<p>I noticed that there is no forum for this school, and was wondering if anyone knew anything about it. I have seen snippets of “I’ve heard this school is good”, but nothing more substantial. If anyone has auditioned there, I would love to hear about the audition process. They require a music theory test and sight singing, which is different than my other schools. I am auditioning there in Febuary and I am interested in learning more about the school, beyond what the school says about itself.</p>
<p>If anyone can give me any insight, I would appreciate it!</p>
<p>The NYSSA Vocal Program (summer) is held there and I do know that a number of kids who either choose to remain closer to home or who do not get into the "more difficult" colleges choose Fredonia. My only experience with them has been seeingtwo of their students tearing into an audition here in Rochester over an hour late because they "couldn't find their way here"- not an auspicious beginning, but, again, I have know parents who are very pleased with the education their kids are getting ( and these were youngsters who had leads in their school productions)
Perhaps bumping this up will encourage someone who has made a recent visit there to reply?
Good Luck!</p>
<p>Let's see what I can remember. My d auditioned there last year. It was one of her backups. She got in, but is attending elsewhere. As a note, I know of talented students who did not get in there(one is at Baldwin-Wallace) and at least one student who did get in there that was questionable in my mind(she's no longer in the program).An example of 'you just never know'. But I'm no expert. We live relatively close, so I know more 'locals' who have auditioned there.</p>
<p>There was a music theory test. My d didn't think it was hard but she's had a lot of music theory. I believe it was for placement only. It's not the only school that gives music theory placement tests. If my memory serves me correctly, the sight singing was also like a music listening/hearing test (there's a better name for this but I can't think of it). She also did not think this was terribly hard. The vocal and acting auditions were done privately in a room in front of faculty as is typical of most schools. I'm sorry I don't remember anything terribly significant about the audition day. It was well-run. We felt comfortable and welcome. If you have more specific questions, it may trigger my memory.</p>
<p>Fredonia has been criticized in the past for the dance portion of MT being very weak there. The head of the MT dept announced at the audition that the school was adding a dance major (I think maybe fall 2007, but I am not sure of the exact timeframe that he said). If the 2 programs work well together, maybe this will improve the dance portion of MT down the road. Only time will tell. But if you are strong in dance, you may want to ask alot of questions about this.</p>
<p>I know the music programs in general there are considered quite strong. We get the sense from some students there in voice (performance or education) that their MT and vocal music programs do not 'get along'. This does not mean that their MT voice is not good, just an observation. This is a typical issue amongst some classical vs MT's out there anyways. </p>
<p>I know they also allowed you to audition for more than one program on the same day if you requested to do so (say, MT and vocal performance or music ed.)</p>
<p>If you are from NY State, it is pretty inexpensive compared to most programs. I'm not sure what the out of state tuition is. They do have some scholarships available also (I remember one specifically for room and board based on academics and ec's, but there are others as well).</p>
<p>Feel free to ask me more specific questions. This is all I am remembering right now. Good luck!</p>
<p>My D's acting coach is an MT grad of Fredonia. She is very knowledgeable and has worked professionally. Based on what she had told me about the program, they have a very strong acting base and she felt that her voice training was outstanding. (She had studied at Julliard through high school.)was comparable at Fredonia. She felt that the dancing was a bit lacking, but D's Coach had been accepted at SU, Ithaca, Penn State and I believe OCU. She chose Fredonia for several reasons, but finances played a big part. She was from Westchester Co. NY and could attend for very little $$. Knowing that she did not want to be in debt and entering a very financially insecure world of MT, she chose to give it a try & was very happy there. Fredonia is not on my D's list because it was too far north, did not have a reputation for being strong on dance (she loves to dance) and did not meet other PERSONAL criteria, but it certainly is not because it was lacking in terms of quality education. I think that if you are looking for a smaller school, don't mind the cold and are from NY state, Fredonia could be a wonderful fit. </p>
<p>Thank you all so much! musicalmom, if i think of any more specific questions i'll let you know :)</p>
<p>Fredonia isn't my top choice, it is somewhat of a back-up (although I hesitate to call it that because all these programs are hard to get into!) I am a dancer and am looking for a program with good dance, so that is good to know that I should look into that further. I am from Ithaca, so I am totally used to the cold weather!</p>
<p>I graduated with one of the first three BFA Musical Theatre degrees that Fredonia awarded. They were one of the first colleges in the country to offer the degree. It has been some time since I have been there, but I have been in touch with what is going on there.</p>
<p>It is a GREAT Music School, and has been for 100 years. The music school is awesome. It is challenging and comprehensive. It is great in every aspect...vocal, instrumental, composition, education..etc.........</p>
<p>The Theatre department is excellent! The facilities are great, the teachers are wonderful (I know some of them) and you will receive indepth training. It is true, the dance department needs work, but that might have changed for the better in the past year or so.</p>
<p>All in all.... for the money.... you will receive as good an education as you would at colleges that are FAR more expensive.</p>
<p>It's a small school. Not tiny. It's in the lovely, charming small town of Fredonia. If you are looking for a big city experience, this is not it. It is beautiful countryside, filled with Concord Grapes and antique stores.... The winters are intense, that is true. It's about 3 miles from Lake Erie.</p>
<p>If anyone has any questions about my experience with Fredonia, I will be happy to share them. I know ALOT about the area it is in......</p>
<p>All in All I loved my experience there, I have been working in
"the business" for many years, and have NEVER felt that my education was anything but the best. I have worked with people from "fancier" schools, and have never felt my education was inferior.<br>
The college is FILLED with cultural events.</p>
<p>One other thing I remembered about the Fredonia audition. The past few years, the students had to bring a prepared dance combination. The students did it in the same room right after singing and doing the monologue. I mention this because is was the only school my d auditioned at where she had to prepare the dance piece ahead of time vs the dance combination being taught to larger groups at a time the day of the audition. So it is something to check out to see if they are still doing it the same way so that you are prepared. (If you are not a dancer, I wouldn't fret about the dance portion of the audition, just do moves that you do well - I don't think the dance portion is a 'deal breaker').</p>
<p>One other note about what my d has noticed about Fredonia students. (She auditioned alongside several during her last few high school years for summer work). Yes, she did notice that they were weak in dance, but often we could hear the vocal audition in the waiting room/hallway, and most of them had awesome voices. This speaks well for their vocal training. </p>
<p>And as someone has mentioned on another thread, and I hinted at in my first post on this thread, perhaps no audition BFA should be used as a backup (or at least have another backup in place also).</p>
<p>Good luck at Fredonia!!!! and at all your auditions!!!!</p>
<p>I have directed a few students from Fredonia in summer stock over the years. All were very talented. One was a wonderful singer... but not a dancer... the other was not as strong a singer... good, but more of a dancer who sings... but an amazing dancer...</p>
<p>Yes, I should have elaborated that my d noticed that 'most' of the Fredonia students that she saw were weak in dance, but NOT all of them. I'm sure the case at most schools is that some are dancers that sing and some are singers that dance. KatMT - it is good to hear from someone that has had first hand experience with their students and that it is positive.</p>
<p>My S went to a Master's class there and he was really impressed with the School of Music so he applied as well. Compared to Potsdam , it has a more liveable location and better academics in the other departments . He also liked the Midwesterm freindliness of the students .</p>
<p>I just want to clear up one thing, easydoesitmom-I hope you don't mind, so others don't get the wrong idea...... Fredonia is no way whatsoever considered part of the MidWest. It's in Western NY about 30 miles from Buffalo. The people are very friendly, and the town of Fredonia is lovely.</p>
<p>LOL! I'm originally from Iowa and I think that she was saying that Fredonia has a midwestern feel, not that it is located in the midwest! I would agree w/her if this is true. Nice people, rural feel, beautiful area.</p>
<p>That's okay . That's what I meant - Midwestern freindliness as compared to Purchase ( where I went to college ) . However , the School of Music is very serious . My S is worried about getting in . He almost passed out on our visit when the tour guide mentioned that almost 6000 applied last year ( I hope she is wrong ) .</p>
<p>Easydoesitmom....6000 didn't apply for the BFA in MT though! :)</p>
<p>Last year 5,902 students applied TOTAL to SUNY Fredonia.
Total acceptances were 3,275
Total freshman enrollment is 1,037
The acceptance rate to SUNY Fredonia (the university, not the BFA) is 55% </p>
<p>So, academically speaking it is pretty selective but not very selective. I do not know how many audition for their BFA and how many get in. Surely the acceptance rate at the BFA is going to be lower than the overall acceptance rate to the university. But no way did 6000 kids apply for the BFA! :) Even at a large school and program like NYU, there are 3000 total who audition for BFA in either Drama or MT. Fredonia is smaller and might not draw as much from all regions of the country. Even a school like Syracuse had about 400 who applied for the BFA in MT. You could try to find out directly at the MT program. The tour guide must have been giving the total amount for the college as the statistics I just quoted for you above indicate. It's hard to get in but not as bad as 6000 trying for MT! :D Good luck to him. It sounds like a great option.</p>
<p>I do know that no BFA audition program should be considered a "back-up", and all this information helps me confirm that! I wasn't sure how selective their program was. I am applying to some schools for non-audition theatre programs as well as some completely non-arts related, although the more auditions I go to and the more I learn about all these wonderful schools the more I just hope and hope and hope I get into an MT program because I know that is where I belong!</p>
<p>On another note, for anyone else who may be interested, this year they are not having the dance auditions as individual solos. I received some information that said you had to prepare a solo, and some that said there would be a group dance audition, and so I asked the school and they said that this year they are doing the group dance audition. They also said, generally, not just about the dance audition, to wear loose-fitting, comfortable clothing, so I am not sure whether this means that they do not want you to change for the singing and monologue part. </p>
<p>Does anyone know how long the SUNY schools (obviously Fredonia in particular) take to send out their decisions? They don't really have a firm deadline, but I pretty much have everything already in (or at least sent), so after my audition, I'm not really sure how long I will have to wait. Waiting is the worst part of all of this, in my opinion!!</p>
<pre><code> You were wise to call the school when you received conflicting information. Fliers etc. are really expensive to produce/mail and I think that sometimes the info. on them is old. My D found a pair of lycra mix "jazz pants" with kind of a low rise waist and a bit of a flared bottom that are really comfy and stylish. Nike has some really sharp looking stuff that's trim fit but stretchy and very flattering. Go for stretchy, not bulky or baggy. You'll be fine, just relax, smile and have some fun with it!
</code></pre>
<p>I've been hearing reallly good things about the MT program at Fredonia, the only real downside that I can see is that they don't do a New York City audition so you have to go to Fredonia, also the nearest airport is Buffalo and then I think its 40 minutes by bus or car. Otherwise it seems that the price is right and the reputation seems good, too bad there isn't a SUNY school closer to New York City with a MT program with the same reputation.</p>
<p>You sound like you are doing your research and planning well. I'm glad to hear Fredonia has changed the dance audition, and you were smart to call. Things do change from year to year sometimes. Good luck to you. Hope to hear good news from you down the road.</p>
<p>Thanks for info on numbers of acceptances . I guess the guide just told us the number that applied for all programs : almost 6000 .</p>
<p>But BFA in MT and a degree in School of Music there is the competitive part .</p>
<p>He got an academic acceptance and a scholarship --now waiting to get through the audition in Feb.</p>
<p>Yesterday , I had a chance to meet two OPERA (!) majors from Fredonia --all the way from L.I. area . I did not know opera was still so appealing .........</p>