<p>My D is a high school junior in a performing arts program. We will be visiting CMU on 4/2 and 4/3. She is interested in auditioning for MT in the fall. We will be exploring MT majors in both the school of Drama and the school of Music. Are there any current students that can give us any insight into the difference between the two programs? Do the students from the two programs interact with each other or are the programs totally independent of each other? Is one program more “competitive” or more highly regarded than the other? There are a few reasons for favoring the program in the school of music. First, in my opinion, D is a singer who acts and dances. Second, D says that some time in her future, she would like to get a graduate degree in music ed. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>From visits and conversations I’ve had with people there in the MT department, it is my understanding they look for actors who can sing and dance. While it seems very well rounded, I believe the emphasis is on acting.</p>
<p>My D is a junior MT major at CMU. There is no MT major in the School of Music - only vocal performance. The MT major is in the School of Drama. My D auditioned for the VP program also so I can give a little input. The School of Music and the School of Drama are totally separate - housed in different buildings, different faculty, totally different emphasis. My D has no interaction with the School of Music other than the orchestra during a musical.</p>
<p>CMU’s MT program is regarded as one of the best in the nation - definitely in the top tier. The School of Music is highly regarded, but probably not grouped in the very top tier.</p>
<p>Broadway95 is correct, the MT program is very much acting-based, although with a lot of singing and dance. The VP program is vocal based, with an emphasis on classical training. </p>
<p>Before her auditions, my D was not sure which direction she would go - MT or VP. The audition process helped her make the decision. As she describes it, the MT auditions were more fun and laid-back; the VP auditions were more stuffy. As she walked through the halls of the School of Music she heard Mozart arias; as she walked through the School of Drama she heard Sondheim and Tennessee Williams. That did it for her - she was an MT girl!</p>
<p>There are many who’ve made it on Broadway after training as an MT, and many who’ve made it after training in VP. There’s certainly not any one right way to do it. For my D she looked at what she would be doing for the next four years and decided MT was where she found the most enjoyment.</p>
<p>S graduated in 2011, MT at CMU. While he had studied voice throughout high school, he knew he was interested in acting/MT programs for college. CMU is high on that list nationally but, as said above, their focus unlike some MT programs is that their grads will be fully prepared as actors, even as they receive four years of individualized voice lessons, weekly group voice labs, and multiple dance classes. If someone truly wants to focus on classical singing, this is obviously not the program for him or her. If the student wants to sing as a strong part of preparation for acting on stage or camera, it’s a more comprehensive preparation than voice performance provides. Campus performance opportunities are fully linked with the respective programs–and music students will not be cast in Drama school musicals (S did sing in a Music School vocal jazz group connected with a Music class). However, preparation “roads” are not everything and some voice performance grads will end up on Broadway!</p>