Good schools for vocal performance.

College Majors Music Major
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<p>KeyofH</p>

<p>Two possibilities: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/145959-univ-michigan-school-music.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/145959-univ-michigan-school-music.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>and the thread here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/6280-suggestions-colleges-music-majors-5.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/6280-suggestions-colleges-music-majors-5.html&lt;/a> I brought you in at the point I think you referenced. These may or may not be thread (s) you were looking for.</p>

<p>Edit
Could be here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/38662-music-major-minor-rankings-anyone.html?highlight=rank%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/38662-music-major-minor-rankings-anyone.html?highlight=rank&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>or here <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/516132-northwestern-university.html?highlight=rank%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/516132-northwestern-university.html?highlight=rank&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>I can't find them easily either. They are buried as posts within a thread, and can't seem to find them using associated keywords. I tried.</p>

62

<p>In response to some of the above posts:</p>

<p>I had to laugh at the reaction of VicAria and her D to the portraits of all the beauty queens in the Fine Arts Building. Of course, they are proud of them all, but I don't think they intend to insult anyone, nor do I think all students attending take it [the perceived exploitation of females by participation in "scholarship" pageants] very seriously. In fact, one Halloween, my D costumed herself as "The Wall of Queens" by wearing a hideous 80's-style dress, tiara, and holding a wooden picture frame around her face. It was really quite creative. :D</p>

<p>I also would not agree that OCU is focused more on MT. I would say the two are quite equal, and there is a definite emphasis on classic vocal training. And it is correct that all students are required to audition for all shows, both MT and operas.</p>

<p>As to no OCU graduates making it in opera, they have Leona Mitchell and Sarah Coburn among their alumni, as well as others. Also, Kristen Chenoweth (whose picture is on that wall!) and Kelly O'Hara also have sung opera, according to my D.</p>

<p>I know nothing about UMich or Baldwin-Wallace, so I can't compare the schools, but I think OCU ranks near the top for BOTH MT and VP. And you CAN double major fairly easily, especially if you have some of your gen eds out of the way via AP or dual-credit classes.</p>

63

<p>I have to agree with musicmom regarding the vocal training at OCU. Everybody is classicaly trained MT and VP. They have the same amount of operas as musicals each year, with the addition of a "stripped" opera this year. I think because of this fact they have a high amount of students who double major. As far as the beauty queen deal, while that's not really my thing, I do think that it is a credit to any music school to have graduated more Miss Americas that any other school. These are smart talented ladies, even if you don't go for that sort of thing. Trust me most of the female students there are not parading around like beauty queens!</p>

64

<p>No offense meant, or taken; there are different routes to feminine empowerment ... you'll get no argument from me that the successful beauty queens have a lot more going for them than looks. It could be a geographic sensibility, too; we're an old-time Yankee family from Connecticut, and that is not a big part of our culture up here, the way it is elsewhere.</p>

65

<p>Hi, </p>

<p>I was wondering if you all could give me some advice. My daughter is very good soprano singer at high school and would like to continue to train in voice/opera/musical theatre while at college. She has got offers in Harvard, Stanford, Oxford - but will choose based on which one has the best music opportunities? Could you please help-
regards</p>

66

<p>ViolaDad: Thanks for trying but none of the sites proposed had the listing I was thinking of. If anyone else happens to run across an entry on College Confidential containing two lists of the "best" vocal performance schools and conservatories I'd be very grateful. I just can't seem to find it. Thank you.</p>

67

<p>If she goes to Harvard, she can apply for the Harvard/NEC (New England Conservatory) program. It has hard to pass up the opportunity to go to Harvard. Worst case, she majors in Music at Harvard and takes private lessons (someone from NEC?).</p>

<p>At her age, voice teacher is the key. Along with a solid education in music.</p>

68

<p>Vic, I hear you.</p>

69

<p>My D's voice teacher discourages everyone from going to a conservatory for undergrad unless you are also getting a teaching certificate, or simply cannot imagine doing anything other than singing professionally, and are willing to sacrifice security and money for it. She recommends going to a good college, getting a great education and finding a good voice teacher while in college. No doubt you can find a great voice teacher in Boston, and you might do some research regarding that for Oxford. Good luck and congratulations to your daughter. You must be very proud!</p>

70

<p>sopranomom92-I am not "picking on you", but I am using your last post to make a point!
While conservatories are not right for everyone-probably not right for the great majority of students-one should not issue a blanket condemnation of them. My D's voice teacher has taught for over 25 years and has recommended that 3 of her students attend conservatories. One is having great success as a Wagnarian singer (now that she has grown into her voice) and has been training with a very famous soprano, another is now in NEC and then my D. While I only know the oldest of the 3 through her singing, the younger 2 turned down chances to attend Ivy League schools ( it hurt a bit when my D turned down Princeton, I must admit!! ). My D is brilliant and carries a 5.0 weighted GPA in all AP and dual-credit college courses, but would have been absolutely miserable at a college or university.She doesn't think that she is sacrificing anything- she's spent the past few years avoiding OJ (too much acid), any school event that would require yelling(bad for the cords), AC (chills are not good) and her scarf collection is legendary- rather, she views these as choices she has made to pursue her passion. Were she to attend a university, she would not have the time she requires to train and to perform. No one thinks a thing of young athletes who play, say, varsity soccer, two travel leagues and an indoor league- they are rewarded and featured in local papers the minute the day when letters of intent can be signed. The same can be said of kids who play basketball, wrestle, swim ride horses, figure skate or Irish Dance!
There are items on both sides of the scale, and it's good to view things from the perspective of "positives" rather than "negatives". I admire kids who know that they would rather attend college and take weekly music lessons just as I do those who devote the time and energy into preparing for the competitions and auditions that will open doors to the finest conservatories. It's time to celebrate differences and understand that no one route is right for all.</p>

71

<p>MezzoMamma: I agree to each his own. But please be careful with generalizations when you say, "No one thinks a thing of young athletes who play, say, varsity soccer, two travel leagues and an indoor league- they are rewarded and featured in local papers the minute the day when letters of intent can be signed." I know of at least one person who is concerned about young athletes who dedicate everything to their sport. </p>

<p>The other consideration, and this comes from my D's music teacher -- in order to be an artist, the musician must communicate. The teacher's feeling is that a liberal arts education gives young students something to communicate about, that if students don't understand the history and cultural context behind music they may have difficulty interpreting their music in a meaningful way. Another perspective. But you are right. No one route is right for all.</p>

72

<p>The fact of the matter is, everything depends on the teacher and the student's connection to said teacher, whether that be at a liberal arts school with a music program or at a top conservatory.</p>

73

<p>No worries. I don't feel picked upon. My D's teacher simply wants her students to be realistic in that even the best singer has a very remote chance of "making it" in opera. So, go to school to get an education--could be in music--the professional performing comes much later for a voice student. After undergrad the kids are only 22--their voices continue to develop for years after that. The other thing to consider is that after a liberal arts undergrad, while continuing to study voice and music on the side, a choice could be made to attend conservatory for grad school. Sure, there are plenty of doctors and lawyers with music degrees, not too many of them are from conservatories. Kinda hard to catch up on 4 years of science and math, though not impossible.</p>

<p>Sacrifices? Yes, sacrifices. When one takes one path, that person can't be on a different path, it's that simple. You lose the opportunities presented by the "road not taken." You could use the word "choices." For example, my husband's mother went to NEC. She won the Met auditions in the early 50's. Won. Not regionals, but 1st place. Was offered a contract with the Metropolitan Opera. But she had just met the love of her life, so she turned down the offer and got married. They were married 50 years. In those days a young lady didn't have an opera career and a family. Sacrifice or choice? Depends on your point of view. She ended up having quite a nice career, as a singer and voice teacher, albeit not at the level of the Met. (Personally, I'm glad she chose marriage, because I married her son, and our daughter seems to have inherited the talent;) )</p>

<p>Conservatory for my D? Maybe. If I were to guess today, I'm thinking she'll apply to 3 conservatories, 3 Universities with good voice programs, 3-4 liberal arts colleges. We'll find out in November. Whatever she decides, we'll be proud and support her.</p>

<p>My take is we encourage our kids to focus, follow their hearts, and work hard and develop their talents. We have to live each day in the present and pray for good health. Everything else will take care of itself.</p>

<p>Good luck with the decision-making! Our kids are truly blessed.</p>

74

<p>nicely said, Sopranomom92!!</p>

75

<p>Gee, I really didn't want to fight and I'm sorry if I came across wrong, which is why I prefaced my remarks as I did. All I wanted to point out is that each youngster is different. There is no right or wrong and each will ultimately choose the path right for her/him.</p>

76

<p>Consider the Lawrence Conservatory of Music, which is part of Lawrence University. Training there is comprehensive, personal, and excellent. And you can get your BA in the college of liberal arts at Lawrence University. Admissions to LCM are very competitive. Faculty are friendly and supportive.</p>

77

<p>KeyofH, I may have found the post you reference in your #61</p>

<p><a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/479642-schools-vocal-performance-where-apply-2.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/479642-schools-vocal-performance-where-apply-2.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

78

<p>Hi everyone,</p>

<p>I did my undergrad at the Shepherd School at Rice and chose it over Oberlin, NEC, USC and Peabody. I’m confident I made the right choice and was very happy there–it’s a beautiful campus and a very high-level music school. The academic environment is also stimulating, and the music students mix with the non-music students daily, as everything is on the same little campus. The residential college system also ensures that music and non-music students know one another.</p>

<p>There were definitely lots of opportunities for undergrads, although I think the grad students generally get more roles in the opera. However, during my time there, about half (or maybe more) of the undergraduates sang an opera role at some point or another in a full-scale production. There were also always concerts, recitals, new music opportunities and chamber music, and pretty much anyone could organize whatever of these things they were interested in pursuing.</p>

<p>Recently Rice has gotten a lot more press and has become a lot more popular, or at least that’s what it seems like to me, so while I was there we started to get quite a few grad students coming to study who had done their undergrads at famous schools like Juilliard. There are also several Rice undergrads who do their grad work at Juilliard, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence–I think the training is really very good at Rice. The teachers have all taught at either Aspen or Santa Fe in summer, or both. When I was an undergrad, lots of students from Rice were participating in festivals like Aspen, Tanglewood, Music Academy of the West, Santa Fe and Brevard.</p>

<p>At Shepherd, as far as I know, the horn and bass departments are considered the best in the country, which is also cool.</p>

<p>There are only three voice teachers, and there are very few spots (I think around 35 singers grad+undergrad), but the small size of the program is a plus in my opinion. The chances of acceptance for pretty much anyone are low, I guess–my year they accepted less than 8% of undergrad voice applicants (I called at some point while I was trying to decide where to go and asked just out of curiosity), and it has gotten more competitive now–but it’s still worth applying because it is really an incredible program. Rice is small but it produces some wonderful musicians and has a focused environment. No one falls through the cracks; they do not accept more students than they can train thoroughly.</p>

<p>If you have questions let me know; I can tell you what I know about teachers and coaches, and just the general atmosphere.</p>

1 Like
79

<p>My daughter is interested in Vocal Perforance or Musical Theater. She doesn’t feel as though she can really know while her voice is still young as to which direction she should go. She wants to attend a school in Chicago as she would like to do volunteer work at Shed’s aquarium. All of her life she has wanted to work with dolphins and whales. Then she attended an opera camp and became hooked! Now she is torn between two careers that are extremely hard to get your foot in the door and to make a living at
 anyone have a creative suggestion? Any information about VP / MT degrees in the Chicago area?</p>

80

<p>CCPA would be a good school to check out, but are you getting ahead of yourself? How much vocal training does your D currently have and what year is she in school? Good voice programs are very competitive and the auditions must be prepared for with the proper rep being chosen according to each school’s requirements. Also, VP and MT have become very different fields(there was that big shift in post-1970s musical theatre) and you just can’t make it in MT anymore without a good solid belt, something most classical teachers will not touch.It’s may be hard choosing one over the other when your’re young-my D loves both, so I know- but that divide is large and a “classical musical theatre voice”, the kind possessed by Barbara Cooke, Julie Andrews,etc will not get admitted to a good MT school much less land a job that actually pays.
Going from the idea of working with sea mammals to performing on an opera stage is a major shift in focus! Depending upon her age now and preparation, your D may want to look at a LAC or university with good programs in music and marine biology and take classes in both-although a true double major in both of those fields would be nearly impossible to complete without dropping from exhaustion! It’s not wise to limit oneself to looking only in one particular location, especially in this case, because a job at the aquarium, even as an internship, might not be available, and she could well not have time for it even should it open up. Schedules of VP majors are notoriously packed with languages, diction and opera workshops not to mention hours required for rehearsals and the required tech time for operas/scenes.
Provide us with some more info and there are plenty of folks here who can offer advice! Also, feel free to PM if you wish.</p>