I am an upcoming senior applying to/auditioning for college in the fall. I know CMU has wonderful programs for both MT and VP, and I am very interested in both although they are separate areas. I am a singer, so I want to focus mainly on voice - if I major in Vocal Performance, are there any opportunities to also do musical theatre type things there? Would the VP majors do classical musical theatre? How are the two mixed, if at all? Thank you so much! 
My D posted this using my screen instead of hers, so I thought I’d qualify: She was thinking 100% VP. classical voice until very recently. She liked CMU’s VP program because the curriculum included movement and acting to a greater extent than other VP programs with emphasis on opera (maybe except Steinhardt). She is excellent vocally and is a good actress but isn’t at all strong in dance (so MT at CMU isn’t a realistic possibility if they want triple threats). She has only just started adult ballet classes, and it does not come easily. If she continued to purse VP at CMU would there be any chance for her to develop skills that open opportunities for her in MT? Like taking theater or dance as electives? Note she is more of a legit soprano than a belter, but she can definitely belt.
As I understand it - mt and acting are very much intertwined within the school of drama- but vp is a separate entity. (Attached to school of music?) I have not heard of crossover between programs
Interesting question. During my daughter’s audition season several years ago, she was somewhat torn between MT and VP. She loved musical theatre, but she also felt very good about what she was doing in her classical training and repertoire. CMU was one of a few places where she auditioned for both MT and VP. She was accepted in the VP program, but turned down for MT. Ultimately, she ended up in an MT program at another school, but not without giving the VP program at CMU (as well as some others) some serious thought. She loved the focus on languages and, especially, the significant acting component of the CMU VP curriculum, and a general direction that seemed to be situated in classical performance but also included forays into contemporary MT (I believe that the VP program was planning on doing Into The Woods as a performance). However, she could not see any real opportunity for “crossover” with the MT program. Ultimately, she felt her heart was really in MT and if she went to the VP program at CMU, that she would not be happy “across the yard” from the theatre program. Having said that, VP at CMU was tempting in many ways. It is a small program (only 12 new freshmen when she applied), but is situated in an incredibly forward-thinking university that works very hard to execute a 21st century mission. They were also very generous in terms of financial aid and demonstrated that they had the flexibility and ability to compete with other offers. I don’t know if that was a department/school-specific issue. I encouraged her to go as I was very comfortable with the completeness of the education available, but respected and understood her decision to go elsewhere. And, yeah, I did grow up in Pittsburgh, and I remain a Steelers fan. There was some of that going on, too, I guess. In any event, there are many ways to enter into this MT field. Each student has to figure out how it will best work for them. VP can be an avenue for some. And doing it at CMU could be as viable as doing it anywhere else.
@Songbirdmama - There is no official crossover between the Music program and the Drama school at CMU. But I have heard that occasionally a student in voice may perform in a MT production over there.
your daughter should understand that the Voice program at CMU is intense and there is no slack given. In the first year, the students have 64 units of classes per semester. This means that there is an expectation of 64 hours a week of class and homework/study/practice. During the weeks that production class meets, the student is in class from 8:30 AM until 10:30 PM M-F, and for four hours on Saturday. Maybe intense understates it, but it is part of their professional development.
If your daughter wants MT with classical voice training emphasis, she should look at schools like Arizona State (my D’s second choice). For crossover between MT and drama, look at programs like Webster. one of the key questions she shoukd ask any potential MT program is if the focus is acting or voice. For example, this is the case at the University of Arizona, where acting is the focus
Other schools with a strong Voice program that allow students to minor in Musical Theatre are SMU and Kentucky.
OCU also allows VP majors to work in MT. The degree is a BM so it has a strong music emphasis but I know of quite a few VP/MT majors there. Nice alumni base and track record too.
Have wondered about OCU as a school. though. From everything we’ve read, it is a perfect place for the vocalist. However, it’s fairly small. Is the experience there a typical college experience, or is it more of a conservatory? And we’re a little worried that it is a regional school - if you don’t make it to a big name grad programor decide after the BM that you want to get a job, you might have a degree from a place that is not recognized unless you are in Oklahoma or Texas. Thoughts? (Have the same thoughts on UNT).
@Songbirdmama - One thing we were told by people at schools we did not apply to but were friends of ours is that the Grad program “name” matters much more than the undergrad…
Yes true. But if she decides to stop after undergrad or get a teaching degree instead of continuing in grad school…