Please help! Second year student looking to change to Bachelor of Music (voice)

<p>Hi, I'm a student at ucsb currently studying actuarial science, but as of lately I realized that I have no interest with the subject at all, and on the other hand, I love singing and performing. So I'm trying to switch into the BM program at ucsb. I have spoken with a few professors and counselors(and to put frankly, they are not of much help), they have suggested that it's going to be difficult to finish the major in three years(i'm almost a junior, so 3 more years). </p>

<p>1.So i would like to know if it's worthy to commit to BM voice with 3 or even possibly a few more quarters?
2.Does ucsb have a good music program? (I know a lot of engineers but sadly no music majors)
3.What are my alternative choices?
4.Lastly, how are grad schools going to view the extra time I took to obtain the degree? (I do wish to get a masters in music if I go down this road)</p>

<p>Please help and thank you!</p>

<p>UCSB is not a well known program for VP. (look into UCLA, USC, Cal State LB, and Cal State Northridge.) Why not chat with the UCSB voice teachers and possibly pay for a few private lessons with them to get a feel for the teaching level there? Do you currently study voice privately? What do you plan to do with your degree in VP? BTW, you could study privately while continuing your current path and take some music theory classes, piano study, etc and still audition for a MM program down the road. </p>

<p>Thank you musicamusica, as it is already my junior year, I don’t think transferring to another school would be possible? especially to a brand new major? I have been taking private lessons with one of the faculty, he’s very good; however, he’s just a graduate student who’s trying to get a doctoral degree, so I haven’t met with any of the professors that I will be spending studio time with yet.(actually i met one, his attitude was rather negative when I told him I would like to switch into the major) My dream is to be able to join an opera company and perform, but if it comes down to it, I’d be happy to just be a teacher, preferably a professor at a university. I just feel like I’m wasting a lot of time with my current major and would like to put my money into better use towards my future. </p>

<p>You’re a junior now, so it’s not realistic to expect to expect to earn a performance degree at this point in time and the folks you’ve spoken with at school are being honest with you. It’s not like it was even ten years ago- this is a long path with very specific requirements that must be met. While a desire to sing and perform is wonderful, it’s simply not enough.
musica made some very valid points and you do need to get an evaluation by a good teacher to see where you stand vocally. VP degrees require piano proficiency, music theory and music history sequences, song literature opera lit and opera workshop performance requirements,languages (Italian, French and German) as well as diction in all of those plus English and at least two recitals.
Good graduate programs in VP will expect you to have had those things but you can make up a few of them in the first year. An option for you would be to get yourself to the very best voice teacher that you can afford and begin some serious study, then move into a certificate or diploma program that doesn’t require all of the things that you haven’t taken. If you intend on teaching at the university level though, you need a masters and a DMA.
Guys are at a premium in VP programs but you still have to meet requirements and do the work. Schools are turning out far more graduates than there are available positions so time is of the essence. </p>

<p>Just my opinion but your best bet would be to finish your degree and in the mean time find the best possible teacher you can in Santa Barbara. If you are going to be around Santa Barbara this summer, be sure an attend the Music Academy of the West performances and social events. A great place to get a fix on what level of talent is requited to be successful in voice. Maybe a chance to network with some great young singers, teachers and to ask about their backgrounds.</p>

<p>Thank you both! Do you recommend taking lessons from university professors or find independent teachers? </p>

<p>Whichever offers the best experience. A lot also depends on whether or not you are able to drive further afield to find the best teacher and how much you are able to spend. Good teachers in LA cost about $150 per.</p>

<p>First of all, are you “almost a junior” or “already” a junior?</p>

<p>It is possible to transfer and study at another school with 75 or even 90 credits already done, depending on major. Unfortunately, music is a sequential, intense curriculum and it is not possible to do with music. If, for instance, you wanted to do English, it would still be hard at many schools, not because the school won’t admit you, but because often courses aren’t offered every semester or even every year so it is hard to get the classes you need to graduate in a shorter span of time.</p>

<p>I suggest you look at the website for UCSB music, and any other school you might be interested in. Here is info for UCSB transfers into the BA or BM degree programs in music: <a href=“http://www.music.ucsb.edu/academics/undergrad/admissions/transfer”>http://www.music.ucsb.edu/academics/undergrad/admissions/transfer&lt;/a&gt; Every school will be different. It does mention the situation of coming out of a community college and applying to UCSB for music, which might be a situation equivalent to yours.</p>

<p>I don’t think we know enough about you to advise. Have you taken piano, or theory, or music history? How much singing and performing have you done? Have you finished distribution requirements? What is your financial situation? Can you afford to drop back a year or two to switch courses? Can you afford private study?</p>

<p>I would not say this is impossible if you are willing to drop some credits, but, again, I don’t know enough about your situation to say. Other options might be private study while you finish (as others have said), preparing to apply for a grad program on your own, using a conservatory continuing education program or taking classes a la carte with private lessons, that kind of thing. I don’t know a lot about voice (others here do) but I do know that vocal performers need time to develop and so any loss of time may not be as much of a big deal as it would be for an instrument.</p>

<p>The BA might be easier for you to accomplish. Others here would have to tell you the drawbacks of BA versus BM in voice. If you did the BA and private lessons and performed some, it might work, but sometimes BA students have fewer opportunities in a school that also offers a BM.</p>

<p>You could also train and sing as an amateur, as a hobby, rather than professionally. If you are talented, I don’t mean to sell your short by saying that: that is an option for any artist, musician, dancer, or actor.</p>

<p>I have concerns about your sentence about “just” being a teacher, “preferably university…” Just want to make sure you know how difficult it can be to get a position teaching at a university :)</p>

<p>I think you really need to get into the nitty gritty of school websites to see how this might work Look at some of the other schools suggested above, and look at conservatories too. Then make an appointment to talk to someone in the department at various schools, armed with some knowledge of how things work at that particular institution. Look into a very good private teacher and talk to him or her too. </p>

<p>The UCSB site says that although most have to audition for performance classes during the winter before entrance, there are exceptions and you might be able to get into a class by auditioning just before fall classes start. There is also frequent mention of junior-level students dropping back to meet requirements. Don’t give up before investigating whether this new course is, indeed, possible, but understand that an alternative course can also get you to your goals if done carefully.</p>

<p>I also recommend poking around the <a href=“http://auditioningforcollege.com/”>http://auditioningforcollege.com/&lt;/a&gt; web site. There’s a lot of excellent information there about what an opera career path looks like, and the various program options for someone who loves to sing and perform. </p>