<p>Two questions:</p>
<p>My daughter wants to major in music education choral and will be a junior next fall. She is a voice major at Mannes Prep during the school year. Still kind of a beginner although lots of chorus/musical theatre experience. Should she intern at a music school this summer working with children and study voice privately here in NYC? Or, should she be applying to pre-college summer voice programs...</p>
<p>She is a B+ student and goes to a small private school...wants to go to
a good music school but I don't think she will be at the level of conservatories.
Looking at Vanderbilt, UNorthCarolina Greensboro, Elon, Baylor, U of North Texas, Lots of potential. </p>
<p>Advice?</p>
<p>Both are good options. Most competitive summer program apps are due now. However, multiple programs have later deadlines. (Walnut Hill, Boston Conservatory, VOICExperience, University of British Columbia, Oberlin, Hawaii Performing Arts Festival to name a few). The summer before junior year is an awesome year to do voice programs. I am a junior, and I did two last summer. I learned so many performance skills that are helping me, and really help to set me apart from other voice students locally. However, I do believe that because you are NYC, and have great resources, it would be great choice to use them! It’s really up to you and your daughter, but I would maybe try for a voice program this summer (I auditioned for all the programs I mentioned except for Hawaii, got in to all of them, and went to two of them) and then senior year do an internship and take extra lessons in voice, piano, theory, etc. to really prepare for college auditions. Summer programs are still great options summer before senior year too, and I would highly recommend them at some point. Bottom line, I would apply to one of these shorter later application programs, and see how that goes! Good luck!</p>
<p>Since the audition is the most important factor in music education admissions, I’d confer with her private teacher and the Mannes school voice teacher and see if your daughter is on track for solid auditions or if she would benefit from the summer voice program. Since voice is one of the most competitive for admissions, I concentrate on audition prep for the summerl. </p>
<p>She could volunteer with local groups and camps helping with children to bolster the Education side of her resume. </p>
<p>Working with kids at the camp would help her decide if she truly wants to teach for a living but she could do it next summer, too. </p>
<p>So ask her teachers and get the opinion of other professionals about the best course of action for the summer.</p>
<p>Check out UMichigan’s MPulse program. Their Vocal Arts Institute is only 2 weeks and a great introduction. My D was accepted there last summer (with no choral experience but very good vocal training behind her). It inspired her so much - that she begged me to let her audition for Walnut Hill instead of public HS and began her classes there this week as a mid-year sophomore. Applications and audition tape are due on February 15th. Go to the website - they have all of the info. If you want to see some of what they do - go to YouTube and search MPulse VAI 2011. I recorded most of the final program. If you want to find out more you can PM me! - and she loved it so much that she’s got her application in again for this summer!</p>
<p>As for Walnut Hill in the summer.<br>
That is an opera program. It’s very good. Two weeks on campus and one week in Italy. It’s also very expensive.</p>