<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I was curious to know if anyone from this forum has applied to NU's music school, or if anyone has any opinions on it - good/bad/anything - in terms of voice and music education. Who are the best voice teachers? </p>
<p>Thanks very much - best of luck to all - only a month or so left of waiting!</p>
<p>I don't really know about voice or music education, but Northwestern is generally recognised as the Mecca of horn players.</p>
<p>Don't know anything about voice, but the music school generally is of a very high quality.</p>
<p>Singer - I noticed you got some negative feedback regarding NU undergraduate Voice in a thread on the College Search & Selection page. What do you make of it? My D is very high on NU for voice and we're planning to visit there in May. I know that their facilities are sorely lacking and that there are plans for new construction on music facilities. Do the problems extend beyond that?</p>
<p>gadad,</p>
<p>Thank you for asking me these questions. This is what is going on with me - I want to study music ed (I love choral music), but still have a well rounded education in liberal arts, and possibly double major - so I figured that NU would be a good fit for me. I absolutely love music, but I still want to challenge myself academically. I have heard that the voice program at NU is not the greatest - yet it really all depends on one's private voice teacher, since he or she helps to shape the student's voice. Apparently they are more well known for their brass program. I am glad you are planning to visit - it is extremely important to do that - and it would be ideal to set up a voice lesson with one or more of the faculty to get a feel for the teaching style/personality. I regret not making an appointment for a lesson while I was there, and thus I am most likely returning at some point to have a lesson to help make my decision.</p>
<p>The music facilities at NU are lacking as you say, and during my music ed interview a faculty member mentioned that NU is planning for new construction, but possibly not during my college years. I personally feel that the program and the faculty are more important than the facilities - because really, to a certain extent most music schools do not have amazing facilities - the wear and tear over the years is normal, but unfortunate. Although Ithaca did have very good facilities, now that I think of it.</p>
<p>I was also able to attend a voice recital NU had planned for auditioning music students - which was decent. Of course, one cannot judge a program based upon three students (2 women and a man) in different college years with varying ability levels. The accompanist was excellent, and the hall was nice, it seemed aged but it was functional. The faculty present at the recital seemed very supportive and intelligent, and genuine. However, I wish that I had had a lesson or two while I was there - I would be able to give you a more accurate feeling (I'm a soprano by the way). This is my ultimate decision maker - on the voice teacher.</p>
<p>Questions: is your daughter interested in musical theatre, or classical performance, or both? Or even music ed?</p>
<p>Does she want a liberal arts background? (I'm assuming yes)</p>
<p>What is more important to her, faculty, talent of students, facilities, personal connection to the environment, etc? Ultimately, one make college out of her own work and experiences. So I think that anywhere one goes, one is able to create a better experience as opposed to the next person. Bottom line - If you're talented and motivated, people will get to know you, and you will succeed anywhere. </p>
<p>Living near NYC, I have become a city girl - and felt very comfortable in the area; there are several great restaurants and the students who I spoke with loved the area - also about 30 min from Chicago. </p>
<p>If your daughter plans on auditioning for NU, I hope she does, the more auditioning experience the better. Make sure she gets to see one of their operas, if it is playing. I saw Suor Angelica, which was good on the whole. The lead had some issues with breathing (needed a lower breath) but tone expression were very good. Overall, I really enjoyed it. It seemed that a lot of the students had experience at summer music festivals, based upon program notes.</p>
<p>Sorry for the length of this, I just kept writing. I hope I have helped you in regard to NU. I am still waiting to hear from them - probably not until April. If anyone else on the forum has opinions on NU music I would love to hear. Thanks very much :)</p>
<p>What a great response, singer! You and my D sound a lot alike, except that she's looking for vocal performance. But she has the same concerns - very strong academic background and a lot of liberal arts interests. She hopes to go on for a M.M. in vocal performance, so she's weighing the possibility of doing a B.A. now and augmenting it with applied voice on the side.</p>
<p>Last summer, she went to Georgia's Governor's Honors Program in voice with other HS students who were amazing all around. As a result, she wants very much to be with the strongest, most insiping student colleagues she can find - not only musicians. She would want to pursue classical voice and opera, though her first love was musical theatre, and NU is one of the few places where you can do both.</p>
<p>We're thinking of going up to Evanston this May - I'll take your advice on arranging lessons. Thanks!</p>
<p>It is more complicated to do an MM after BA than you might think. Prerequisites for MM can be considerable, but at minimum would include full theory sequence, 8 semesters of voice and usually junior and senior recitals, diction and/or study of three languages, full music history sequence, piano competency. In a BA, you would have some of history and theory, some of the voice (if school will not supply teacher for 8 semesters), but other things may or may not have been covered. To get an MM with deficit in BM requirements could be lengthy project. </p>
<p>About private message you sent asking about LAC music curriculum possibilities: the main thing is the voice teacher, absolutely. However, a teacher who is providing the music theater/opera experience within the studio would be limited. I have know a couple of teachers who had both the studio and the expertise to do this, but they are rare. Intentions may be good, but reality will be lacking. I have to wonder what the internal school dynamics are where teachers do this independently rather than part of school curriculum.</p>
<p>Lorelei - how's the following strike you as BA preparation if augmented with 8 semesters of voice, recitals, and study of Italian, French and German? Piano competency is not a problem:</p>
<p>Major Requirements: Ten courses total,
1. Three courses in music theory:
Theory I: Harmony (MUS 201)
Theory II: Advanced Harmony (MUS 202)
Form and Analysis (MUS 302)
2. Two courses in music history and literature:
Music History I: Antiquity to 1800 (MUS 325)
Music History II: After 1800 (MUS 328)
3. One course elected from the category of music of the U.S. or world music
4. Three additional courses at the 200 level or above
5. Senior Seminar
6. Ensemble Participation</p>
<p>Music majors who have been awarded a scholarship may have specific ensemble requirements; scholarship recipients should consult their award letter.</p>
<p>Minimum BM requirements in theory include four semesters of theory, with concurrent ear training course, sometimes (conservatories) there is another parallel course, too; plus form and analysis, sometimes counterpoint, orchestration, conducting, and at least three to four semesters of music history/literature, often more. Look at the BM curriculums at major vocal performance graduate schools to see what their requirements are. The language requirements can be a problem, usually a year of each is required. Diction requirements are additional. My daughter was getting second degree in foreign languages, and she still had to take diction (did it in summer school at home with very qualified colleague, cleared it with her university). Look at NASM requirements for Bachelor of Music in vocal performance, that should provide core information to anchor the curriculum, but each school varies according to their faculty curriculum decisions. </p>
<p>I would note that when Juilliard does undergraduate voice auditions, first they prescreen, then they cut the list roughly to 1/4, they invite that 25% to audition in person, then at the end of each session (morning, etc.) they invite some to callbacks, which consists solely of theory exams. Clearly once they have their list, the theory background is a tie-breaker. In the olden days, a good coach could drill it into a body (singer) with a wonderful voice; now noone will bother, the pace is too fast. At the same time, there are numerous singers making their living, who have NO degrees in voice, some not even in music. If the voice is good, well trained, the stage ability is there, languages, musicianship, AND if the voice type is rare, anything is possible. For a soprano, unless she is a dramatic soprano of wondrous timbre and convincing body type, it is not going to happen.</p>
<p>Thanks Lorelei - great information!</p>
<p>BTW: NASM refers to National Association of Schools of Music, accrediting body of music degree programs. Music department at your university would have hard copies of all of this, but probaly available on line, too.</p>