<p>that your child was conservatory material? </p>
<p>I think this may be a little harder to determine with vocalists as they come into their own a bit later than instrumentalists. For everyone, there are the intangibles--an innate or intuitive musical ability; drive and commitment and above all passion--that a parent can see. But when it comes to the process of program selection, how did you know that Curtis or Juilliard (for example) should top your list as a place your child has a shot at? </p>
<p>We're still a ways off from the application process (daughter is a HS freshman), but vocal performance is what she wants to pursue and I'm navigating the waters--financial and artistic. In a way, we are still in awe of her vocal ability so there is a lot of pride, but I think there's a lot of there 'there'. And I know the usual routes--placement in orchestras, choirs and competitions--so maybe I'm interested in the anecdotal evidence. What amazing musicians are represented here!</p>
<p>My musical ability is very limited. I once made a pretty decent dulcimer but could never even figure out how to tune it. Unless you have a lot of musical ability and also the ability to be impartial about your kids, I think you must rely on the opinion of the teachers. If you are going to rely on the opinions of teachers, you also need to know that the teachers are indeed knowledgeable about conservatory standards and competition. The opinions of friends, neighbors, and teachers who are overly optimistic or not highly trained can be misleading.</p>
<p>There are no guarantees, regardless of the talent, and even despite the seeming lack of talent. There are many functioning professional singers who were not particularly impressive as 18 year old auditionees. Besides the voice itself, there are issues of musicianship, musicality, and how well the singer's package of looks and abilities matches what they are trying to do. That being said, in my opinion, singers are best educated in an interdisciplinary curriculum, including but not limited to music, literature, languages, history/culture, theater, dance/movement, etc. These are core subjects in any undergraduate humanities degree. Studying voice is good preparation for lots of careers. I personally know singers with undergraduate degrees in voice who are now doctors, lawyers, teachers, business men and women, public administrators, etc. </p>
<p>Instrumental study tends to be narrower, and part of the problem is that to advance technically much time is required doing manual repetition, time which the human voice cannot manage. Necessarily, an instrumental major will not have had time to pursue so many diverse subjects. It is then harder to change courses. </p>
<p>I highly recommend that young singers compete in the auditions of the National Association of Teachers of Singing. If they consistently make the finals in those auditions, it is reasonable to consider being a voice major. </p>
<p>Thanks to both of you. The NATS competitions are definitely a part of what she will be doing in the next few years and that will give us a frame of reference. Her voice is a classical singer's voice and opera is her goal--she loves theatre and languages so the planets seem to be aligning. Her voice teacher is incredible and is grooming her for conservatory (if she so chooses) and we trust her implicitly. But that is just within our own sphere!</p>
<p>I have gotten such a thrill reading through some of these posts--it can be intimidating though. However, it's better to know this now than to find it out her junior year.</p>
<p>Both I and my wife are musicians and it took some effort not to laugh out loud the first time daughter mentioned Curtis about two and a half years after she first started on bass. Six months after that incident, she attended a summer camp that featured the Curtis bass teacher. She talked her way into some private lessons with him after the camp ended. During those lessons he told me that he looked forward to hearing her audition in a couple of years. That was enough convincing for me.</p>
<p>We also relied heavily on teachers' advice and input. Curtis was first mentioned as a possibility for my S by his teacher, when S was 13 and had been playing horn for 2 years. We'd never heard of the school, and were skeptical of the idea of music as a major (!) but free tuition was enough to intrigue us then. Over the years, it wasn't just one teacher telling us this; we started hearing it over and over till it was impossible to ignore.</p>
<p>Teachers have commented, from nearly his first years playing, on S's innate, almost lyrical, musicality, and his perfect pitch. He has an interesting combination of interests, so isn't quite as easy to peg, but all his teachers, from all his genres, have noted that, although he he is not as "polished" as some, there is something very special about him and his play.</p>
<p>The proof of their predictions will be in about a year+, after auditions.</p>
<p>We also took the advice of the many musical folks who crossed DS's path (private teachers, school personnel, and ensemble directors). We also found the articles that Peabody publishes to be helpful for US and they helped us see DS's interests in a better light. Here is the site...<a href="http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/787%5B/url%5D">http://www.peabody.jhu.edu/787</a></p>
<p>Teachers are the first indicator - not just one! Then high placements in various state and national competitions. Then doing auditioned summer programs and getting feedback from those instructors.</p>
<p>By the way, I totally agree with Lorelei - double majoring is the way to go. My D's teachers are convinced that conservatories are a waste of time for singers at least...far better to study with master instructors and get a degree in something different to fall back on during those inevitable lean years. Ultimately it is your childs decision to pursue her dream in her own manner.</p>
<p>S also received very positive feedback from his teachers, but shortly after he made the top ensemble at his music school, we were told he had exceeded the level of play of any jazz saxophonist they had ever had at the school. I started taking the idea of a conservatory a little more seriously then. But it was really not until S , who is so demanding of himself and never satisfied with his play, decided that he would audition for the top conservatories that I was sold. I figured if HE thought he was good enough to audition, he probably could make it.</p>
<p>Our biggest source of encouragement to support son's interest in a music career was his consistency in performing very well in competitive situations - regional, state, and national competitions; winning big scholarships to attend summer programs and schools that we could not otherwise afford; and placing highly in top ensembles at such programs.</p>
<p>Send her to Interlochen to study with one of the vocal teachers there- either for boarding school or the summer program. She will get a really good idea of where she stands. NATS is a good idea, as is ARTS (going into senior year).</p>
<p>Proof that you don't need to go to a conservatory (or even major in music as an undergrad) to make a career as a vocalist:</p>
<p>Waiting in the airport terminal to catch a flight home from Tanglewood, I noticed that the man next to me was reading a vocal score. We got to talking, and it turned out he was preparing for a performance of The Barber of Seville. He had performed at the Met, with James Levine, Seiji Ozawa, and others; last year, he was one of the leads in the world premiere of Tobias Picker's new opera, An American Tragedy, with the San Francisco Opera. The kicker? He majored in history as an undergrad, and only sang for fun. After getting his bachelor's, he decided that he wanted to give music a try, so he got his master's in vocal performance from IU, and now has a very active operatic career.</p>
<p>It happens all the time. In many ways, it makes a singer calmer and more confident not to be dependent on "making it"...knowing there are options in their world and life. All a singer needs is a good voice teacher. Most schools, though not all, would allow a nonmajor to be in opera, too. Music theory and all of that is interesting enough, but fairly irrelevant to becoming a singer. It is deconstructionism, and it gives a job to folks who want to do a lot of thinking about music, who are also the folks most likely to be involved in curriculum decisions. My attitude is heresy in the music community, but it is sincere and fairly well educated. An aspirant singer would be far better off finding a good teacher at a school where they can put together an interdisciplinary course which suits their needs and addresses their needs.</p>
<p>Your observations are very interesting, lorelei. I've been of a mind that my daughter should take advantage of a dual degree program or at least a conservatory where whatever academics are required are challenging--Rice comes to mind. But she is determined to pursue performance (until she found her voice, she wanted to pursue acting--again, a BFA program by audition). We'll come to it, but I do think an experience like Interlochen will be valuable. </p>
<p>We're having to go about this mostly on our own as the HS is brand new and the music program is not particularly robust nor the director fully up to speed on how to advise kids in high school (she comes from a middle school). Her primary comments to my daughter have been to sing quietly because she's too strong for the test of the chorale.</p>
<p>Ariamom: very bad idea for her to sing quietly...it causes tension in an unsophisticated singer to hold back....suggest to her that she mouth it rather than subdue her voice....and then get out of choir if that is the requirement to be in the group. Is there a piano class offered at her school? Much better use of her time. Lorelei</p>
<p>Edit: it is the same issue for string players at schools where the orchestra "serves" the opera program, especially violinists, holding back is not good. Obviously everyone has to learn how to play and sing softly, but that is a different issue. (For most vocalists, singing softly is more tiring, because that kind of support takes more physical coordination.) Most schools do require students to be in an ensemble any semester they get lessons, however, so be careful about that issue.</p>
<p>LOL--I should have continued! Her voice teacher and I didn't know that she was instructed to do this, she never mentioned it. But when she started to develop TMJ symptoms, we figured out that this was causing the problem--not a bite issue. So she now has some techniques to follow that don't induce tension and the problem has subsided--plus she's become a bit more defiant! She's dropping one of the ensembles next year, but will remain in chorale. It's been a good lesson though.</p>