<p>I've posted on the Music Major board, but I thought folks here might also have experience with our situation. S is planning to audition for piano performance programs, but is passionate about MT. He has studied voice for 2 years and is taking a dance class and acting lessons. He has performed in shows and gets paid musical directing youth theatre. We're looking for schools that have good theatre programs along with a piano major, but one that allows non-MT majors to audition. We're in Ohio and I'd like to see him not more than a few hundred miles away.</p>
<p>We're looking at Oberlin, CMU, Ithaca, Penn State, IU, Case (as a safety) and CCM. I realize most of these have MT programs and he probably would not be allowed to audition for MT shows in that case. IU sounds good if their upcoming MT program does not exclude non-majors. Does anybody have any other ideas?</p>
<p>I am not up on Piano Performance majors programs and would need to research them more. However, I would choose a school with that major (if that is what he wants as his main focus according to your post) at a school that has a BA in Theater or MT department but doesn't have a BFA major. I think for a non theater major, he will have more opportunities to perform on stage and take theater classes in a school with a BA program than one with a BFA program that casts primarily their BFA students and also opens most of their theater classes to those in the BFA major. I'd have to research piano major programs first, but that is the general direction I suggest. </p>
<p>I have a kid with both the skills your son has....Musical Theater and piano. However, unlike your son, her main thrust is MT and so she is in a BFA in MT program. However, she does work as a musical director, accompanist, arranger, and so on, sometimes for pay and sometimes not. She is involved in both performing and piano things related to theater. She has played piano for 12 years. </p>
<p>Indiana sounds like a good option for your son. I'd shy away from those BFA in MT schools IF he is not going to be doing the BFA in MT himself. I'm assuming from your post that he wants to also appear on stage and not only musically direct. Hope this helps some. Also, to suggest colleges only around majors, without knowing his academic qualifications, is tricky. Does he have the stats for Norhwestern? That is one possibility. Oberlin, which you have is another.</p>
<p>Have you considered OCU? They have a state-of-the-art new Music facility and one of the finest music programs in the country. They also offer the BM in MT AND they allow non-majors to audition for shows. My d is a soph MT major there but also has piano backhground and takes both class piano and private lessons as part of her degree.
Hope this helps,
Kim J</p>
<p>Why would you not take CCM as your main focus? It not only has a very highly ranked music program,but it would provide in-state tuition for you. Frankly, if I lived in Ohio and was interested in music, I would clearly treat CCM as my first choice.</p>
<p>Taxguy, if this person goes to CCM for piano, but ALSO wants to take some theater classes and appear ON stage in musicals, that won't be possible most likely at CCM because they have a BFA in MT and BFA in Acting program, not a BA MT or Theater program. </p>
<p>Lexasmom, I think the OP wants a school within five hours from Ohio.</p>
<p>soozievt, whoa! I do believe that musical theater majors can get private lessons through CCM and will have room for this if they can place out of a few courses with AP. Likewise, if they major in piano, they probably can take some musical theater courses too. However, I can be in error. The OP should certainly contact CCM about this. It surely would save them a bundle if CCM worked for them though.</p>
<p>Oberlin= $32,524 in tuition alone per year
CCM= $9,400 less $2,000 Cincinnatus scholarship or more given to most decent students per year. </p>
<p>Quality: Oberlin= CCM</p>
<p>However, being able to major in Piano and minor in MT and participate in shows can make the difference.</p>
<p>I read the OP as not wanting a BFA in MT with piano as the "additional" major/minor, but rather a major in Piano Performance, where he could also take theater and MT courses, plus perform in productions. So, I wasn't examining which BFA in MT programs would allow piano on the side or opportunities for musical directing, etc. In fact, my own kid is in a BFA in MT program and is currently musical directing, accompanying, arranging and is paid for some and not paid for some. I believe this poster's son wants the focus on Piano Performance, so I am only responding to that objective. In THAT case, at CCM, a piano major is not going to be able to take the BFA in MT classes and be in the MT shows, I tend to doubt it, or at least nothing like the options and opportunities he'd have at a college where he majored in piano but also got to double major or minor or simply take courses in the BA theater dept. and audition for musicals on campus. I was addressing the latter. Other ideas are great but may not be what this person was aiming for. Only the OP could say. Being a BFA in MT major who does a lot with piano is another thing all together. My own kid does that, in fact.</p>
<p>Taxguy, I did not see your edit when I posted just now. But you cannot minor in MT at CCM, or at any BFA in MT program, for that matter. That is the issue here, not the quality of CCM (which is very high) vs. Oberlin. </p>
<p>I suggest Oberlin, Indiana, or Northwestern but would have to examine piano performance majors at more schools and opportunities for theater on those campuses.</p>
<p>Another Ohio school to consider would be Baldwin Wallace. Non-majors are allowed to audition for shows. Also, students are sometimes used as asst. music directors and/or accompanists.</p>
<p>I believe Otterbein also allows non-majors to audition, but don't know what other opportunities may be allowed for a piano major with a strong MT background.</p>
<p>I would second OCU except it is too far away for your desires. </p>
<p>I would also second Baldwin Wallace. The MT program is within the music conservatory. Outside of the conservatory is a theatre program that I believe is a BA and non-audition. We were impressed with the college and the music conservatory.</p>
<p>Definatly look into Baldwin Wallace. He can create his own major within the MT department. The way the con works is every student has a primary instrument, whether is be Voice, Piano, trumpet, etc. and then beyond that they have their major; Music Theatre, Music Thearpy, Performance, etc. Therefore i guess you could say that it's technically possible to have piano be your primary intsrument and be a MT major (He could even have voice be his primary and still take private piano lessons too). Their have been a couple of students who have taken non-performance roles on within the program. For example we have one student who is on a MT music direction track and another is on a stage management/direction track. And yes, you could audition for the shows, although if you were on a music direction track you would probably be ass. music director for the musical. If you are really interested in this I would recomend getting in contect with the conservatory and they'll be able to get you in contact with Victoria Bussert (the head of the program) who would be able to discuss the possibilites of a taking on that role in the program.</p>
<p>I don't know if the students also have a chance to perform on stage, but I do know that Shenandoah Conservatory in VA has a degree in Musical Theatre accompanying. It may be worth looking into.</p>