<p>You've all been an immense help to me. I greatly appreciate it.</p>
<p>To BassDad, primarily: When I visited Oberlin last April my host of sorts (girlfriend's sister) was a member of the Collegium, so I was able to sit in on a rehearsal and speak with the director afterward. The ensemble does indeed contain voice majors, so it's possible, as well as non-conservatory students and a disproportionate number of organ majors.</p>
<p>To KatMT: Thanks for the specific stats; I doubt I could have found all that on my own. One of my best friends is starting at JMU as a freshman this year with the same major as I'm planning - Vocal Performance and International Affairs. I'll talk to her about how she's coordinating it. She says she's loving everything.</p>
<p>Does anyone know more about the programs at Eastman or BU? They don't seem to have been discussed as much.</p>
<p>There is a BA program in the college that does not require any audition for admission. Within that program there are four possible concentrations, of which the student must select one and only one. The concentrations in performance, conducting and music tech all require an audition to full conservatory standards at some point in the student's career, as well as juries at the end of third and fourth years. The concentration in Music History and Theory requires an audition to considerably lower standards for secondary private lessons on voice or an instrument. That audition should not be a problem for your son if he has been playing for a few years, working with a private teacher during that time and participating successfully in high school ensembles. If he is interested in a BA degree with a musicology slant, this coluld be the program for him.</p>
<p>The BA in Music program is not an option for double degree students. The non-conservatory major must be in a subject other than music.</p>
<p>Well done. In that case, I would try to find out who the voice majors in the Collegium are studying with and speak with their teacher(s) about sample lessons. Be sure to ask the teacher(s) about performing with the various school ensembles, participating in the double degree program and studying conducting in addition to voice.</p>
<p>MelancholyDane - After you talk to your friend at JMU please let me know what you find out! Also, if she is interested in musical theatre at all tell her to come on over to Theatre II and say hello. My office is Room 12.</p>
<p>For the Eastman program you need to apply to both Eastman and the College of Arts and Sciences and be admitted to both. If you are admitted to both, you can decide which campus you want to live on. There is a bus that travels between both campuses and runs every hour. The classes at each campus are offset with Eastman classes starting on the half hour and River campus classes starting on the hour.</p>
<p>My son was a cellist when he attended and said it is extremely difficult for string majors to do the double degree due to conflicts with orchestra. Most of the double degree students he knew were either theory or music history majors. He also admits he never hung out with the voice students so he doesn't know how if very many of them managed it.</p>
<p>Do you happen to recall whether any of the voice majors in the Collegium at Oberlin had been in it for more than one year? Voice majors there are required to be in Oberlin College Choir for four semesters and to take at least four more semesters of ensemble participation chosen from Baroque Ensemble, Chamber Music Ensemble, Collegium Musicum, Contemporary Music Ensemble, Musical Union, Opera Chorus, Chamber Choir, or winning major roles in an opera. Except for Oberlin College Choir, a maximum of two semesters in any one group may be counted toward the ensemble requirement. A voice teacher probably would probably not discourage a one-year stint in any of these ensembles on the grounds that the student is filling a graduation requirement by participating. If a student is in Collegium for more than two semesters however, then they are doing so on elective credit and presumably with the blessing of their primary teacher.</p>
<p>I had a car and it took me 8-10 minutes to drive from Tufts to NEC. I knew back routes, though. ;) The Tufts shuttle does take longer, about 20-25 min depending on traffic. Still perfectly manageable. All my friends in the Tufts-NEC dual program love it.</p>
<p>I'm surprised not to see Northwestern or UMichigan on your list as both have seamless double degree programs, and lost of good international options as well. However, I'm not sure that you have taken into consideration how very VERY competitive all these programs are. You might want to inquire how many openings will be available for voice/conducting as you proceed with your list.</p>