Emphasis of Training at Shenandoah

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>(Trying to spread the questions by tracyvp)</p>

<p>We are starting to understand that most BFA Musical Theatre programs try very hard to train “triple threat” performers, but in the end, one of the three disciplines tends to emerge as slightly more prominent or emphasized than the others, and there is usually a second, then third.</p>

<p>For current Shenandoah students (or parents, if you know), what would you say is the primary emphasis of your training at Shenandoah?</p>

<p>Also, can you describe the type of training you get in each of the three disciplines? For example, in music, how much time and what sort of training in voice, theory, repertoire, piano, etc. Do you learn both “classical” MT styles as well as contemporary pop styles? When and how?</p>

<p>For acting, do you explore the different approaches, and in what depth? Do you train with the acting BFA’s or separately? Do you get a lot of straight acting training, or is most of the acting training in the context of “acting the song?”</p>

<p>In dance, can more advanced dancers take classes with the Dance majors? How much time is devoted to “specialty” dance like tap, partnering, hip hop, etc?</p>

<p>Sometimes different students have different experiences, so it would be awesome to hear from several!!</p>

2

<p>Hi! I am not a college rep, but my daughter is going to be attending SU in the fall as an MT. My suggestion to you is to email the department at the Conservatory. They are amazing people, they take the time to address concerns, and I bet you could even get a listing of courses by semester to see just what you want to know.
Good luck!</p>

3

<p>I don’t think any current students look at this board anymore so, I’ll go ahead an answer.</p>

<p>[For current Shenandoah students (or parents, if you know), what would you say is the primary emphasis of your training at Shenandoah?]</p>

<p>Acting. The acting elevates dance and song. Also: The Business. If you don’t understand how the business works, you will have a hard time finding work.</p>

<p>[Also, can you describe the type of training you get in each of the three disciplines? For example, in music, how much time and what sort of training in voice, theory, repertoire, piano, etc. Do you learn both “classical” MT styles as well as contemporary pop styles? When and how?]</p>

<p>Music: 4 semesters piano and music theory. Theory is specific to MT, piano is with all undergraduate music majors.</p>

<p>Voice: One hour lesson each semester all four years. Students are placed with a voice teacher based on their needs. All students have a set repertoire requirement for the four years that guarantees they have material from all eras of musical theatre history: Gilbert and Sullivan to Current Broadway and Billboard Pop/Rock. The senior year, students switch to a certain voice teacher’s studio :slight_smile: and study Pop/Rock while polishing off their book and preparing for auditions. Students are prepped for the agent/casting director visits in lessons and are taught how to bounce between Pop/Rock and Legit repertoire on the spot in those auditions.</p>

<p>[For acting, do you explore the different approaches, and in what depth? Do you train with the acting BFA’s or separately? Do you get a lot of straight acting training, or is most of the acting training in the context of “acting the song?”]</p>

<p>SU is in the midst of hiring a new acting instructor. The goal is to move more towards a Meisner approach. However, Stanislavsky, Chekhov, Adler, and Hagen also receive attention in class. Freshmen and Junior acting classes are combined with students in theatre and MT. Sophomore and Senior year the MTs take “Acting Through Song”. These classes deal a lot with scenes so students are still working with dialogue and shorter monologues. There are many opportunities to customize your training at SU through multiple productions. The goal is to create actors who dance and sing at the highest level possible. </p>

<p>[In dance, can more advanced dancers take classes with the Dance majors? How much time is devoted to “specialty” dance like tap, partnering, hip hop, etc?]</p>

<p>If the student is advanced, they can take classes with dance majors. They can also audition for the dance concerts. Students take dance every semester, most classes are in ballet, jazz, tap, modern, and MT styles.</p>

<p>In the last two years - around 85-90% of the students who have actively been seeking jobs for post graduation had received offers by the end of the spring semester. Those without offers have tended to be what I guess you would call non-traditional types (not the typical tall dancer girl/model looking guy). The rest not seeking work were either delaying auditions until moving to NYC or had other plans post-graduation.</p>

<p>The two things that set SU apart are the Pop/Rock training and the Business Training. The courses within the degree are constantly being re-evaluated to align with the needs of the business, and the dance, music, and theatre faculty work together and are on very good terms with each other.</p>

<p>Hope that helps.</p>

<p>VT</p>

4

That is extremely helpful. Thanks.