<p>There is a lot of info on the conservatories and the big names in music, but I am interested in hearing about the lesser known but reputable vocal performance programs. For example, DD and I visited UNCG last week and were very impressed - any others, preferably on the East Coast that fall into that category? We have put JMU on the list but I'd love more info on places like Rutgers, Temple, Duquesne or even smaller schools like Susquehanna for example. Towson University seems to be a choice but from the website, it appears that they offer an undergraduate degree in Music Ed only and not performance?</p>
<p>bumping - any imput on non-conservatories for vocal performance (soprano) preferably on East Coast. Already considering App. State, UNCG, JMU, Univ. Miami.</p>
<p>As I posted this morning on another thread, Furman's music program is outstanding, and Besty Bishop is a grad they are especially proud of.</p>
<p>Thanks - where is the other thread?</p>
<p>Found the thread - thanks.</p>
<p>Look at Samford in Birmingham. It is a Baptist school, I think, and they have had MET winners and stars. The voice faculty is congenial and helpful, a nice atmosphere. Florida State has always had a strong music reputation, but it is quite large, perhaps not the experience your daughter is seeking. However, if your offspring is National Merit Finalist, the benefits are terrific at any state Florida school, free room and board, plus expense money. Ohio State has an excellent voice faculty and it is not as large a music program as some of the other state schools. There are a couple of voice teachers there who are exemplary. I heard some students from there this winter, and the singing was really fine.</p>
<p>We plan on touring East Coast schools after picking D up from Tanglewood.
Our plan is to tour from Aug 12-Aug 20 I have gathered from reading posts that Fall is a bad time for visits(is this considered fall on East Coast? However this is the only time we can do it because we live very very far away and we have to combine this tour with the summer program for air travel cost reasons. D will be a senior in high school in the fall.</p>
<p>D wants to tour Yale because she is interested in the certificate of music program for younger singers without BM . My guess is that is a really hard program to get into. Does anyone know how difficult that is? How talented one must be?</p>
<p>D is talented with a lot of potential and has very high academics. We are looking for scholarships and want to limit our tours to the schools she has the best chance for scholarships. We can only "afford" about 15,000 per year even though our EFC would say that we can afford the whole cost. We have a large family and a very high cost of living. So we want to make this tour cost effective considering we will be driving and have a limited amount of time.</p>
<p>Can anyone tell me schools where 25,000 in merit aid with combined academics/talent is possible?</p>
<p>D is very interested in Peabody and Oberlin along with Yale (free certificate program) and Carnegie Mellon </p>
<p>Boston U is a top choice if aid is right and of course Michigan and Indiana </p>
<p>Obviously, since money is such an issue for us we will consider other schools as long as they have a strong opera program.</p>
<p>Lawrence is also of interest</p>
<p>Thanks Lorelei - she is not a National Merit Finalist. She has good grades but she is struggling with the SATs. She is being tutored but, realistically, we will be thrilled if she breaks 600 on either math or verbal. Writing is her strength; math a real weakness. I am a single mother with my own business and '06 income will qualify her for need based financial aide so I am also interested in schools that meet need to a greater degree. I wish we had better music programs in our home state - Maryland. UMD has a great program but is huge.</p>
<p>Cartera45---Im not sure if you are looking this far "west", but you might want to consider DePaul in Chicago. They have a very good vocal music program.</p>
<p>Patsy, Depaul is on our list. The faculty there does appear to be very impressive. I have an overwhelming "consider" list that we are thinning out with her voice teacher. All things being equal, she will choose the east coast but all things may not be equal. A friend of mine suggested Belmont and someone else mentioned Montclair. I read that Montclair only accepts 3% out of state - is that number right?</p>
<p>cartera45 - Would not count on any need based financial aid from JMU. They are a VA state school and gave no need aid and have no scholarship money, they said they most they ever give in a scholarship is 2,000. None of the state schools seemed to have any need based money. My D recv'd better packages from in state private schools than state public schools or out of state schools.</p>
<p>Thanks rglick - I wouldn't count on anything from JMU - compared to many others though, their out of state tuition is not so bad. I'm from Virginia and most of my family lives there - including D's father, so if she went there, there is good chance I would move back there and get in state tuition for everything but freshman year.</p>
<p>Singermom, I thought I posted this, but it's not here...Yale does not offer any merit scholarships, just need based aid. At Boston University, she would need to have top academics AND an outstanding audition to get $25000 in aid per year.</p>
<p>The Hartt School, Rider College?</p>
<p>Our son is at Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers U.
Send me a PM if you would like.</p>
<p>Westminster Choir College part of Rider University. Students can also take 1 class per term at Princeton and participate in Princeton activities. Their top merit grant is $15,000.</p>
<p>Singersmom07-
Thanks for supplying the correct info on Rider.....I knew Westminster Choir was connected in some way but wasn't sure it was actually part of Rider.</p>
<p>We have a longtime friend (vocalist) who teaches at Westminster.</p>
<p>Singermom1 BU gave DS 22K in grants, 29K total aid, in spite of having a pretty dismal gpa.
Has anyone heard of Chicago College of Performing Arts? It's part of Roosevelt University and located right by DePaul.</p>
<p>I would suggest if you are anywhere near this convention, to go. There were alot of schools present - especially the little gem schools in addition to the Eastman and McGill and you were able to get lots of information/brochures/videos on each one. There are some nice masterclasses you can participate in given by the voice teachers at the colleges. Enter the competition and you can earn scholarship money at various schools. Overall, they do a lovely job and they send you the judges comments. In addition there are representatives from alot of the summer programs there - like AIMS and Spoleto. My D has made the finals two years in a row and unfortunately has had performance conflicts for the finals each year....just not meant to be!</p>
<p>Westminster College Choir does look interesting and is a reasonable distance from home, but it brings up my question with regard to undergrads competing with graduate students for performance opps. I keep coming back to that conundrum - finding a program that offers several vocal teachers from which to choose, enough vocal performance majors so that they are not asked to do things for which they are not ready and a small graduate program so the undergrads can perform. Goldilocks-syndrome. </p>
<p>I love the suggestions though.</p>
<p>I did a quick run on some college search engines to find schools that had the following characteristics:
A) eastern third of the US
B) had an opera program
C) granted bachelor's degrees
D) had 15% or less of total enrollment in grad school</p>
<p>I could not easily screen for the number of voice majors or the number of voice teachers, but the resulting list was short enough that you could check them out individually yourself:</p>
<p>Appalachian State University
Bard College
Bucknell University
Christopher Newport University
Columbia Union College
Florida Southern College
Furman University
Georgia Southern University
Hampton University
Houghton College
Ithaca College
James Madison University
Mercyhurst College
Miami University (Ohio)
North Carolina School of the Arts
Oberlin College
Ohio Northern University
Otterbein College
Rowan University
Skidmore College
SUNY Fredonia
SUNY Oneonta
Susquehanna University
The College of New Jersey
UNC Wilmington
University of Toledo
Vassar College
Western Connecticut State
Wittenburg University
Youngstown State College</p>
<p>Bard and Oberlin are both highly competitive and hence do not fall within the original intent of this thread. I know very little about the voice programs at the others, so I am presenting this list as a starting point, not a recommendation.</p>