<p>Hi! I have a daughter who will be a senior this year and is considering a MT major. I'm not even sure where to start. We live in the Pacific Northwest and it would be nice for her to be here but not necessary. I would love any suggestions as to which colleges to look into and which programs. Should we look for a BFA? Conservatory? What is best? Her strength in acting and has a beautiful voice. Her dancing is coming along but she hasn't had as much training in that area.</p>
<p>Either here on the MT forum or on the Theatre forum there is a discussion about West Coast schools. I believe they discuss both theatre and musical theatre schools. If you look back through recent discussions (I am pretty sure the discussion has occurred with the past few weeks), or search both the forums using the search function you should be able to find it. Off the top of my head, I believe Cornish in Seattle has a MT program. I am not sure about other schools in the Pacific NW. Some West Coast schools that come to mind are: UCLA, UC-Irvine, Cal State-Fullerton, Cal State-Chico (I think), San Francisco State, AMDA-LA. There are basically four types of degree programs that generally will offer Musical Theatre: BA, BFA, BM, 2 year conservatory diploma. BAs tend to offer the training within more of a liberal arts context. In a BA generally 30% to 50% of the required course work will be in the major, with 70% to 50% of the required course work outside of the major. Some BA programs will require an audition, others may not. In a BFA program generally 70% to 90% of the required course work is in the major with the other 30% to 10% of required course work outside of the major. A BM degree will generally follow similar percentages as the BFA, but with greater emphasis on music courses. The two year conservatory degree will generally not have any course work outside of music, theatre, and dance. This is not a college degree. Graduates receive a certificate when they complete the 2 year program. Auditions are generally required for BFA, BM, and two year conservatory programs. The term conservatory is used to describe 2 year programs, and some BFA programs. Generally the BFAs that require few classes outside of the major. One type of training degree program is not better or worse than another. It is all a matter of your D defining the type of educational experience she is looking for right out of high school. There are successful MT performers from all types of training enviroments.</p>
<p>Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA has a great Theatre Dept which includes a BFA in Musical Theatre. It is only 2 years old so you don’t hear much about it. My dtr is a sophomore and loves the program.</p>