<p>I coach a lot of singers in NYC... I get many singers who are young and have just graduated with BFA MT degrees. I am shocked that so many of them have not gained the knowledge of basic music reading skills. I literally have to spoon feed them the music... the notes, the rhythm, the tempo, the dynamic markings....forget about any sight singing altogether..... I'm just wondering how they make it out of the school with a degree???? Two of them this week from Point Park. What are they teaching there? And forget about piano skills... they can both play Heart and Soul and that's about it. I have to make tapes for them, and they learn their parts from a tape.</p>
<p>If you have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on a MT Degree and you cannot sit at the piano and find your part on a score and teach yourself your part, you need to ask for a partial refund.</p>
<p>I graduated from SUNY Fredonia with a bfa MT degree.... I had Music Theory everyday, five days a week from 8am-10am We also had two years of piano.We wouldn't have gotten away with it.</p>
<p>Do any other coaches find this happens every so often? Just curious.</p>
<p>I was a little tired last night when I started the post....... I think the point I was trying to make is.... Make sure whatever school you choose for MT has Music Theory Classes, Sightsinging, and Piano.</p>
<p>Not to counter anything that TomBFA said, but I do just want to add that I have a friend at Point Park who has impressed me with how much she has learned on piano and with theory- I don't want any prospective PPU students getting scared away from the school. (I'm impartial, I'm an OCU student myself)
But at ANY school, there will always be students who somehow sneak through the program without learning what they ought to. It's up to the individual student to really take out of the program what is offered. I have theory every day and 2-3 years of piano to go, and I'm baffled as to how a student could get through all of it without learning anything, but what you said TomBFA is proof that it DOES. I'd be more willing to put the blame on the students though, rather than the school. This isn't a business where doing the bare minimum to get by will lead you to success. So I suppose the message to students here, is that you can't expect your future school to TEACH you everything. It's like the proverbial horse led to water deal.. they'll show you what you need to do, but it's going to take hours of hard homework and practice room time to actually 'learn' what they've taught you. Just a heads up!</p>
<p>I am new to this forum, but I have been applying to schools (I'm a senior this year) assuming that you had to read music to be accepted. I did read on a few of the college sites that they do give a brief music theory evaluation. Does having the ability to read music help in the audition process or does it really not matter? I read music very well (thanks to 10 years of classical piano) and would love any help I can get! lol!</p>
<p>Mtsinger.... if you have been playing the piano for ten years, you are going to be just fine! Don't worry. You will be far ahead of most others. As far as high school seniors who are auditioning for college..... Of Course, the more you know about music theory, and the more you know about reading music the better off you will be. I suggest to every young singer they should take piano. This is for several reasons... far more than I will list here... First.... it forces you to learn how to read music much more effectively than singing does. It is much easier for a singer to depend on their teacher to teach them the music. It will also be invaluable to you because you will be able to teach yourself music you need to learn a new song, or a harmony part. It is also just an awesome instrument to play. It's never too late to start either... .... even one year could make a big difference. If you don't have time for piano and you are taking private voice, just make sure you are getting as much as possible there. Some voice teachers skim over theory, when having a voice lesson is a great time to incorporate it into your knowlege base. </p>
<p>Most colleges will have you take a piano placement test. I believe, The better you do on this placement test, the better it looks for you in general. It is the most concrete way for them to judge your musicianship. The fact that you have been studying classically for ten years will be a great advantage to you. You could possibly even test out of having to take the piano requirement at all. Your ten years study will also help you immensely in theory class.</p>
<p>Your musicianship is only one of MANY factors of your college audition. Don't freak out about it if you are weak in this area. Most young singers are. That's okay. Don't be intimidated at auditions by this either. If you are taking chorus or private lessons, you are probably learning how to read music there. I just think it is an overlooked area for young singers. </p>
<p>Again, the moral of this long post is.... just make sure the College program you choose has music theory, sightsinging, and piano.</p>
<p>MT Polk you are right too. It probably is the students fault to some extent, but the college needs to take some responsibility. I know that my college accepted 20 people into the BFA Program the year I was a Freshman.... THREE of us Graduated! Many of those that didn't make it, could not cut the Music Theory Classes. The school didn't give them a pass. That was 25 years ago....(yikes!!)..I do believe they have lowered the Music Theory requirements since then. Also....I'm sure that Point Park has a lot of good things about it... I don't want anyone to make any decision about it based on my experience with two of it's graduates.</p>
<p>In closing.. let me say... I think that good musicianship takes a lifetime.... it grows with you as you grow older. Older sometimes is wiser. Spending years in any artform gives you insights, maturity, and a texture you can never have as a young musician.</p>
<p>As always, I wish you great success in your auditions.</p>
<p>Here in NY state, if you play an instrument in public schools, you are taught to read music- if you are in chorus, they don't. Even in the 'elite" Show Choirs, most of the dancers don't have a clue as to time/key signatures and forget entirely about reading the notes. In a chorus of over 20, only 4 could actually "read" music- and NO theory is ever taught at all. Perhaps this is not state wide, but it applies to several counties upstate (including those around Fredonia). Despite this, the kids can get sent to "All State" Chorus IF they just happen to be in a section where additional voices are needed.
I wouldn't single out any particular college however, especially since I have personally observed kids from colleges all over Western NY who haven't the first idea of how to conduct themselves at auditions. And they come from "state" schools as well as private colleges!</p>
<p>I'm sure the situation you described in New York is found all over the country. It would be impossible for students in any instrumental music program to last long without learning how to read music. There's no way a band or orchestra teacher could teach an entire classroom full of students performing different parts by rote. It is quite common for choral students to learn their parts by rote. As a private piano and violin teacher, I consider it very difficult for students to learn to read music without the benefit of playing an instrument. (Notice I did not say impossible.) I feel that responsible choral teachers should make it clear to students who are serious about music that they need to study a musical instrument, preferably piano, and become fluent readers of music notation. It's a crime in my book for singers to arrive in a college program musically illiterate.</p>
<p>In addition to giving private music lessons, for the past 7 years I have been teaching music classes for very young children. In the general music class for the 5 and 6 year olds - a 4 semester consecutive program - my students learn to read all of the notes on the treble staff and can fluently read rhythms using eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, whole notes, and the equivalent rests. The kids learn first by singing simple songs and by clapping and talking rhythms; then they perform the songs on simple instruments such as glockenspiels, dulcimers, and recorders. I find it sad that my 6 year old students know more about reading music than some talented college freshmen.</p>
<p>Another example: I worked as an accompanist for an auditioned children's choir sponsored by a local university for several years. The children in my group ranged from 7 to 12 years of age. Though the choir director did not spend much time on music reading skills, there was some discussion of intervals and music contour, plus translations of any musical instructions given in Italian or hard to understand English :) . The director did not need to spend much time on reading skills with the group because over 75% of them took piano lessons! </p>
<p>Contrast that with my former life as a graduate teaching assistant. I had the unpleasant duty of having to tell freshmen voice majors that if they had not become reasonably fluent readers of music by the 3rd week of the fall semester, they would fail my aural theory course. Quite a few students either dropped the course or ended up receiving very poor grades because they could not read music before starting college.</p>
<p>I realize that being a musical theatre major is not the same thing as being a music major. However, as Tom and some of the other coach posters have stated, you do not want to have to rely on others throughout your career to help you learn your music. If you are still in H.S. try to make time for some piano lessons (or the instrument of your choice). It will make your college music courses far easier and will prevent others from having to spoon feed you your music.</p>
<p>As a student, all I can say is that it never occured to me, as long as I have been doing musical theatre (a little over 4 years or so) that I needed to be somewhat proficient in music theory until recently. Even in preparing for college auditions last year, it never dawned on me that my lack of ability to do much of anything musically other than sing would be a problem. It wasn't until audition day at Boston Conservatory when they asked me "Can you read music or play a vocal part on a piano?" that it even dawned on me that it was an essential skill. Only this past month have I begun educating myself with a Fundamentals of Music Theory class at the state college I am currently attending. It's funny... because I'm probably at the extreme elementary level of reading music. It's hard to believe for some of you music coaches probably, but just this month I learned the "Every Good Boy Does Fine" and "Good Boys Do Fine Always" rule... and the difference between a treble and bass clef. Sad thing is... I sometimes still need to recite it to myself silently when doing theory homework haha. But I'm getting there!! When I re-audition this year, I certainly won't be a musical prodigy. However, I'll be much better off now than I was before... at least I'll know what the notes are! :)</p>
<p>My main point is that it's VITAL that we tell our MT kids that they start teaching themselves AT LEAST the bare essentials of theory. If we don't tell them, how will they know? As far as BFA grads without musicianship skills... all I can say is that I know that I don't plan to be one of them. It's entirely up to the student. You can easily get an A or B during the semester in theory, I think. But it's when you are not in school that its so important to practice. During the summer months and breaks, its very important students continue educating themselves in the field of theory. It is a skill that will benefit them in the long run. Being in this crazy field, it's all about self motivation. It's very important to learn to walk before you can run, and it's important to pay your dues. I feel like teaching yourself to be musically proficient is certainly one of them.</p>