<p>Hello, I am a rising senior attending school in Maryland, and I have recently concluded after MUCH deliberation that I will be majoring in music in college. These past couple of weeks, I've been trying to find a handful of colleges that would be the best fit for me. This summer I plan on doing a lot of music theory self-study (I'm looking for a book right now, and if anyone has recommendations, that would be fantastic) so I have somewhat of a footing my senior year. </p>
<p>My question for you all is (and it's a mouthful): what colleges would you recommend a vocalist who specializes in singing opera and music theater and whose ideal college would provide a strong undergraduate music program in addition to strong academics? Bonus points for colleges with a great running program as well.</p>
<p>Also, how would you recommend I prepare for a music major in the little remaining time I have?</p>
<p>Welcome humberth - you will likely have to choose to focus on either opera or musical theater. There are certainly places where you can do both, but there will still be more of a focus on one over the other. I assume you have a private voice teacher to help you with audition material. You should be working on that now. Are finances an issue? What are your preferences geographically?</p>
<p>Yes, I've been taking voice for about three years now and, thankfully, tuition cost is not an issue. I am also flexible geographically; however, I live on the East coast, and I believe my parents would appreciate it if I were to attend college nearby. :P</p>
<p>Great - now, do you see yourself going with classical or musical theater training? Are you doing both with your current teacher? For musical theater, you would need to be taking dance lessons and getting acting experience too.</p>
<p>Just a thought....humberth...are you planning on pursuing being a division 1 runner in college? If so, I will stick my neck out and say that pursuing a performance degree AND and being a Division 1 athlete might not be easy. You should check into the requirements for your sport as a division 1 recruit (or walkon) to see if it is possible to do both.</p>
<p>you should definitely look into the Cali School of Music at Montclair State University in NJ. Its a pretty big state university with a top-notch music program--especially the great voice faculty and the world-renowned choral director.</p>