<p>Helping out my daughter here, like so many other parents!</p>
<p>Her instrument is voice. She is looking at the following:
Wright State University
Otterbein
Capital University Conservatory of Music
Northern Kentucky University (I know, not in Ohio, but close to Cincinnati)
Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music
University of Cincinnati - CCM</p>
<p>Any opinions on these for a music education major with a possible minor in theatre? She would love to teach high school choral music, theater, and musical theater.</p>
<p>How about Wittenberg University in Springfield? According to the Fiske guide, it has one of the best small-college theater programs in the country. The choir seems to be pretty good too.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the others, but you won’t find a more supportive environment than Otterbein. They also have a top notch theater department. There are some really talented kids there. We visited in the fall when the leaves were peaking and in the winter when everything was covered with a fresh blanket of snow and, both times, the campus was absolutely lovely.</p>
<p>Older D is a Music Ed Major (Voice) at Otterbein. We can back up what Cartera states above. Great environment that encourages & supports the students, The students also support each other there, vs compete against each other. She participates regularly in round table sessions for prospective students that audition there. Honest answers to any question. Loves the school, the program, the voice faculty and choirs. Note that most Freshman in the program need a car, or need to buddy up, since they start student teaching during the second quarter, which imo is a big plus since it helps cut the wheat from the chaff early on, which does benefit the students in the program. Lastly the scholarships available at Otterbein are very attractive and have benefited many including us.</p>
<p>She also looked into two others on your list. If you would like more info on Otterbein or the others that she looked at feel free to PM.</p>
<p>Wittenberg was a lovely campus but probably a bit too small and away from a large city for D. And their music department only had 30 students total. They stage a musical every 2 years, not what D is looking for.</p>
<p>We are checking out Capital University’s Conservatory of Music tomorrow.</p>
<p>I have a D at Miami U of Ohio (violin, not voice). I know they do an opera every fall and a musical in the spring. The school is large, but the music dept acts as a school within a school, and is warm and friendly across disciplines. It wasn’t on your list, so there may be reasons you’ve already discarded it, but it’s got a strong music ed dept, and if you’re an Ohio resident, it’s a bargain.</p>
<p>D visited Miami U last year and didn’t like the conservative feel of the campus. Capital is off the list. We revisited Otterbein and now it’s at the top along with Baldwin-Wallce and Wright State (for it’s diversity and affordability). We still need to check Northern Kentucky University which has a good theatre program but hoping the music program is good there too.</p>
<p>You might want to ask questions about a non theatre and non musical theatre major’s chances of getting cast in musicals and plays at each of the schools. Sometimes, even though anyone is allowed to audition, the chances of a nonmajor (which your d would be as a music ed major) getting cast often is small. I have a d who is currently an MT BFA major and a daughter who is starting college next fall as a music ed major but is also interested in pursuing music theatre extracurricularly or minoring in dance. So this is a question that we asked for music ed d, and have seen differences in schools because of our experience with the process with MT d. MT d is at Wright State (MT) by the way, but I really don’t know anything about their music ed program. Love the MT program though. So if you have any general questions about WSU, I might be able to help. Younger d (music ed one) mostly looked at schools in NY so she did not look at WSU.</p>
<p>I am a freshman music ed student at Otterbein (actually I am Just a Dad’s Daughter- Hey Dad!) MusicEDmom, if you or your daughter have any questions for me, please ask. I will answer all questions honestly. </p>
<p>Just to give you a feel for Otterbein’s program- they try their hardest to get you finished in 4 years if you do your part as a student. The best part about OCs Music Program is that most of your classes are taken on MWF and your other classes (Intergrative Studies and other education and graduation requirements) are usually on Tuesday/Thursday. I thought I was going to hate Otterbein because it was not much bigger than my high school and it was only two hours away from home. I can now say that I am so happy I made the decision to come to Otterbein because of all the personal attention and care we get as students. Just a piece of advice- if you do audition at Otterbein and get accepted and it is on the top of your list- schedule a sample lesson with your soon to be applied teacher (if you have any questions about voice or piano faculty, I am your girl). </p>
<p>Please email/PM me with questions, and if you ever come to campus I would be more than happy to show you around!!</p>
<p>OtterbeinMusic29 - Thanks so much for taking time out of your schedule to post! My daughter got a better look around Otterbein with another freshman who is a vocal performance major a couple of weeks ago. He showed off the music computer room (very cool with the computers, mics, and keyboards) and some of the practice areas. He really seems to like it there as well. So Otterbein has made it to the top of her list so far!</p>
<p>Her only “hang-up” with Music Ed is it leaves little time for a minor. She would love to minor in theatre or French but would like to finish in 4 years! We’ll see what happens over the next year though. Her performance area would be voice.</p>