Right now, he is in a VP major at a state flagship. He decided very late in the spring to pursue this major and knew at the time that he missed the opportunity to do the full applications and auditions. He doesn’t want to sing opera/classical for the rest of his life. He said he has always wanted to do MT but had doubts and lacked self-confidence.
He is pretty vague but did mention not wanting to start over as a freshman. He has 2 “non music classes” right now.
I am letting him figure this out. But any general advice?
Do you know what type of program he is interested in BA, BFA, BM, conservatory, or mix of gen eds/conservatory? If he doesn’t want to start over, a BA or BM may be his best options (always a few exceptions).
If he is wanting to try for programs that require auditions, now is the time for him to be researching, applying and prescreening. Deadlines for competitive BFA/BA/BM programs are generally November 1 - early/mid-January. Auditions for entrance will be beginning in November and running through late February/early March. Most audition-based programs would require entering as a freshman in order to get the full compliment of required MT classes that often follow in lock-step fashion. There are many terrific BA programs out there that could help him attain his goals. Some offer majors, minors or certificates in MT. The confidence and skills required to be a VP major are similar to those necessary to be an MT major/minor. He can do this.
Transfer deadlines are often different (later). He will be applying as a transfer even if he starts over in an MT program. Some programs require you to start their training at the beginning (meaning with the freshman class) but that doesn’t necessarily make him a freshman (if his credits transfer from flagship U) nor does it mean he can’t finish in 4 years total including his year at the state flagship. He may want to look for programs that will allow him to finish on time no matter what group he starts out with and that will transfer his credits.
Start researching the schools he is interested in now. Many schools will require him to start over as a freshman, but Coastal (for example) allows students to transfer into the sophomore class if both their academic classes and their talent/preparation matches the level of the current sophomores.
The more dedicated he is to researching a school that is the right fit, the better chance he will have of auditioning successfully this year and losing less time.
Depending on credits that transfer- NYU Tisch might allow him to graduate on time (3 more years). He would start training with 1st years - but you can graduate with 3 years of studio.
NYU Steinhardt might be an even better fit as they have both VP and MT majors- and might have more crossover. But idk what transfer policies are there
MT programs that offer a Bachelor’s of Music degree may be the best fit as these may be the most likely to not require four complete years in residence for someone transferring from VP. Here is list of some of the most popular (and competitive) BM MT programs (some have been mentioned in previous posts):
Arizona State
Baldwin-Wallace
Belmont
Catholic
Florida State
James Madision
NYU/Steinhardt
Oklahoma City
Here are two more MT programs that are housed in the school of music:
Tulane
Pepperdine (joint Acting and Music program with the music part in the School of Music)
The BA Musical Theatre program at James Madison University is possible to complete in 3 years for a transfer. It is an auditioned intensive BA program. If interested in info shoot me an email or a PM.
Did he do any acting in high school? Does he dance? Has he had any acting training? Drama classes in high school? These are the things I’d consider before proceding any further. Has he overcome his lack of self-confidence? I would not recommend this path to anyone who was having doubts.