of other pursuits outside of her degree were over. Of course your mileage will vary.
@laurasti Wow that is awesome for your son. We live in CA and I have a D who is a Junior this year and we are trying to narrow down places to audition? She is Principal Horn in San Diego Youth Symphony… has gone to Tanglewood BUTI ( will be there this year) and wants to major in horn performance. I am curious how you selected the colleges to apply to. The knowledge of horn programs is very different to each person you ask. I have been privy to mostly west coasters… She has taken with Andrew Bain(Colburn) , Annie Bossler(UCI), Bill VerMeulen(Rice), Mike McCoy (SDSU) who is her current teacher. I would like to know a bit about your journey… please feel free to PM me.
mperrine - someone needs to tell me how to PM from this forum - I can’t find it. Anyway, my son was first horn for NJ Youth Symphony and first in state, regional, etc bands. He did summer camps but not the prestigious ones I’ve heard about - mostly one week camps on the east coast. He met his current horn teacher through one of these and is fortunate enough to study with someone from the MET opera orchestra. He has also attended master classes and workshops at local colleges and met other wonderful professional horn players this way. Many of these encouraged him to apply to the colleges they teach at. My son only wanted to apply to schools with a horn teacher he would want to study with. Many of these he knew from master classes, or his current teacher thought would be a good fit. When visiting possible schools, arrange for a lesson with the teacher. Because you have no idea how the audition will go, and what type of merit you may receive, IMO you need to over apply. Some have prescreening. He didn’t get past that at Rice, Juliard, or Curtis but was accepted into all 10 schools he auditioned at! We had NO IDEA this would happen - if we did we certainly wouldn’t have applied to so many. He was accepted at Rutgers, Temple, Mannes, Manhattan School of Music, Carnegie Mellon, Boston U, Boston Conservatory, NEC, Eastman, and Northwestern. I should mention that he also had good grades, GPA, test scores, boycott, job, etc. He was the whole package though I don’t know if any of this was taken into consideration. As far as scholarship goes, MSM & Carnegie Mellon offered him nothing. NU offered nothing in the beginning but we appealed and found out late in the game that he would get the scholarship someone else won’t be using :). So all in all, all the other choices gave decent merit money - not great but not terrible - with BU being the lowest and Eastman being the highest. There are some excellent music schools he was not interested in applying to because he didn’t want to study with the teacher. Hope this helps. Feel free to ask questions.
@laurasti Thanks for responding. The teacher is sooo important. Our teacher told us of his experience; he went to Boston Con. He got a full ride and experienced a “whiplash” kind of thing… the teacher was mean… hated how he played… changed his embouchure…he played worse… teacher hated him more… basically killed his confidence. He then quilt and transferred to SDSU and had a great experience. So yes… we are taking lessons from as many colleges as we can get to , which is rather expensive, given where we live and the colleges that she wants. She also has good grades(4.3) and SAT. I was also told that did not matter what you grades were, if your audition is stellar. My concern, like you, is where she will be accepted. I feel like Colburn and Rice are long shots… like dream schools. Colburn is like Curtis where it is !00 % scholarship and they work with the LA Phil… Andrew Bain is their teacher and quite honestly one of the best and nicest teachers(person)s I have met. Her previous teacher(Principal @SD Symphony) Ben Jaber is a graduate of Rice and recommended it. However, I don’t know. For her… BU is out (teacher is not her cup of tea) USC (same) So NU would be Clevenger?
Just want to add that double major and double degree are both mentioned here, and the essay on the “Double Degree Dilemma” clarifies these choices.
I think it is very valuable to have long term parents posting here, like StacJip and glassharmonica. With undergrad decisions, it can be hard to see ahead and I will just add my two cents, that young people don’t have to do it all at once (double degree or major) but can sequence. And once in grad school there may be more flexibility in terms of classes in other areas.
And yes great point, about reading after graduation and throughout life. I have always viewed people in the field of music as cultured, educated folks and experience has proven that to be true 
“…in many cases, for those who are determined to become pro musicians, the double-major likely does not add enough value to the degree to justify the reduction in the music courses that will make for a solid career. For students who are more likely to go into other professions but would like to continue to play music at as high a level as possible, the double major makes more sense (my niece, who loves music but wants a different profession, did this.)”
My perspective: I think a student (and parent) should understand why they want a second degree and would need to evaluate the way a second degree is added to the mix. Getting both in 4 years is tough and may reduce music courses/opportunities. My D was pursuing both in 5 years at NU and it is very doable without diluting the music degree - it’s done by many students. Speaking just to her case, she is academically curious and envisioned her second liberal arts degree (pursuing Anthro and History courses) as the best way to explore the human condition which then would inform her performing. Otherwise, “What stories would I tell?” (her words). In her mind, it all worked together rather than as a separate degree or a fallback position.
@laurasti To be sure, I’m not trivializing the weather differences. The winters are long and we get those 3 bitter weeks, but snow is not really the issue. Yeah…I gotta believe that Rochester is probably worse but maybe someone else could confirm that!
The weather in Rochester is much the same as in Chicago (I’ve lived in both and am now in between!)- the Great Lakes produce healthy doses of snow! Rochester is a much smaller city with a unique vibe while Chicago has a wealth of cultural resources which only a big city can offer. Cost of living is affordable in both places but transportation in and out is another matter entirely! Chicago has two airports with really good fares depending upon the airline but Rochester’s small facility is known for having some of the highest fares in the country.
I think this decision will come down to the school that has the best fit of teacher, program and cost.
Daughter is at Rochester. We live in Chicago. Exact same weather.