As a kid, I’ve always been interested in music. I played in my school’s concert band and in my senior year I started having interest in musical theater even though I never performed in any of my school’s musicals. Is it possible that I can double major in musical theater and in musical composition/film composition
Probably not, in practice. Both musical theater and music composition tend to be demanding majors with lots of coursework, required participation in student productions/recitals, and lessons. Many musical theater programs also require auditions, so if you have never performed in any musicals you may find that part difficult.
CC actually has a thriving musical theater community - I’ll move your post there - that may be able to help you with this question.
I’m not qualified to advise you on your question, but I would suggest, even if it isn’t possible to double major, you can always look at musical / film composition programs in colleges and universities that offer musical theater as well… in case there would be possibility down the road to get involved in a musical theater performance (in the pit or otherwise).
Check out University of the Arts. That’s a college in Philadelphia that’s ENTIRELY focused on the arts, and they encourage minoring and taking classes outside your major. They may very well allow double majoring.
I found this - https://www.bmi.com/theatre_workshop and I always thought the BM in MT piano accompaniment at Shenandoah looked interesting. https://www.su.edu/conservatory/areas-of-study/bachelor-of-musical-theatre-accompanying/
@afterp89 The BMI Musical Theater Workshop is not a degree granting program. It is not a full time thing either. I believe that many people who are accepted into it may already have a college degree and some experience as a composer or lyricist and are not starting from scratch (but I don’t have information to substantiate my impression based on what I know of the BMI MT Workshop).
To @CollegeKid354 : Most MT degree programs are BFA programs, though there are some BA programs for MT. Familiarize yourself with the differences. A BFA program typically doesn’t allow (there are some exceptions at some schools) double majors. Further, if you have very little experience or training in voice, acting, and dance, getting into a BFA in MT program would be very difficult (it is difficult even if you do have those things). In your case, perhaps you could pursue music composition at a school that also puts on musicals and participate in musicals either in the pit or on stage as an extracurricular or a minor if it is offered.
Another thing, you could study musical theater performance and if skilled in composition, don’t need a degree in it and can still compose. Whatever your degree is in doesn’t dictate everything you can do in your career. My own daughter got a BFA in MT and studied performance, not music composition. However, now in her career, she is both a performer and a songwriter, as well as a MT composer/lyricist. A friend of hers was in her BFA in MT (performance) class and switched out of it and got a BM in composition and is accomplished as a MT writer/composer. The thing is, you can get a degree in one thing, but gain experience in more than one thing while in school, or even after you graduate. One major doesn’t dictate all possibilities. Also, in college, even if you major in one thing, you could take courses (without it being a double major) to learn more about another thing. Just keep an open mind. Things develop while in school and once you graduate. Like I said, my own kid majored in being an actor/singer/dancer, yet also has a second career as a songwriter, even though she never studied that in college.