<p>Hi! I really need some help deciphering what the difference is exactly. Here's the deal. I would like to get a music degree with a concentration in voice, and my intent is to go to a cheaper college and get a degree in music, and then eventually transfer and get a masters in either music with a musical theatre concentration, or in the fine arts with a concentration in Musical Theatre. Keeping that in mind, would it be best to get a BS, BA, or BM? The college I am looking at right now offers a BS in music performance with a concentration in vocal performance, but will that allow me to eventually be accepted into a Masters program?
If I want to get an MFA, do I need to have a BFA in order to be accepted? Or are there just prerequisites?
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks so much!</p>
<p>I was waiting for someone more familiar with voice or musical theater to answer (there is a musical theater forum here, by the way). You are essentially asking about a BA, BS, BM and BFA, the differences, and how the different degrees might affect future studies for a master’s.</p>
<p>A BS is relatively uncommon, and a BFA is a less frequent option than BA or BM too, at least in music (art, dance, theater and musical theater may involve a BFA).</p>
<p>A BA is usually 1/4-1/3 music classes, possibly up to 1/2. A BM is often 2/3-3/4 classes in music. A BS would have more focus than a BA, and I would think a BFA would be more than a BS but maybe less than a BM in terms of focused music classes. Please, anyone reading this, correct me if I am wrong on the BS or BFA. </p>
<p>Sometimes a BA will not be a performance degree and have few performance aspects in classes. Not always, but often. You study music history, theory and aural skills, ethnomusicology, music and technology, composition, take lessons and then perform either as an extracurricular or off campus. There are often distribution requirements and you would take more liberal arts or other classes than with a BM or BFA (or to a lesser degree, BS). </p>
<p>A BM would be a performance degree (as would a BFA), with classes in performance, ensembles and solo opportunities, as well as classes in music theory, history, and so on. Liberal arts requirements are lighter than for a BA, as I said above.</p>
<p>There are many paths to take, and all of them leave a possibility of master’s degree studies. Admission is still heavily dependent on auditions at that level, though of course you would want to have music studies under your belt as well. </p>
<p>I think you might want specific help concerning the best path for musical theater, and, again, there is a forum for that. I think of Musical Theater as being a BFA generally but you could do it a number of ways. I defer to others who are more knowledgeable on this.</p>
<p>Please do not limit yourself to the “cheapest” schools. However, if you mean public universities, they may offer good programs- certainly look into it. But there are many privates that might offer either financial aid or a merit scholarship to you, and end up being less costly than a public. Have you looked at Hartt for instance, or SUNY Purchase? Other posters will have more suggestions.</p>
<p>In the meantime, check out the musical theater forum nearby!</p>
<p>Why not go to a school that offers a BM in VP with a concentration in musical theater? Such as: <a href=“http://music.asu.edu/lot/”>http://music.asu.edu/lot/</a> </p>
<p>Do you have a specific reason why you want to get a masters in musical theater? </p>
<p>Thank you so much! I am going to put this question in the Musical theatre forum as well I think.</p>
<p>I think musicamusic has a good point: why not do a BM or BFA (or BS, BA if available) in musical theater?</p>
<p>Alternatively, you could major in music or anything else for that matter and do musical theater productions as extracurriculars, but you would not get the same training.</p>
<p>Are you gearing your plan to do music strictly based on the idea of saving money? I think there is an argument for going for the best program you can on the bachelor’s level. In fact, if you do end up going to graduate school you will probably get more funding for it if you have a background in musical theater as an undergrad and have some quality productions under your belt.</p>
<p>Voices can take time to mature, so that is why I would defer to those who know specifically about your field.</p>
<p>Hope the musical theater program is helpful or that someone comes on this thread who knows a lot about it. Good luck!</p>
<p>I would like to get a degree solely in Musical theatre, but I worry that I will not be able to work in college, and my mom is really against it. My strong point is voice, and I was thinking of majoring in vocal performance and then getting a theatre minor. I’ve been told that you can do much more with a plain vocal degree rather than a musical theatre degree.</p>
<p>The vast majority of musical theater productions do not utilize singers who are classically trained. Those days are effectively over. Just study musical theater or study voice in a program that has VP with a musical theater emphasis. In point of fact there is actually very little you can do with a “plain (undergrad) vocal degree”. When you say that “you will not be able to work in college” …are you talking about work within the theater or a part time job while in college? Either degree keeps you pretty busy.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure I meant “i worry that I will not be able to work once i get out of college” and specifically in the theatre. I mean, if you aren’t working in the theatre and you have a Bachelors in Musical Theatre, what can you do with it?</p>
<p>What do you think you are going to do with an undergrad degree in vocal performance? Do you honestly think that it is easier to get work in classical voice? (and I ask this as someone whose D has been through this process and is working as a professional classical singer)
What specifically is your post graduation goal? Do you want to perform? Do you want to teach? I think you need to focus on what you want and figure out the best path. Good luck.</p>
<p>Maybe do private lessons? I really don’t know I’m just going by what people have told me.</p>
<p>You are not going to get much significant work teaching private lessons with an undergrad degree in VP. If you want to teach school you might want to check out a degree in music education.
Read this to give yourself some perspective.</p>
<p><a href=“What does an Operatic career look like? | The College Audition Blog”>http://auditioningforcollege.com/vocal-performance/what-does-an-operatic-career-look-like/</a></p>
<p>I will add to this discussion what we often say here on this forum. A bachelor’s in music or in musical theater is a bachelor’s like any other bachelor’s, and can give you access to jobs that require a bachelors, as well as grad school in many subjects and professional schools such as law, med, or business school. </p>
<p>The skills and presentation learned doing musical theater have a wide variety of applications in the workplace. Stage presence, public speaking, working with a team, articulate speaking, cultural literacy: all pluses in the marketplace.</p>
<p>It is still possible to do what you love during the undergrad years and then move on to a job or career that may or may not be directly related to what you studied.</p>
<p>Many students come on here saying their parents don’t support their desired field of study in music, which is too bad. Understandable in a day and age of high tuition and debt, but still, too bad. </p>
<p>Try to find a program that offers what you most want to study, and that is affordable or gives whatever aid you are entitled to, financial or merit. If you study musical theater and, after graduation, decide not to pursue it professionally, then do it in your community - and you will find employers who will welcome your background.</p>
<p>If you are thinking about MT, going for a Masters will put you so far behind the curve age and experience wise that you might as well not bother. It’s a highly competitive field where getting out there and being seen in a Showcase (presented by your school for casting agents- usually held in NYC, sometimes also in LA) now is a must. Those are offered by the good undergrad MT schools.
As others have told you, with a VP degree, you will have to get a Masters degree.</p>
<p>If you tell us what you’d like to do, we can try to offer some guidance.</p>
<p>If you want to do Musical Theatre, try to pursue a BFA in MT. If you want to combine musical theatre with something else, you can do a BA in MT, but in general, the training will not be as intense or throrough. My D graduated with a BA in MT and a BA in history (a double degree, not a double major). She is currently an ensemble member of a theatre company (part-time) and pursuing a PhD in performance history. Her fellow BA MT grads are doing a wide range of jobs - from performing in regional theatre and national tours, to being a personal assistant in NYC while auditioning, to working for a casting agency, to interning in theatre management, to teaching theatre in a HS. </p>
<p>My S, on the other hand, knew that he only wanted to do classical voice (despite a relatively successful career as a child performer in MT). He is pursuing a BM in voice performance which (after all of his AP credits) is about 90% music classes. He will be pursuing a MM in voice. His school also has a very strong MT department, but the two groups do not mix often. S’s roommate is one of the rare “crossover” kids who majors in VP but still occasionally performs in musicals with the MT dept. </p>
<p>So glad knowledgeable people are responding 
It might help to repost a question with musical theater in the title of the thread.</p>
<p>Depending upon the school you attend, there may be performance opps in both fields, just as megpmom has described. My D is getting her MM in VP but she was recently invited to perform in a prestigious charity, musical theatre benefit concert! That “Golden Age” of MT suits our classical voiced kids perfectly!</p>