<p>Hello, I've been reading here for quite a while now, and I thank you all for all your input about colleges. My D is a soprano, now a junior, and plans to major in vocal performance and/or music ed. She does want to teach, but she knows she wants the vigor of vocal performance as well. She is considering the following schools:</p>
<p>Any suggestions for voice teachers?</p>
<p>McGill
Westminster Choir College
Suny Purchase
Suny Potsdam (Crane)
Suny Fredonia
James Madison University
Hartt </p>
<p>Are any of the above schools possibly relatively easier to get into, for a good musician (not just a good singer)? I. E., should we be adding/replacing one of these for a "safety" school?</p>
<p>Any audition based admit is a crapshoot, there are true no safeties.</p>
<p>I can't speak to vocal competitiveness or teachers, as son is a string performance grad.</p>
<p>I do know that for music ed Hartt will weigh academics in addition to performance audition results. They do have a five year double major performance/ed combo. A straight music ed admit may have a bit less stringent performance audition plateau to hit than a staight performance major. For the double major, the performance standard applies, in addition to the academic ed criteria.</p>
<p>hi sopranomom92:
I think violadad's first comment is right on target! I can't really speak about WCC, JMU, or Hartt, other than to repeat comments I have heard here. McGill is a difficult academic admission, and I believe their music school is one of the "tops" in Canada, so I imagine it is an especially difficult admission for sopranos. It is also no longer the financial bargain it was for us U.S. citizens it once was!</p>
<p>Do not assume that just because they are SUNYs, as opposed to stand alone conservatories or more well-known larger university programs, that any of the above three are going to be easy, again- ESPECIALLY (!) for sopranos! Be aware that Purchase is a very different kind of school, and has a different feel, than Crane or Fredonia. There is no music ed. at Purchase and they take only 3 freshmen on each voice part! MY D did not particularly care for Crane and did not apply, but we have known plenty of kids who love it there.
If you are in NY, I have known of other kids who went to Nazareth, Roberts Weslyan and Houghton, all of which also have music ed., and, presumably, are not as competitive as the other three.</p>
<p>Addendum:
Again, if you are looking in NY, another "safety" possibility might be Hartwick College. I really don't know anything about the program except that they do have music ed. Two of my D's friends went there, one for history, one for music. They both got nice merit $$ and the audition requirements were much less stringent. From the website, it also appears that you can go audition anytime in the fall.</p>
<p>My D is a vocal performance major at JMU - a soprano. We were told at orientation that the music department accepts about 20% of applicants. I imagine the percentage is lower for sopranos. My D is happy and incredibly busy - she often leaves her dorm room early morning and doesn't even get back there until late at night. She considers the music building her second home. I can't recall whether you PM'd me with questions before or not, but feel free to do that. </p>
<p>D did a sample lesson with Sally Wolf at Westminster and really enjoyed it. Ms Wolf and her private voice teacher knew each other from Curtis so that was the connection. There are so many great teachers there.</p>
<p>Is there a reason that Ithaca College is not on your list? Also, consider Westminster Choir College in Princeton. </p>
<p>A school that may be a closer safety could be Buffalo State. We just spoke with them at the Eastman/Julliard/Ithaca Music College Fair on Wednesday, and they are trying to get their music ed program more competitive. Buffalo State is one of the few SUNYs in an urban location. Also, consider The College of St Rose in Albany for music education.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for all the responses. Pageturner, thanks for the suggestion about Ithaca. I didn't know anything about it. We'll definitely look into it. Any suggestions for voice teachers there? The combination performance and music ed program looks very good. We're actually in southern California, but our D really wants to be in trees and snow, and a good music program. We'll just have to figure out how to manage the school visits and auditions when the time comes. We've got to narrow our choices down to 5 I think.</p>
<p>At Ithaca, I know Carol McAmis, Deborah Montgomery, Carl Johengen, and Patrice Pastore. They are all good. Actually, I haven't heard of any bad voice teachers there.</p>
<p>Also, look at Syracuse University. Very nice program.</p>
<p>I teach at James Madison University in Theatre and Dance. I coordinate the musical theatre concentration and work with many students in Music Ed and VP. PM me if you have any questions.</p>
<p>My D is a vocal performance major at Westminster and is considereing doubling in music ed. She loves Westminster. The faculty is incredible. Take a look at their bios on the WCC website. My D was lucky enough to get into Ms. Wolf's studio and is beyond thrilled! Ms. Wolf is a true professional and has an incredible pedigree herself. There are many other gifted faculty to choose from. Good luck. Send me a PM if you need any particulars.</p>