<p>I don't want to choose between the two.</p>
<p>Just a sampling of the many vocal performance titled threads. Plenty of options to start investtigating.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/479642-schools-vocal-performance-where-apply.html?highlight=vocal[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/479642-schools-vocal-performance-where-apply.html?highlight=vocal</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/682870-vocal-performance-northwestern-vanderbilt-lawrence-u-miami.html?highlight=vocal[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/682870-vocal-performance-northwestern-vanderbilt-lawrence-u-miami.html?highlight=vocal</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/684001-conservatory-vs-university-vocal-career.html?highlight=vocal[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/684001-conservatory-vs-university-vocal-career.html?highlight=vocal</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/226214-good-schools-vocal-performance.html?highlight=vocal[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/226214-good-schools-vocal-performance.html?highlight=vocal</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/331355-more-choices-vocal-performance.html?highlight=vocal[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/331355-more-choices-vocal-performance.html?highlight=vocal</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/492248-looking-vocal-preformence-w-libreal-arts-too.html?highlight=vocal[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/492248-looking-vocal-preformence-w-libreal-arts-too.html?highlight=vocal</a>
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/260804-great-schools-vocal-performance.html?highlight=vocal[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/260804-great-schools-vocal-performance.html?highlight=vocal</a></p>
<p>This also depends upon what you consider to be “well rounded” and also on what your ultimate career goals are. There are music programs set within universities and LAC’s in which you take mostly academic classes and fit your voice lesson in around those. A free-standing conservatory may not offer you access to much in the way of liberal arts courses. And then there are the hybrids, top conservatories attached to or closely associated with colleges/universities where you are required to take not only an academic course load but all that goes along with being a vocal performance major as well. Be aware that, at least in the last example, VP majors take quite a few more credits than instrumental majors so you need to be able to keep up with it all. The links violadad has provided should keep you reading for a few days, and then, come on back and tell us more about you (year in HS, goals, academic stats, etc). You’ll find lots of help here!</p>
<p>DD is at Rice, the last example from MezzoMama, a conservatory within the university. . She has to take the standard distribution expected from all Rice students plus all of the music classes, studio, chorus, coachings, lessons, and practice times. At least her music history classes can count for 3 of the required Rice distribution classes. She takes 18-20 credits a term and will graduate with many more credits than her friends. She would not trade it for the world. But it does distract her from the music sometimes since she has to study for the other classes. Not for everyone. . the instrumentalist have it worse since they have much more practice time and more ensembles.</p>
<p>There are a lot of schools that furnish both. What state or region are you looking at? DD did her undergrad at a large university and is now more than holding her own vocally and academically with other grad students. Like singersmom07’s DD, she frequently carried 20 credits, but she now feels she has the edge, especially in Italian, French and German.
You might want to focus on where you can get a great teacher and good opportunities (money and/or performance).</p>
<p>Singersmom, do the instrumentalists at Rice take more credit hours than the VP majors? D is a CIM and she, like your D, has to take the academic load plus voice, theory, opera workshop,music history,languages, coachings,dance,etc. She entered with 18 credits and will also graduate with more credits than her friends. It seems to be different there though because the course distribution has the voice students busier than the instrumentalists,at least when it comes to having to study and have things ready for classes. Maybe it’s all in perception! But, there you go, jasmin, we’ve just given you two excellent examples of schools where academics sit side-by-side with music.</p>
<p>Definitely read through violadad’s linked threads. A wealth of information.</p>
<p>My son is a sophomore at Northwestern. VERY definitely an academically challenging and exciting school for him. If you are strictly a voice performance major, be aware that the first two years, MOST courses are in music (music theory, aural skills, keyboard, diction, music history, vocal solo class with the whole vocal department, ensemble, voice lessons, Alexander technique, sophomore practicum, opera workshop), so it could be a little frustrating at first. Freshmen and sophomores are not allowed to audition for lead roles in operas, which could be frustrating, too, but being in an opera chorus (also auditioned) is great fun. I’m guessing that the first-two-year focus on music classes is purposeful, as it encourages people who are not entirely sure that performance is their thing to switch majors early on. S has a few friends who switched out of performance to non-performance MUSIC majors (there are several–music education, ethnomusicology, etc). It’s very easy to do at Northwestern. But the next two years, he’s got lots of opportunity for non-music classes.</p>
<p>Because Northwestern is on the quarter system, you can take more classes per year overall than with a semester program–or so I’m told!–so quite a few people double major. In fact, the music department quite openly promotes various double majors The music department website lists all the various combinations of music-plus-whatever combinations, and there’s a handbook you can download. </p>
<p>It’s definitely an academically challenging school. My son came from a very large and competitive New England school and he says the Northwestern kids are very intense–but very friendly, too. I’ve mentioned this in several other posts, but the number of student-run productions, from music theater to classical music to theater to dance, is mind-boggling. There are many opportunities to sing for class and and to sing outside of academics (and, as S found out last spring, to sing too much!), what with grad students who compose or conduct and ask you to sing in their productions. (S has found the grad students to be friendly once they work with you!) It is not a small school: 8,000 undergrad, I think, but this allows for the many, many student-run productions. I’d say Northwestern definitely fits the music plus academics mold.</p>
<p>But don’t instrumentalists have to practice for more time than vocalists? Maybe they take that into account when designing courseloads?</p>
<p>Mezzo’sMama, I know that the voice students have to take all of the languages that instrumentalists don’t. But I don’t know about the rest of the instrumentalists’ requirements. They have to practice longer and have ensembles, but voice has opera and chorale. All have lessons and studio. They all take the same core music classes. DD was just lamenting that she had just had her last class in which all of her class, voice and instrumentalists, were together. She is mid junior year.</p>
<p>The best way to determine a credit load for two different disciplines like voice and instrumental would be to compare the degree requirements for each within the institution’s undergrad handbook.</p>
<p>Most of the schools with double degree programs will fit your bill.</p>
<p>My son (classical voice) chose Univ WI - Madison over all the others. Primarily due to cost, but there was one golden opportunity he did pass up. So far, he is very happy.</p>