Rock Vocals

College Majors Music Major
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<p>@brendansdad - thanks so much for your list, I wonder if you’ve had any further updates or insights in the past year?. </p>

<p>My daughter in a High School Junior in Connecticut and looking to major in Contemporary Vocal Music focusing on Pop/Rock/R&B. We recently attended a Performing Arts College Fair and ran across some of the UK schools on your list and she seems pretty enamored with the idea of studying over there.</p>

<p>She’s currently attending a part-time Performing Arts School and learning theory, classical, jazz, songwriting and audio production.</p>

<p>Berklee is her top pick, she’s taken summer workshops there the past 2 years and is excited about USC-Thornton and Miami Frost. Locally we’ve visited University of New Haven and are going to the College of St. Rose tomorrow for Open House and Columbia College of Chicago’s NYC Open House next weekend.</p>

<p>We’ve looked at the recent Billboard Magazine list of Top 11 Schools to learn about the Music Business. <a href=“11 Best Music Schools: Top Colleges for an Industry Degree | Billboard – Billboard”>http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/6259155/top-music-business-schools-colleges-programs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As her Dad, I’d like to find a program that has an equally strong Business component as it does for contemporary vocal performance. So industry programs are cool as long as there are performance and vocal instruction components at their core.</p>

<p>Thinking about taking a Spring Break trip to Tennessee to look at Middle Tennessee State, Tennessee State (wasn’t on our list until I saw yours), Belmont, and Memphis. </p>

<p>We spoke to William Patterson, and Five Towns and will have to consider New Jersey City University based on the Billboard article. Proximity to NYC is helpful but my daughter is disappointed with NYU because the Clive Davis program is not performance based. That being said she’s applied for a High School Moguls program there which we think could give her good business and industry experience in the interim if she gets in.</p>

<p>In the UK she’s very excited about LIPA, Salford in Manchester and Leeds College of music who were all at the college fair. I like that those schools have on-campus auditions with major labels who have signed students but am wary about the costs and potential lack of scholarship opportunities. I plan on looking at the London options as well. The UK options are also attractive because the music scene over there is a lot less categorized. We’re African American and black girls singing Rock music is not the norm here. </p>

<p>My best friend from High School was born in London and tried for years to get a deal in the US even leveraging our Mount Vernon NY (Heavy -D, Al B. Sure, Pete Rock, Jeff Redd) classmates but he had little success. He’s home in England now, doing very well, has recorded and plays numerous shows in small venues in UK and Europe.</p>

<p>I’d love your thoughts as well as others on this thread.</p>

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<p>Hey Brendansdad sometimes I think it’s not how far away from broadway or nashville or any other performance milestone you are…but who u know that owns a car. </p>

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Yours could singularly be the most insightful comment I’ve read on CC. Certainly on a per-word basis.

Do is the best kind of learn.

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I would suggest that you get a degree in something else and learn rock vocals outside of school. It’s a street art.

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To PopPrincessPop: Above, there’s a compelling comment you might read. In the end, it’s not the school or the location–it’s who owns a car to get members and rig to the gig. I mention this by way of taking some pressure off; success in the arts comes from doing, not learning. Comparatively few of rock’s venerated musicians come out of academe. That said, I do believe that the school and its location make a substantial difference. Who’s going to get the last audition slot of the day, the kid from Creighton University in Omaha, or the one from Berklee in Boston, Thornton in Los Angeles or Tisch in New York City? And who is going to know about the audition, there in Boston or NY or L.A. or Nashville, but the kids who are living in the music scene in that music center? So what the school does is give the student the best chance he or she can have, once they’re in that car.

I have not looked into The List since the last posting of it, because in the end my son decided to follow his rock vocals love through musical theater. In case your daughter has a thought of that, the first two places I’d look are The Boston Conservatory, which may be merging with Berklee, and Shenandoah down ol’ Virginny way. BoCo has an incomparable musical theater program, and (merger or not) BoCo students can take as many Berklee courses as their tight BFA schedules allow. Shenandoah just did one of its recurring program refreshes, keeping it current with the contemporary music demands of Broadway, and was at least one of the first MT programs to have a rock focus.

As for the schools you mention, I can say that LIPA and Leeds both are constantly at American college fairs and the annual auditions, suggesting that she would have compatriots there and that the institutions have bench strength. The BIMMs are interesting, too, each having its own flavor; Salford gets great marks from its students. The UK schools have the plus of being 3-year, but then there’s the afterward to consider. For the U.S. programs, I would say that, if your daughter were accepted to Thornton, she could not do better; the music industry is far more L.A. than Boston. But Thornton is a tiny program, accepting if I recall two to four vocalists a year. Berklee accepts far, far more, all the students there are music oriented (unlike USC), and Berklee has all the music business courses she could want to go with her vocal training, along with a tremendously vibrant college scene in the Back Bay (Berklee, Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Boston U, BoCo are all close neighbors on their sides of the Charles); expect very little real financial aid. Less pricey, and farther from shore, so to speak, are University of Colorado Denver and the British-import ACM (Academy of Contemporary Music) @ U Central Oklahoma in Oklahoma City. You mention two schools I could not get a “read” on–Five Towns on Long Island and Columbia College in Chicago. One thing to keep in mind: Your daughter will arrive at college blessed with exceptional high school training, and you would want to make sure she is in a program that is as advanced as she is; she wouldn’t be challenged by something that is closer to Grade 13.

One last thing, which is like the old adage that it’s easier to get into an MT program if you’re a boy (given the preponderance of blonde soprano ingenues applying): You might well find that your daughter being black and wanting to sing rock makes her stand out from everyone else, in a great way.

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Thank you for the thoughtful response @brendansdad ! Your opening is spot on, in the end success in the music business is about hustle, luck and talent…I believe in that order! And you’re right that to make it you don’t need a degree from a shiny school but if you have the other factors, collegiate training doesn’t hurt. Ultimately I’d like my daughter to find a school where she can study what she loves, get a valuable education and find a way to make a living and career out of music. If she gets a big break and becomes a star, that’s great but I want her to have the savvy it takes to use music as a springboard to her life as a productive adult.

As a lot of “artsy” kids are, my daughter is an experiential kid and we’ve visited a lot of schools with a handful left to complete this part of the process. We’ve seen ones that weren’t a fit, ruled out some based on costs and scholarship opportunities, and are starting to round out the list of schools she’ll apply to this fall. I thought hard on the UK options and think the best course of action would be for her to attend school in the US and look for study abroad options at someplace like Leeds, LIPA, or Salford. Interestingly, she’s a little less into Rock at the moment and becoming more interested in Jazz though she wants to keep her options open. As for Musical Theater, she’s interested in taking some classes in that area, perhaps auditioning for some shows but doesn’t want to study MT full time. That being said, its been hard to find programs that aren’t strictly classical. Your point about Grade 13 is interesting as well, we’ve seen and eliminated a couple programs that felt and in some cases looked like High School.

Spring Break we went South and visited Loyola in New Orleans, Tulane, University of New Orleans, Memphis, Middle Tennessee State, and Tennessee State. She loved Loyola and Memphis which are both starting new Popular and Commercial Music majors with impressive Music Business faculty.

In the Northeast we’ve looked at University of Hartford, University of New Haven, University of the Arts, Five Towns College, and The College of St. Rose. St. Rose is on the bubble as a safety school and she’s really excited about U Arts. We’re scheduling visits to Berklee (she’s attended summer workshops there the past 2 years but hasn’t done an official visit), the New School, and New Jersey City University.

She just got back from doing the University of Colorado - Denver’s Summer Music Industry Camp and loved it. It was her first trip to Colorado and she was impressed by the faculty and loved the city. We went west to LA after that and looked at Cal Arts and Cal State Northridge. She was very impressed with Cal Arts, and we learned that although Northridge’s Music Business program has exposure to Rock/Contemporary management, vocal study is strictly classical.

As much as I would have liked her to look at USC Thorton, we had to remove it from the list based on cost. Its super expensive and doesn’t offer any merit-based scholarships in the Popular Music program which will be a must for our situation. At the end of the day, finances will also be a big driver in the ultimate selection.

Before the summer ends we’re planning a visit to the Midwest to look at Columbia College of Chicago, she liked what she saw at their NYC Open House, and McNally Smith.

So at this point, here’s what the apply list looks like with room for 2 or 3 more.

Her choices are:
Berklee
University of the Arts (Philadelphia)
Loyola New Orleans
Memphis
University of Colorado Denver
California Institute of the Arts
College of Saint Rose (maybe)

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If you are going to come to the Midwest to look at Columbia for heaven’s sake look at Roosevelt, which is right around the corner. In my opinion they have a program that far exceeds Columbia’s in the areas you are discussing. This school has some very heavy hitting teachers and is often ignored by students blowing in and out of Chicago. Don’t leave it off your list. If you are looking for Rock vocals you can’t do better than Cheryl Wilson, who teachers there.

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Thanks or the tip @jb1966 - I’ve never heard of Roosevelt before and it looks intriguing from what I’ve seen so far online. The program seems very heavy on Jazz not sure if they do Rock or other contemporary styles but need to do more research. We’ll have to check it out when we visit Chicago.

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@PopPrincessPop - We live in the Chicago area and are trying to research Roosevelt, too. We know of a few people going there for MT, but I haven’t heard any firsthand info on the Jazz and Contemporary program. I agree, it looks like mostly Jazz. Easy to confuse “contemporary” with “commercial” but seems there is often a big difference! We may try to get a sample lesson and a tour and see what we can find out.

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Yes for pop and rock check Cheryl out. I can’t recommend her enough.

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This is a great thread! We are in the early stages of starting our college list for my daughter who is a HS sophomore. She is a very talented vocalist/songwriter. She is currently at Interlochen for a singer/songwriter program. I am looking at sending her to Berklee for their 5 week summer program next year as well as possibly college. She loves singing jazz/pop/soul and has some fabulous pipes. I am starting to look at the best schools for her. Her heart’s desire is NYU Tisch but honestly even with the cost concerns (which are huge) I really wonder if that’s the best fit for her. I haven’t noticed that Manhattan School of music has been mentioned here. Anyone have any thoughts? Columbia in Chicago is a new one to me and I will check it out. Thinking along the lines of Berklee, NYU (was thinking Clive Davis but again not sure if it’s focused on performance or just the music biz), USC/Thornton…others? I would love some input from anyone with suggestions. I want her to get a good degree and if she’s good enough to make it as an artist great. If not she needs a degree to have in her pocket to be successful in life in my opinion.

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Lots of OCHSA grads go to Roosevelt, if in theater. It does have a very good jazz and contemporary program, but yes the clear concentration is jazz. That’s the only reason it’s not on the rock list, which, again, does not include schools that don’t have a singular focus on rock. Also very good, UArts is also jazz and contemporary but branches out quite a bit from there to include rock, folk, usw.

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Brendansdad do u mean Orange County ochsa? My daughter went there her freshmen and sophomore years. She’s a rising sophomore at hartt. Small worlds.

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Thank you I am looking at Roosevelt now! She really wants to focus on vocal jazz studies

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Yes, OCHSA, or now OSCA. My student (2nd-yr BoCo MT, after six yrs at OCHSA) says he believes he knows your daughter–she’s in vocal perf at Hartt? Such excellent arts programs there at UHartford!

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Yes. She did mt oscha for two years and left sophomore year so that she could perform more. Late in her junior year of high school she changed her mind to major in vp. She still performs in both mt and vp. Small worlds. I think I might know who ur son is

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Just wondering if anyone has updates to the Rock Vocals list. PopPrincessPop says that “Loyola and Memphis … are both starting new Popular and Commercial Music majors with impressive Music Business faculty,” which shows schools are always adapting, and I’m wondering if there are any schools that should be added. Remember that the list is specific to colleges that offer a degree major in rock vocals. Specifically rock vocals, and specifically degree majors in same. Anything else does not fit.

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To that end (see above post), here’s the latest version of the Rock Vocals College Degree Program list:

Undergraduate ‘rock vocals’ music performance programs:

∙ Colleges (usually degrees; certain colleges, esp. in UK, also offer certificates)–

Berklee College of Music, Boston, Mass.
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif.
University of Colorado Denver, Denver, Colo.
Academy of Contemporary Music @ U Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Catawba College, Salisbury, N.C.
Santa Fe College of Art and Design, Santa Fe, N.M.
Belmont University, Nashville, Tenn.
McNally Smith College of Music, St. Paul, Minn.
Tiffin University, Tiffin, Ohio
Johnson State College, Johnson, Vt.
Western Oregon University, Monmouth, Ore.
Columbia College Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
Tennessee State, Nashville, Tenn.
Five Towns College, Dix Hills, N.Y.
Shepherd University, Los Angeles, Calif.
Plymouth State University, Plymouth, N.H.

Down Under: University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
UK: Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, Liverpool, England
UK: Leeds College of Music, Leeds, England
UK: London Centre of Contemporary Music, London, England
UK: Tech Music School London, London, England
UK: Goldsmiths, University of London, London, England
UK: Middlesex University, North London, England
UK: Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, London, England
UK: BIMM - Brighton Inst. of Modern Music - also in Bristol, Manchester, Dublin

∙ Career schools (certificates)–

L.A. Music Academy, Pasadena, Calif.
Musicians Institute, Hollywood, Calif.
UK: Academy of Contemporary Music, Guildford, England

Unvetted UK popular music programs (with high marks from students)–

U Hull, U Kent, Royal Northern College of Music, U Gloucestershire,
U Huddersfield, U Salford, Colchester Institute

∙ Other UK popular music programs to consider–

Anglia Ruskin University, Bath Spa University, Bournemouth University, Brunel University, Canterbury Christ Church University, University of Chester, University of Chichester, Edinburgh Napier University, Falmouth University, Liverpool Community College, Liverpool John Moores University, University of Liverpool, Manchester College, Manchester Metropolitan University, NCG, Newcastle University, University Of Northampton, University Of South Wales/Prifysgol De Cymru, Southampton Solent University, University Of Sunderland, Truro And Penwith College, University Campus Suffolk, Wakefield College, University Of Wales - Newport, University Of West London, University Of The West Of Scotland, University Of Westminster, University Of Winchester, University Of Wolverhampton.

Off list: ∙ Contemporary industry programs that could interest vocalists–

Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, New York University, New York, N.Y.
Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program, U Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.
Canada: Humber College, Toronto, Ontario
UK: Univ. of Chichester, Chichester, England (via Platform One, Isle of Wight)

∙

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I’d absolutely add Loyola New Orleans and Memphis to the list @brendansdad .

Those were the last 2 schools on my D’s consideration list. Loyola has a BS Popular & Commercial Music (http://loyolacreativeprofessions.org/degree/bachelor-science-popular-commercial-music/) and Memphis has a BM Commercial Music Performance (http://www.memphis.edu/ugcatalog/collegeprog/ccfa/music.php (long page, need to scroll about 2/3 of the way down) ) Both programs support and vocalists are trained in R&B, Rock, Jazz, Hip Hop, and other genres.

She just chose Memphis and will be attending the BM Commercial Music Performance program on scholarship.

UMass Lowell and the College of Saint Rose also have Music Industry programs that allow students to use them for Rock Vocals.