Vocal or Theater Focus?

College Majors Musical Theater Major
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<p>We've been researching colleges and conservatories for our daughter, who wants to pursue a degree in musical theater. We've heard that some schools are looking primarily for singers who can act and dance while others are looking primarily for actors who can sing and dance.</p>

<p>Is anyone aware if this is true or not? If so, what are the schools that emphasize singing and what are the schools that emphasize acting, keeping in mind that the goal should always be to train "triple threat" performers? Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated?</p>

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<p>Welcome MTPapa! Is your D a rising senior? You will notice that some of the schools house their MT in the theater dept. and some house their MT in the music dept. That helps as a start in answering your questions. It's definitely true that schools look at the value of the three components differently. My D is at the OCU summer program right now. They were presented with college info, and the school told them that at OCU their voices must pass muster first, only then does the school look at acting skill. Dance is part of the audition only for leveling purposes. OCU's MT is housed in the music department. Webster, OTOH, is an acting first program. I don't have first hand knowledge, but you can read posts by 5pants whose twin sons are at Webster. On the triple threat question, it's surprising how many of these schools have the philosophy that they can train students as dancers even if they come to them with no prior training. My D is mystified by this since she knows how important her 12 years of dance training was and how the dancer's body is formed before he/she is fully grown.</p>

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<p>My daughter is at Carnegie Mellon's summer program and has concluded that CMU emphasizes the acting first.</p>

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<p>My D just finished her freshman year as a BFA MT major at UMich and came to her college auditions with 14 years of dance training (lots of on stage dance performance experience), about a year and a half of private voice lessons and no acting training other than a little from drama classes in high school (more focused on theater lit and training styles than actual acting training) and the acting, voice and dance training she received at the CMU pre-college summer program between her junior and senior year in high school ('03).</p>

<p>I'm going to list the schools to which she applied and tell you OUR PERCEPTIONS of the emphasis of each program on the individual disciplines of MT.</p>

<p>UMich - (BFA in MT) uniquely balanced emphasis on Voice, Dance (both very strong) and Acting (although acting not as strong as at CMU); additionally, this program stresses the omportance of overall musicianship so helpful to artists in this business, i.e., classes in music theory, solfeg, piano and sight reading/singing.</p>

<p>Steinhardt - (BM with an emphasis in MT) very strong in Voice and Music, less so in acting and weak in dance.</p>

<p>CMU - (BFA in MT) exceptionally strong in Acting, good in Voice (MT performance - not so much in musicianship), weak in dance.</p>

<p>PSU - (BFA in MT) balanced emphasis on Voice, Dance and Acting</p>

<p>Syracuse - (BFA in MT) balanced emphasis in Acting, Dance and Voice (perhaps somewhat weaker in music/voice)</p>

<p>CCM - (BFA in MT) balanced emphasis in Voice, Dance and Acting</p>

<p>BOCO - (BFA in MT) balanced emphasis in Acting, Voice and Dance</p>

<p>Emerson - (BFA in MT) - strongest in acting, less so in voice and dance.</p>

<p>Again, these are OUR opinions based on our research and discussions with faculty and students from all of these programs. Everyone needs to ask their own questions and may come to very different conclusions.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

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<p>Is your D looking for a specific location (East Coast, West Coast, Midwest, North, South, etc.)?</p>

<p>This helps in sending more pertinent information to her interests.</p>

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<p>CCM may say that they have equal emphasis on Voice, Acting and Dance but I have heard that their MT Dance department is not very strong. It may be perfect for a non-dancer but for someone with many years of experience they might be disappointed. I really can't say about the other programs but if a student is wanting a strong dance component then they need to ask LOTS of questions and observe classes. And I don't mean classes meant for dance majors....check out the classes that will work around the music theatre major courses.</p>

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<p>where would you say cap 21 has an emphasis?</p>

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<p>The original question on the first post seems to have two "sides" or parts to it. Part was asking:</p>

<p>"We've heard that some schools are looking primarily for singers who can act and dance while others are looking primarily for actors who can sing and dance."</p>

<p>This statement seems to be speaking to what the schools are "looking for", meaning in the auditions. In this respect, my opinion is that ALL the programs are looking for those who can sing. I think it would be hard to get admitted if singing was your weakest component. Some schools are weighing singing and acting equally in an audition. Some schools do not include dance at the audition (which I find odd) but some are looking at all three skills. But ALL are looking at voice, I have no doubt. </p>

<p>The second facet of the original post is asking: </p>

<p>"what are the schools that emphasize singing and what are the schools that emphasize acting, keeping in mind that the goal should always be to train "triple threat" performers?"</p>

<p>This seems to be talking about the actual training PROGRAM, not the audition/admissions. In this respect, each program likely has its strong areas and weaker ones though many are strong in all three components. Some admittedly de-emphasize certain areas. For instance, Ithaca says that dance is less important or emphasized though they do include dance in their program. Some say CAP21 is for actors who can sing or dance but their CURRICULUM appears balanced with all three skill areas. But as someone said, some programs are located in drama schools and some are located in music schools and thus there likely is a slant to some degree in a certain direction by the nature of the school in which the program exists. Steinhardt, for instance, is a music school and its strength is in voice. Many programs, however, truly attempt to train all three areas in a balanced way, though may be known to be stronger or weaker in certain areas. Example might be CMU which has a top reputation for the acting training, though they teach voice and dance. Dance is considered weaker there but I met many students there who were dancers who said they were able to take additional dance. So, I'd dig deeper than hearsay as to which schools want more of this or that because it may be partly true and may not. </p>

<p>I do believe there is a difference with regard to which are stronger in certain areas in the training from what it is that they are looking for in auditions. So, even if you find a school that is considered very strong in acting, you must realize that singing will still be heavily weighed in the audition for MT. I can't see getting in if singing is weak. Sometimes you can get in if acting or dance is weak but usually singing is pretty important in a MT audition. Ideally, an applicant should be able to do all three skills. If a student is weak in one area, they should show potential in that area. But usualy the weak area can't be singing. Again, this is not the same as discussing which programs are strong in which areas. </p>

<p>Susan</p>

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<p>I associate CAP with Tisch...so probably moreso acting than voice or dance. The "independent" CAP seems hard to tell, however.</p>

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<p>Just to clarify, the answer I gave above was in reference to the emphasis on voice/music, acting and dance WITHIN THE ACTUAL PROGRAM CURRICULA, not in reference to the auditions.</p>

<p>Also, the advice given above about checking the actual dance classes available to students is right on the mark. I agree that there may be many strong dancers at many of these programs and you may be very impressed when you see them dance in the departmental production. But often times, the students have come in as strong dancers with lots of training already under their belts. When the department does not offer strong enough dance training, students often find ways to supplement the dance classes offered by their programs OUTSIDE of the MT curricula e.g., in dance classes for dance majors at their schools, at other nearby institutions (as many CMU kids take dance classes at Point Park) or in private dance studios (as many Steinhardt kids do in NYC). If dance is important to you, check this out thoroughly.</p>

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<p>I wholeheartedly agree with Theatermom's post #10. By the way, I knew you were talking about the actual programs' curricula in your informative earlier post but when I read the OP's question, it seemed to also be asking about this issue in regard to auditions (what are they looking for?) and so tried to address that separately. But I do agree with everything you wrote.</p>

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<p>When you're paying anywhere between $35,000 and $50,000 for an MT degree, I find it hard to justify paying extra outside college for dance training! To me, musical theater should encompass ALL aspects: voice, dance, and acting. Just my opinion. You should also know, that I got my Parent Plus loan contract yesterday and I'm choking on it, lol. :)</p>

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<p>rossji,
I feel your pain! Nevertheless, I've come to accept that there is not enough time in the day/semester/etc for any one program to "do it all" at a level that each student seeks. Within any program there are students who are among the best in the country at dance, acting, or singing. Some will opt to supplement their training in one or more of the above disciplines. (Example: my son would not get the same intensity of dance training that he would as a dance major). I do wonder where these "kids" come up with the energy (not to mention the $) to pursue all these talents. I guess it keeps them off the streets.</p>

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<p>A few observations from having visited many schools - in general, I believe that singing and acting are looked at more closely at many auditions than is dance. Some do not require dance at the audition. Many of the schools seem to try to offer an equally balanced triple threat program in all 3 areas in college. A few that seem to weigh one way or the other - music - BW and OCU, acting - Webster and Ithaca, dance - Point Park.</p>

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<p>Prof. Himmelheber:</p>

<p>Thanks for your reply. We live on the West Coast, but our daughter is really committed to finding the right school for her so West Coast, Midwest, or East Coast schools are all possibilities. We're not looking forward to the auditions, though, as we assume we'll be doing a lot of traveling this fall and winter if the schools she applies to don't participate in unified or regional auditions. Ugh!</p>

<p>In any event, we appreciate any thoughts you might have about the vocal or theater focus?</p>

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<p>MTPapa--I'm not sure if your question about the vocal vs. theater focus is totally clear. Can you explain more about what you want to know? What's the background for your question? Are you looking for your daughter to play to her strength or weakness, for example? I know that my daughter plans to audition at both types of programs--some are BFAs and some are BMs.</p>

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<p>I think that Papa is asking about which is a better preparatory for a career, no?</p>

<p>In my opinion, a strong program that focuses on preparing the "triple threat" is the best education (whether that be through theatre or music dept.). Young people rarely are considered for the non-dancing/mature leading lady roles. They need to be able to hold their own in a dance call - if for nothing else than to be held for the singing auditions (in my experience - many companies will do a dance cut first, if it is a dancing show). This won't hold true for ALL musicals, but most (when casting a young ingenue/chorus person is concerned).</p>

<p>So go for the most comprehensive triple-threat training available.</p>

<p>As to West Coast schools, have you considered the BFA at Cal State Fullerton?</p>

<p>eve</p>

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<p>MTPapa, I'm with mtmommy, which type of emphasis are you looking for, or is there an area you think is stronger or weaker with your daughter for audition purposes? Some of us have been researching programs quite extensively and might be able to better help you if we know what you are looking for.</p>

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<p>mtmommy and ericsmom:</p>

<p>Thanks for your messages. When I first posted the question, I was interested to know where our daughter should look given her strengths and the fierce competition that exists to get into some of these schools. She is first and foremost a singer who has studied voice (classical and contemporary) for 8 years. Her voice teachers have said she was born to sing opera (5'10" blond soprano), but her passion is musical theater. In addition to singing, she has danced for 12 years (tap, jazz, ballet, ballroom, including Latin), taken a number of drama classes in high school, and performed in a dozen community and high school musicals, reviews, and plays, from "Pirates of Penzance" (Mabel) to "Kiss Me, Kate" (Bianca). </p>

<p>I know she wants to continue her vocal training at the highest level while continuing to hone her skills as an actress and dancer. Location is less important to her than receiving the best training possible. But, in a highly competitive environment, she needs to play to her strengths (voice) in order to move to the next stage in her devekopment, which is college or conservatory. </p>

<p>As always, any thoughts or suggestions would be most welcome, and we greatly appreciate the comments we received so far. My gawd, these threads are informative, helpful, and addictive! Many thanks.</p>

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<p>MTpapa,
Great to see a dad here! :-) Welcome. </p>

<p>Chrism</p>