<p>I just started singing with a voice teacher a year ago. While searching for schools I have been told I have a lot of talent, but since I've only been studying for a year I lack a lot of technique, musicality, etc., that my competitors have.</p>
<p>While I still am going to apply to some of the big names such as:
Northwestern
Rice
Mcgill
Oberlin</p>
<p>I was wondering if there were any other schools, audition or no audition, with relatively good music programs that are considered "Safties" where I can play catchup. My grades are top-notch and I am not looking to go to a conservatory without a university</p>
<p>I’m going to play Devil’s Advocate here and say that there are no “safety” schools when it comes to music performance and especially NOT when it comes to voice. You are young and by your own admission, quite inexperienced, and if you indeed want to pursue a degree in vocal performance, this is an example of a time when taking an extra year- a gap year, if you will- might be a wise move. Taking lessons with a good teacher, working on musicianship and studying piano could put you in a better position for auditions. In my opinion, that would be preferable to attending a non-audition program as a voice major.
Should you decide to wade into the audition pool this year, the most important thing is to find a program where young singers are not put in fully staged operas- no undergrad should be singing over a full orchestra- and where you are in the care of a nurturing teacher who is well versed in vocal pedagogy and vocal health. Singers do start much later than their instrumental counterparts and can’t practice anywhere near as much as they do, but if the voice is stressed and should damage occur, it’s not easily fixed.</p>
<p>What schools would you recommend for undergrad voice then? I have thought of taking a gap year if I do not get accepted into a good enough program, maybe abroad in France as I’ve taken 8 years of french and studying there.</p>
<p>With regards to the safety schools, I know it is all subjective and such but there must be schools that have lower expectations.</p>
<p>I do not have my heart set on going to a big music school, as that might be too much too soon, but I think if i go to a smaller or less known program with a great great voice teacher I might be able to catch up and mature at my own rate. What are your (or anyone else’s) thoughts on that.</p>
<p>I know that Bard College has a strong non-audition vocal program (not the conservatory - which is a post graduate program only, run by Dawn Upshaw) - although in a sense it’s auditioned - because you have to ‘moderate’ into it as an Upper College student, and not every student is accepted. I’m sure there must be other programs like Bard’s - strong academics and a serious music program - but as a BA. Personally I don’t know anything about the voice professors at schools like Williams, Vassar, Sarah Lawrence etc. - but some others on this Forum may. A BA would give you time to develop, if the instruction is good, and you can then apply to a graduate program in Voice Performance.</p>
<p>You might also want to have a look at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove PA. They have a good music program and nice facilities. My wife and son both got undergrad degrees there, hers in Music Ed, his in Psychology and Philosophy. They get quite a broad range of students, from those who show promise but are still fairly new to musical performance to those who would be competitive for the better-known conservatories.</p>
<p>Do these programs have good vocal programs? I think I am pretty set on getting a BMus, as I feel like getting a BA would leave me even FURTHER behind. </p>
<p>Anyone else have any opinions on good audition music schools that don’t have as high of a standard as the oberlin’s northwestern’s etc.,</p>
<p>Baritenor—a good school by it’s very nature has high standards. But frequently, for male singers, they are willing to overlook the lack of polish for a voice that has great potential. I know of at least one grad school singer at Curtis who got their BA in music, with hardly any music lessons before they auditioned for their undergrad at a flagship state U. Find a good teacher and make sure “safety” means that you will not incur debt.
BTW This question pops up every year.</p>
<p>Baritenor,
Look at the College of St Rose in Albany, NY. They received a large endowment in the last couple of years. You’ll find a wide range of students from an All Eastern level vocalist to some who show promise but have less formal training. They also offer good academic and music scholarships and meet more than full need for students that they are interested in attending. It’s a small program about 200 students so you will get lots of individual attention.</p>
<p>Thank you everyone I found some good schools to apply to… And will try to visit them. But if anyone else has anymore suggestions, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THEM.
Additional places I probably will apply are UT Austin, Lawrence, Miami U, Southern Methodist, Tulane, and UNC.</p>
<p>Any comments on those schools with regard to VOCAL PERFORMANCE?</p>
<p>Plymouth State University in NH has a good track record of graduates getting into strong MM programs. It is a BA program in vocal performance and pedagogy. There are no graduate students.</p>
<p>James Madison University in VA has a strong track record of graduates getting into top MM programs. It is a BM program in vocal performance. JMU has MM and DMA programs. </p>
<p>UMD-College Park, UNC-Greensboro, Penn State, Appalachian State, Gettysburg are all worth looking at… although they vary in terms of audition selectivity, opportunities for undergraduates, program size, school size, etc…</p>
<p>Quite a few schools have wonderful teachers and opportunities for undergraduates in vocal performance. Look at schools that might interest you in terms of size and location, and look into the program to see if it could be a good fit.<br>
Sent from my DROID RAZR using CC</p>
<p>I’d pass on France right now. Their “conservatories” are on a downslide right now and even the students I know who live there have applied to schools in other countries.
You’ve gotten some good advice about schools here so far, and please don’t overlook the idea of a good BA program if you can get the right teacher and gain the experience you need.</p>
<p>Mezzo’s Mama - Not to hijack the thread, but I am intrigued by your thoughts on the state of French conservatories. Why is this happening? Is it the institutions themselves, or just the state of the voice programs there?</p>
<p>lastbird- I’m particularly referring to the voice programs as that’s the area I’m most familiar with. There has been a real problem with teacher retention and building strong programs which has led to an exodus of the more talented voice students. I do know that there are some great teachers in France for piano, cello, organ, harp and guitar and they have full studios, but I wonder if the problems in the VP area will become pervasive with regard to the programs themselves…</p>
<p>Regarding French conservatories in general - I have no idea about vocal programs in France, and am willing to trust Mezzo’sMama on that, but I don’t think that this will transfer to other instruments. Typically orchestral instrumentalists would pay very little attention to the state of the vocal program at the conservatories that interest them. I haven’t seen any great exodus of wind and string teachers from the main CNSM conservatoires. Unsure as to why you would regard them as needing inverted commas… (
<p>No ulterior motives, fishee! I just inserted the quotation marks to identify the institutions to which I was referring to in the context that Americans understand: post-secondary schools. The word conservatory is more often used in the EU to refer to schools which train the school age youngster in various areas of music, such as solfege, music theory and then instruments &/or voice. They exist all over and some are even loosely connected with symphonies or opera houses (such as the conservatory attached to the Liceu in Barcelona).
My comments refer only to the voice programs in the schools at the moment and I hope it remains that way.</p>
<p>University of Rochester - Eastman
Indiana University, Bloomington
University of WI, Madison - has a good music program</p>
<p>etc.</p>
<p>Note: as a “safety”, you are trying to get into the school, not necessarily be admitted as a music major. Once you are in, you can usually take music classes. Maybe you can eventually “transfer” into the music school. If not, at least you will have a lot of classes towards going to grad school in music.</p>
<p>The tuition at SUNY schools for in-state residents is $5570/yr while the tuition at Eastman/U of R is $42,890. Quite a difference!
Perhaps OperaDad meant to refer to SUNY Potsdam/Crane School of Music?</p>