Peabody vs. New England Conservatory vs. USC Thornton vs. IU Jacob for Voice

College Majors Music Major
1

Hi all, hope everyone is safe and healthy. My D got accepted to Peabody, NEC, USC Thornton, and IU Jacob for the classic voice major. We would like to consult your experiences for those school in terms of student life, voice training and career development, undergraduate performance opportunities, and other pros and cons. We did receive some financial-aide but I felt that it is not significant enough to make a major decision factor based on the amount. D is the first member of our family to decide going to music school, and we would really appreciate your input. Thank you.

2

Hi . CONGRATS to your D. You might want to check out one of these threads… You’d likely get an answer there (SUPER helpful folks) or can read the posts and glean your answer therein. Good Luck.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/2135909-class-of-2024-undergrad-class-of-2022-grad-the-tours-the-auditions-the-journey-p1.html

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/2168479-acceptance-thread-undergrad-class-of-2024-graduate-class-of-2022-p1.html

3

Dear BenniesMom1, thank you very much. I will read through them.

4

Here’s another thread that may help you in considering your options. It may not list your schools specifically but could give you ideas of what to consider.

http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/2128674-reality-check-whats-it-actually-like-at-now-that-your-kid-is-enrolled.html#latest

As for my D, many moons ago, it was a mix of factors that brought her to the schools to audition…but in the end, I think it was really the teacher and her enthusiasm that was the cherry on top. Another element was the school’s curriculum…not just for music but for general academics and other areas of study. My D wanted a broad education. But everyone is different.

At all 4 schools, besides the general environment (which IS important imo), I would suggest looking closely at: teacher, ensembles, curriculum and performance opportunities.

Good luck! You have excellent choices.

5

@stirrup27 Congrats on your daughter’s great options!

One thing you may want to check out is how many non-music courses are required/allowed – and whether that is good or bad, depending on your daughter’s preferences!

As I’m sure you know, a BM is mostly music courses. USC requires 10 non-music courses as part of their GE curriculum (actually 12, but two can “double-up” i you are lucky) and they are distributed among the arts, social sciences, physical sciences and writing requirements. There is very little room for free-floating electives after the requirements for the major and the GEs, but probably more so than at a Conservatory. Here is a link to the requirements for a VP major.
https://catalogue.usc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=11&poid=11044&returnto=3756

6

Thank you bridgenail and MMRose for your feedback. My daughter and I are reviewing the class curriculum as well. It also appears that NEC offers a minor degree in liberal art.