<p>I'm a HS Junior, and I'm coming up with a list of schools. I'm going to major in Voice Performance. I think the really important things are good voice teachers, good undergrad opportunities, and preferably a good opera program. Right now I have these:</p>
<p>Simpson College
Ithaca College
McGill
Florida State University (Talahasee)
University of Redlands</p>
<p>What other schools might I be interested in looking at? If you're a voice major in any of these, or who has graduated from any of these, can you share pros/cons?</p>
<p>These schools are all over the map (in more ways than one). In order for folks to give you some suggestions you might want to let us know what other criteria you are using. Region, size, money, etc?</p>
<p>Oh, yeah. I don’t care what region, really. I’m looking for smaller schools with scholarships.</p>
<p>Might want to add Oberlin, Lawrence, DePauw.</p>
<p>For smaller schools with top opera programs I would look into Rice and Oberlin. Bard and Vassar would be good options too. I would be cautious with U Redlands…</p>
<p>As an undergrad VP major, a good opera department really should not be of utmost importance to you. Young singers won’t be given roles at in very good programs anyway, nor should they be. Your emphasis should be on learning good Bel Canto technique, vocal health,languages and diction, music theory (and all that encompasses) and acquiring art song rep; those arias come later on, but singing over an orchestra is not safe the undergrad level. Schools put on Opera Scenes, which are accompanied by piano and the young singers can expect roles in those, at least when upperclassmen. Studio class is another nice opportunity to sing as is Opera Workshop- and you can and should make opportunities for yourself to perform while in school.
Oberlin, for example, does have some graduate VP students who get the big roles in their productions and they also use a smaller orchestra than a school such as Rice. You might perhaps see a chorus role at Rice later in your years there, but nothing else is given to undergrads.
As has been pointed out, your list of potential schools is all over the place, and even saying “Smaller schools with scholarships” doesn’t help much. What geographical location do you prefer (because the cost of travel can really impact your finances), what do you class as a “small school”, conservatory/LAC/uni or a hybrid of two of those, how much academic work do you want and what are your grades/GPA like? Some schools require you to be admitted academically first and then musically. Do you want a strong choir component or don’t you like that?
Let’s talk scholarship money. Realistically, for voice majors, there is not a lot out there, especially if you are a soprano. There are an awful lot of kids who sing, and who are considered the “best” in their area- those who have leads in the shows in HS, choir and church solos, etc and who are told by well meaning friends, family and even teachers that they have “what it takes to make it to the Met”. In reality, very, very few do, and a lot of success lies in luck and being in the right place at the right time. Some really good kids were denied admission at top schools back in 20009 (and 2010 to an extent) merely because of the sheer numbers of students applying to college in general at that time. In other years, applicants are fewer so there are more acceptances. There are also a lot of teachers out there who have not kept up with the news as to which schools have improved or declined, who is teaching where or even what is needed in the way of audition rep. I’ve seen kids with a fistful of well-known arias they’ve prepared who panic(or worse, don’t read the print) when they find out that a school only wants to hear an art song, not " O mio babbino caro". Teachers need to be versed in these things, but you need to do your investigative work also. When you get to college, everyone else in your class was one of the best in their home towns too, so you begin all over again. Singers are behind their instrumental peers- voices mature later, classical study usually begins around the age of 14 and by that time, instrumentalists can have 5-10 years in already and have done large competitions and important summer festivals and many have played in top-notch youth symphonies under well known conductors.
Sit down and really think about what your ideal school would be like and begin your research. The “search” feature on CC is useful and there is a thread with a pretty complete list of schools. Go back for a few years and see where the VP majors have chosen to enroll and PM people for their insights on those schools… Visiting conservatories or music schools in the summer doesn’t yield as much info as it would for other majors because most faculty members are off teaching elsewhere, but if you can get in a couple of visits in April, that would be great.
There is no right school for everyone just as one teacher is not the best choice for all. The trick is knowing what to look for that will help you in the long run, and remember, to look for the right teacher to help you grow as an artist.
Keep tossing questions out to us if you can’t find what you need by looking in past threads. You’ve come to the right place!</p>
<p>Thinking about where I’d want to go geographically, I’d like to get out of New England, but anything beyond Colorado would be a bit too far. I’m looking for a school with a campus (I don’t know how many schools don’t have actual campuses, but I have a friend who went to NYU and realized too late that a campus is nice to have). Mezzo’sMomma, to answer your questions in order:
By small school, I mean around or less than 6000 enrolled. My grades and GPA are good, as are my SAT scores, in my schools naviance I should have no problem getting into any of the schools listed (Except McGill, but that’s a special case). I would like a strong, or at least better than decent choir component. As for scholarships, I know a few competitions for scholarships for seniors in my area, so I’ll be competing for those. My teacher, luckily, is up to date about colleges.</p>
<p>^I am just curious about why you’re looking for a small general population school, when most VP departments are by nature very small and intimate anyway.</p>
<p>My son attends what is technically a “very large” music school at a “very large” university (University of Michigan.) His classes are very very small; he receives a boatload of personal attention, and he knows everyone in his program very well - but also has had the benefit of working with a very wide range of folks in theatrical and film productions as well as other musical opportunities because the sheer volume of ECs, plus school sponsored performances, present a cornucopia of opportunity for those who are inclined to get involved. </p>
<p>By attrition, I’m not sure some of his peers at smaller music schools have had the same breadth of opportunity (based on their comments and attempts to transfer to his school in some cases.) It’s worth considering the “whys” of your preference to make sure you are not making assumptions about programs that might otherwise afford you good opportunities.</p>
<p>MezzoMama – Do you attend Rice yourself? Are you in touch with the director of the program?</p>
<p>Because every single member of this year’s freshman class has performed in the operas. They were chorus roles with the exception of one comprimario role. I wouldn’t make statements like that when you yourself don’t attend the school.</p>
<p>A number of the undergraduates have sung comprimario roles over the years. In rare cases there have been seniors who have sung leading roles.</p>
<p>Also the orchestra used for the operas is not large at all, and the house that they perform in is not overly-demanding by any stretch.</p>
<p>There are also numerous other performance opportunities for undergrads at Rice. There is a scenes program for freshman and many other scenes programs throughout undergrad. Many undergrads are chosen as soloists for the oratorios when they are older. Many recitals are done every year, and there are an infinite number of opportunities to perform student compositions.</p>
<p>Rice is a fantastic place for an undergraduate who wants to be a VP major. The campus is gorgeous and there are around 3,500 students so you don’t feel like a number by an means.</p>
<p>Have you checked if Univ. of Redlands has a music program that would prepare you for opera?</p>
<p>kmcmom13, I didn’t know that, thanks! That’ll definitely be good to know when I’m looking at schools!
operaluvr, Do you know anyone on this website that has attended Rice as a VP major? I haven’t had time to look through old posts yet, and communicating with them would be nice.
@Georgia Girl, I actually don’t know. I’ll check that ASAP.</p>
<p>Look for an undergrad school that prepares you to be ready to hit the stage and get into a good grad school. That sort of school is different for almost every singer. I think the reason that folks might question Redlands is that it is generally not the type of school that people travel all the way across the country to attend specifically for voice. But plenty of good undergrad singers come out of small programs–they might have a great teacher that none of us are aware of. -Why did you put it on your list?</p>
<p>I just had an epiphany, I know of a very successful young singer from Los Angeles who did her undergrad at Redlands '05 and currently signed with IMG. Sings at LA Opera and SFO, but I have no idea who her teacher was. So you can get a good education there. You might ask them.</p>
<p>Godsped, I believe operaluvr is currently an undergraduate at Rice which is why she is so knowledgable about the program - send her a pm if you have questions.</p>
<p>Yikes! I had no idea my writing style came across as feminine haha! I am in fact a guy</p>
<p>I heard Oberlin is phasing out their graduate VP program.</p>
<p>So sorry operaluvr. Don’t you know I was going to type he/she and I decided not to. Poor choice on my part which had nothing to do with your writing style!</p>
<p>musicamusica, It’s on my list because my voice teacher met a really good singer who graduated from it. That’s true for all these schools.</p>
<p>operluvr, it’s been a long weekend and I’m tired, so as soon as I can think of a question I’ll be contacting you</p>