LACs with MT vocal coaches/teachers

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

Hello, I’m new to this forum though not entirely new to CC. I received some helpful feedback in the music forum for D1 a few years ago, and while this question I may cross-post there, am hoping for some insight from the MT folks as well.

D2 is HS junior embarking on college search, high achiever in academics, athletics, and music/drama. Her passion, like so many, is MT. She is classically trained for many years on voice and piano, and has been participating in drama and MT as leads and otherwise.

She has been thinking (maybe should say agonizing) about whether to focus entirely on MT and apply/audition for that universe, but is leaning strongly towards attending a LAC with strong academics and significant opportunity to both continue vocal development and to participate in MT throughout her undergrad years.

We have a tentative long list, and a couple fairly specific questions we’d appreciate insight on. She is digging around web sites but clear answers are hard to come by. She’s starting to email departments too, but would love feedback from those with specific and current knowledge.

First questions is whether these colleges could provide D with a vocal prof/teacher for lessons who is experienced in teaching both classical and MT vocal techniques. My D knows very well the importance of a good teacher, and her current vocal teacher is one of the more important adults in her life. She very much hopes to develop a similar relationship at college, but those teachers can be rare.

Second question is how many musicals are actually produced at these colleges on an annual/semester basis, by dept and by students. This situation changes over time, so current info would be much appreciated if available. There are a great many LACs with great drama programs, and great music programs, and both, but it’s tougher to get a good handle the consistency and quality of MT opportunity.

Thx in advance for all feedback! suggestions for other schools are welcome, if you can address the specific questions above. And note, she is also considering private universities such as NU and Brown, though that is a different universe.

Vassar
Skidmore
Denison
Lawrence U
Barnard
Sarah Lawrence
St Olaf
Oberlin
Kenyon
Knox
Bennington
Muhlenberg
Luther
Connecticut C

2

I don’t know about those schools, but can tell you that TCU and Northwestern (both academic reaches for many but along the lines of some of some you have listed), Oklahoma City University, Arizona State, CCM, Michigan and USC will have both MT and Opera/Classical voice training and performance options.

3

I know high school performers who chose to attend Skidmore, Muhlenberg and Connecticut College. The one went to CT College was the child of musicians and went on to pursue a singing career. I know she had a great experience there. The other performers were also happy with their college experiences but I don’t know if they continued to pursue their art post-college. Oberlin has a reputation as a place where high-achieving musicians can balance art and academics but I don’t know any vocal performers there.

Your question on the number/quality of musicals is a difficult one. My D participated in a high school theatre program that gave her pretty high standards for production quality. She was turned off by the productions at the liberal arts colleges that we saw and she didn’t want to take a “step back”. That may not be an issue for your D but it’s something to consider. Many programs (even at some very elite schools) are cast with students who do theatre as a fun extracurricular - that kind of “everybody plays” environment is perfect for some students… and absolutely wrong for others. Fit is everything! :slight_smile:

Two schools not on your list that probably should be if her academics are excellent: Yale and Wesleyan.

4

We visited Skidmore before we knew that our S wanted to go the BFA route. Skidmore has a vocal performance major and I believe a scholarship that you can audition for. The theatre department does not, as a rule, produce musicals every year but there is a club-level MT group that produces musicals and it is very active. Theatre major is considered pre-professional and you actually get a BS not a BA.

Oberlin has an outstanding conservatory for vocal performance. I don’t know what kind of access a regular BA student has to those teachers - it’s a question worth asking.

I’d be driveling about the other schools - my info is either old, irrelevant, or outdated. Hope this little bit helps!

5

Thanks CaMom, good to hear some confirmation of the three you mention. Do you know if the CT College person took voice from College faculty, or from associate’s they contract with just for lessons (I understand some colleges to do that, at least if they have access)?

Yes, my D is in a similar situation with having experience with high-quality productions in both HS and community theater and worried about step-down, similar to what D1 experienced with college choirs.

Wesleyan has been on the edge of her list, but D1 experience visiting music dept was major let-down, including facilities. And while there is the exception, the drama scene didn’t seem to include much in the way of musicals … but could be wrong there, and it could change year to year. Yale is definitely on the U list, she’s just not sure yet how much she’s focused on Us (even smaller, private) v LACs.

6

@iasetter - Yeah, it’s a challenge. The ideal “balance” LAC is one in which the academics are amazing, the faculty and facilities are similarly outstanding in the arts, the student body artistically talented and serious about performing but the performing arts are not so over-crowded that a non-major student can’t get into advanced classes . But… getting real… schools have budgets and priorities. There’s always some compromise, you just need to figure out where your D is willing to give a little. Theatre and Music don’t always coexist at a truly high level, especially not in a smaller schools with a strongly academic focus. It’s important for your D to ask herself what comes first / second / third: academics, voice training, musical theatre opportunities / school size / etc…

I think my D’s friend at CT College took private voice, she did a BA Theatre and Music but she also came into college with a lot of prior vocal training.

Another school to add to your list would be Fordham, I know an talented actress who went there for a BA and did a ton of MT performing while completing an academic degree. Being close to NYC would make it really easy for your D to continue with private voice even if the school’s voice lessons were restricted to majors.

7

@iasetter I would take a closer look at Muhlenberg, Wagner (these first two significant MT opportunities for a LAC) and SUNY Geneseo (probably less than Muhlenberg and Wagner but more MT opportunities compared to other LACs). I believe they would teach both classical and MT vocal techniques but this is something I can’t currently validate.

Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College are part of the Five College Consortium for Theater but I’m unsure how many musicals they do:

https://www.fivecolleges.edu/theater

8

I was a Williamstown Theatre Festival apprentice a couple years ago, and that program tends to attract people from LACs who are studying theatre in college. Some of my friends who felt their programs were giving them good MT training were those at Vassar, Skidmore, Bennington, Bard, and Hamilton.

I’m a Viterbo University alum, and my voice teacher in college (who I loved, taught me to belt, gave me a whole new voice) also taught full-time at Luther.

9

My kid applied to a couple of BA programs to have some non-auditioned schools. We chose SLC, Connecticut College and Vassar because all three offer conservatory style theatre training courses as part of the liberal arts degree. My information isn’t specifically about vocal training, but it’s something we looked at because even though my kid is applying to straight acting programs, continuing vocal training is a priority.

I found Sarah Lawrence especially interesting for performing arts kids because there is so much freedom to define the academic path. Students can declare a “performing arts third” which essentially means one third of your coursework is in performing arts. There’s a separate building that houses music- instrumental and vocal- which is lovely. The courses you can take as a performing arts third include voice lessons, ensembles, and also theatre and dance training. It’s also a quick ride on the Harlem line from midtown, with lots of options to interact with performing arts in NYC through internships, etc.

A friend who is a Conn alum tells me the new President of the college is super invested in theatre, and MT in particular. They’re known for theatre, and I feel pretty confident that the performing arts will be well supported there. They have some partnerships with local professional theaters. I haven’t visited, nor looked into vocal training specifically.

Vassar has extraordinary theatre facilities and a strong department. On our tour they said there are many internship and study “abroad” options in theatre in NYC. There’s even funding to cover transportation costs for students who get internships in the city (or elsewhere). Vassar seems fairly well connected with the theatre community in NYC.

Hope that helps!

10

Check out Denison. They offer vocal scholarships (even for non related majors) and if you are a recipient, you are actually required to take voice lessons. In addition they offer a Singer’s Theatre Workshop class every semester (open to all majors) which culminates in a full fledged musical production. They also have a brand new performing arts center. My daughter ended up in a B.F.A. Musical Theatre program elsewhere with a dual major in Biology, but we seriously considered Denison.

11

@MTmommers Thank you for sharing. How long has Denison University been doing musicals every semester? What did you think about the quality of the production?

12

@Twelfthman Denison has been doing the Singer’s Theatre Workshop class for the past 15 years. They do a wide variety of musicals. A few years ago we saw their production of Batboy the Musical. It was very well done and I was impressed by the voices of the cast. At the time it was in a very small theatre, but with the recent opening of the Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts I’m sure that will add to the production values. Michael Eisner was a graduate of Denison and is a big supporter of the arts there!

13

Thanks again everyone, your comments will help her put together plans for visits this spring.

14

You might also want to check out the University of Illinois. They have a newer Lyric Theatre program which combines MT and opera.

15

@iasetter - just a wrench to throw into the works. If your D is truly agonizing over MT vs. an academic degree and the pendulum shifts a little towards MT or Acting… definitely consider NYU. My D is a Drama major in their MT studio and she is in track with a double major: she’s hoping to graduate (on time!) with both a BFA in Drama and an academic BA. I would only recommend this if your D is very serious about the performing arts as a career because the BFA is a whole lot of work … but my D loves to be over-loaded and we’re really happy she didn’t have to choose between academics and the performing arts. All Tisch Acting/MT degrees are BFA Drama, MT is very heavy on both music and dance; non-MT actors take voice and movement but can add private voice at Steinhardt and dance classes at Tisch or take them at any of the surrounding dance studios. There’s guaranteed casting in shows after freshman year but it’s not a show-oriented program; performing definitely takes a back seat to training. The double major thing only works for students admitted to the BFA - so you can add a BA degree to a BFA but you can’t add a BFA to a BA. I hope that makes sense and is helpful!

16

@CaMom13 - yes that is helpful, thx. In fact she’s been emailing with programs as we plan an east coast visit loop in April (we’re from Midwest), and getting increasingly interested in NYU. Pendulum swings indeed. She sounds a bit like your D, loves to be heavily involved, thankfully can handle strong academic load without difficulty. Is your D doing double major, or double degree (sounds like latter)? Might she be open to emailing with my D (no worries if not!) A significant challenge (in addition to audition of course) looks like it might be financial aid. Can you speak to that? Most of the schools she’s applying to are “meet need” (which varies, we’ve seen with D1, but at least is something of a floor) or have significant academic and arts merit. NYU looks a bit tough on FA front.

17

@iasetter - well, $$$ is a challenge, NYC is expensive, NYU is expensive and NYU’s EFC calculator is useless. I can only say that several people who were admitted to NYU Tisch last year got “surprisingly” nice FA packages ( their words, not mine as I don’t know the amounts). NYU traditionally didn’t offer (and still officially doesn’t) any merit aid without financial “need” but the parents were firm that there was no need and they still got generous scholarships. I would say it’s worth applying and seeing what happens - NYU doesn’t have a prescreen so you skip that nonsense and their MT auditions are actually fun.

My D is doing a double major which will result in two degrees, one BFA and one BA. For the most part the Gen Eds cross Colleges which is super helpful and advising is good.

While you are doing that East Coast loop stop by Temple in Philly. Our FA offer from Temple was great and we loved their Drama/MT department. They seemed like a great choice for a balanced artist/academic and their aid is definitely not need based for high achievers. My D was accepted as a BA to their Honors College (she didn’t audition for the BFA as it was on-campus only) which means preferred housing and a lot of academics plusses. In the end, she chose to follow her lifelong dream of living and studying in NY - and she has loved it - but we agreed she would likely have been pretty happy at Temple if NYU hadn’t come through.

18

Just will add that you never know with NYU on Fin. Aid. My D got a wonderful four year scholarship there, the most of any of her BFA scholarship offerings!