<p>My son plays guitar and sings, but has had no formal training. He would like to pursue a major in Music Therapy, but he is by no means a polished musician with years of training. he has experience singing and playing guitar at Starbucks and our local farmers markets and youth community programs, but he isn't active in high school theater and chorus and band, etc... and wonder if we are trying to swim in a pond we have no business swimming in..... I think he has a lot of talent and a beautiful voice but no "training". Trying to be admitted into a conservatory, is that just ridiculous for him? Any suggestions you have would be great. Thank you! </p>
<p>His strength is in his singing, but he has never sung any classical pieces and knows nothing about that genre of music. He would be going the vocal audition route, and I’ve seen those requirements, just not sure if his lack of classical singing experience/knowledge is going to shut him out. </p>
<p>How old is he? Could he start lessons now? My daughter has long been a singer but just started voice lessons this past October, and her voice has improved dramatically in that time. </p>
<p>Guitar is a key instrument for music therapists - does he read music? These are things he can learn, and if he wants to go into a music field, he should learn. I would say it would be difficult to get into a conservatory, but if he’s interested in music therapy, conservatory might not be the best path for him, either. </p>
<p>He doesn’t need to attend a conservatory to pursue Music Therapy. Have a look at Nazareth College just outside of Rochester, NY- they have a very well respected program and have set up some excellent internship opportunities for their students. He could pursue a B.M. in Music Therapy or a B.M. in Music Therapy with Education Certification. They have been known to be very generous with financial aid.</p>
<p>Thank you all for your replies–they have been very helpful!!
We are trying to stay in state (Virginia) and Radford and Shenandoah are the only two schools that offer Music Therapy. Radford offers it without the conservatory. We are really leaning towards Shenandoah, not just for the obvious reasons (great, great school), but because he has been approached to possibly play football there (purely a coincidence that he was also looking there for his major (Radford only has a club team).<br>
He would go with the jazz track major, but for auditions, it looks like he would have to do classical songs…</p>
<p>He is 17, and will be starting his senior year in high school.</p>
<p>If his heart is set on this I would start some classical voice lessons as soon as possible. It may be hard with so many gone for the summer but if he has to do one foreign language song he should get started on it. They also require a theory exam for admission consideration so if he is self taught without a lot of formal work he should look into that too. Have you called the admission office and talked to them? Admission folks are usually really helpful land there may be other options. </p>
<p>Definitely speak to admissions or to the director of the music therapy program, if possible. Or have him call and tell them about his circumstances and see what they suggest. I do think starting voice lessons is a great idea. </p>