<p>Hi All,
I have been lurking here for a while and have learned so much from all of you on this forum. Thank you! My daughter is a 17 year old mezzo who just graduated from high school. Last winter, just before my daughter sent in all of her applications, her voice teacher suggested she delay college for a year and let her voice develop. She is somewhat of a late bloomer: ex, barely made NATS regionals junior year, senior year she won Outstanding High School Vocalist at regionals. I think the decision to delay for a year was a good one and she will continue studying with her teacher. The question is, should she go ahead and take some classes this fall at our local university (Italian, music theory, etc.) or would being a "transfer student" vs a true freshman hurt her when she applies to music schools in the fall. We are considering both state schools and LACs with conservatories. Thank you in advance for your help!</p>
<p>I’ll start the conversation by saying that she can take her classes at the local university as a non-degree student–and should do so–to avoid being considered a transfer student. In general, there’s more scholarship money for freshmen than for transfer students, and, for a reason I’ve yet to understand, many conservatories are reluctant to take many transfers.</p>
<p>My son took quite a few college classes as a senior & gap year student. In fact he had more than a semester worth of credit that was not applied to any degree (HS or college) when he applied. It was very important to him that he be considered as a freshman and not a transfer. In most cases we had no problem explaining this to the colleges he was applying to, including our state school. In the case of the state school an admissions person contacted us to clarify the situation. We only had problems with one private school that insisted our son be a transfer student, despite our repeated statements that our son wanted to apply as a freshman. But that school was not our son’s first choice.</p>
<p>You need to check if “degree requirement course” will transfer and count towards graduation. You might be safer taking LA courses (English, History). Schools, especially conservatories, want you to take all “degree specific courses” with them. In voice, music theory, Italian and French will count as degree specific courses and your D may have to take them again or take a placement test to count. You want to be sure you don’t have to pay for the same courses twice. BTW, my D is a mezzo too :)</p>
<p>Check and see how many credits can be taken before being considered a transfer.</p>
<p>Consider taking gen ed type classes for credit rather than music, and do music at a conservatory prep or adult education or private study or whatever.</p>
<p>Look at some of the school she will be considering and see what Gen Eds are required, then you can see what is needed. My D began her freshman year at a conservatory- I dare you to guess what voice type!- with all of her gen eds covered by AP and dual credit courses and was able to test out of one foreign language entirely by taking the school’s exam since she was totally fluent in it. She was still considered a freshman because none of the courses were “within” the music major itself. She still did the full 4 years but had time to take some extra courses that interested her.</p>
<p>As for “growing” her voice: she is only 17 so it will continue to develop for the next 10 years or so, especially if she is a mezzo. And don’t be surprised if her fach changes after some further study- quite a number of those just haven’t developed their “top” yet and that comes with time. My D’s top really just opened in her first year of grad school and lo and behold, she’s a lyric mezzo with a great facility for quick coloratura!
I wouldn’t consider your D a late bloomer at all because kids her age shouldn’t have finished-sounding voices. As nice as those competitions are, they don’t mean a thing a few years down the road, but I am pleased that she is taking it slow and is continuing to work.</p>
<p>Check your PM box, please!</p>
<p>Hey! My daughter is a 17 year old Mezzo too! She just started studying voice in her sophomore year of high school. In her senior year she place third in NATS Second place as a sophomore and honorable mention as a junior. ( oh well) She was fortunate enough to work with Rene Fleming in a program she was involved in and was told her voice would continue to develop well into her twenties like Mezzo’sMama said. A gap year is great, in fact I need one, but it shouldn’t be because her voice is developing otherwise she’ll be a 27 year old freshman! 
I swear my daughter’s voice sounds more developed by the week at this point.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the good feedback. I think we are going to try to narrow down her list of schools and contact each of them to find out their policy on transfers. I appreciate the great suggestions!</p>
<p>Another possible thought: Look at arenas where your daughter has an opportunity to “test” into a higher level such as piano or languages. Don’t discount online studies for consideration. Another suggestion is to use the year to incorporate community service projects. When you are applying for various scholarships, community service can be a very large component. If there is an opportunity for your D to get “stage time” at a local theatre production, that is always a plus. Getting comfortable on stage and working on your acting skills can only be helpful for auditions and later, for competitions. Put together your own “opera study plan.” Go to the Met in HD and attend local symphony performances, maybe they have a discussion ahead of time that gives additional info. Anything you do to learn more about your career path and prepare yourself with information is good. Maybe she can intern with a local opera house or theatre in their marketing department. Just some thoughts.</p>