<p>Thanks again for all of the incredible advice you have offered. Here's an update on our decision process. </p>
<p>My D and I attended the accepted student day at Westminster yesterday. I have to tell you that we were completely and totally impressed by the faculty, program and facilities. The students audited a class, "The Singing Actor" with Professor Laura Brooks Rice. My D said that Professor Rice is amazing and the experience was incredible. My D then audited a lesson with another professor and felt that the style and personality was the perfect fit. Meanwhile the parents met with the Director of Admissions, Katherine Shields, who answered questions for over an hour. I felt Ms. Shields was very engaging and answered each question completely and honestly. I had no idea how many performance opportunities there are at Westminster. The faculty is top-notch, the proximity to NYC and Phili is great and Princeton is a beautiful and very safe town. The student body and the entire campus felt very warm and welcoming to my D. This experience has put Westminster very high on our list!</p>
<p>ray198, thanks very much for the feedback on your trip to Westminster. It is very positive and encouraging. We will certainly take a close look at it next year. One of the advantages of Westminster is that they have a rolling admissions program.</p>
<p>Some reminders about WCC: there are only keyboard and vocal majors, no winds or strings. This changes the dynamics in theory classes, etc., probably gears them more appropriately to where singers are. It probably helps the singers feel less like second class musicians, which is typically the status they have when among most instrumentalists. There is a fine spirit of comraderie amongst the students and the faculty.</p>
<p>Juggling Mom,
Unfortunately I do not know enough about Westminster to comment, but a couple of my friends go there so I see their performances occasionally and I think the caliber of their work is wonderful. Some of them applied to Hartt as well and chose Westminster over it because they felt it would give them the push they needed.</p>
<p>I have a friend who is a Westminster grad who is doing quite well as a member of the Met Opera chorus. Children of two other friends are studying there right now and seem to like the place quite a bit.</p>
<p>operasinger2000, thanks for that feedback, it is also very helpful and encouraging re Westminster. Son is very interested in the opportunity to build in organ/keyboard along with voice which seems possible there. I am very glad to hear about the positive aspects of the Westminster program.</p>
<p>Thanks for the additional feedback everyone. </p>
<p>Juggling Mom, Your S can definitely study both voice and keyboard at Westminster.</p>
<p>lorelei2702, At first, I was at first concerned about the lack of an orchestra program there. I did find out that they do perform with a pit locally and with major orchestras as they travel. Now I can see the advantages of not having to compete on a daily basis with other music majors. Thanks for clarifying this point.</p>
<p>Yes, my D had decided on Westminster and she is very excited!</p>
<p>I posted the following in reply to a musical theatre thread that you had been on. I have pasted it here and I hope the information is worthwhile. Good luck to you and your S. Keep in touch as the fall semester begins if you would like.</p>
<p>"My D is a senior and has decided to attend WCC as vocal performance major in the fall. Evasmom is right on with her advice but I thought I would add my two cents. My D visited many of the popular music schools on the east coast which come in various sizes and environments, city, suburban etc. She too originally felt that she needed to be where the action was and was interested in some of the larger universities. In the end, she chose WCC for several reasons:</p>
<ul>
<li>First and foremost, we believe the quality of the education, training and the faculty are excellent and the performance opportunities are abundant.<br>
-She determined that she wanted a school focused on music and performance but connected to a university.
-The campus is smallish but intimate vs. other larger schools and she feels that the camaraderie there will be very good. </li>
<li>She realized that she would be very busy and focused on her studies and the travel to and from classes and her dorm would be easier vs. some of the other schools.</li>
<li>And finally, she felt that the close proximity to the main campus was good and visiting there for a little excitement and a change of pace would be easy. Plus it is a college town and with Princeton nearby there would be life after school. </li>
</ul>
<p>As evasmom suggested your S will have to make his own decision, but I thought you might like to consider the thought process of another. Best of luck in your S's journey and I hope you stay on the boards. I have found the advice of the folks here extremely helpful.</p>
<p>ray - congratulations on the WCC decision! It is a great place and I believe my D would have been very happy there. I'm sure yours will. Mine would have liked to have been able to choose about 4 different schools and making this decision was one of hardest things she has ever done. The choral director at James Madison, the school she chose, got his MM from WCC, and he has great things to say about it. He said it was the perfect place to immerse yourself in music. I think it will be high on my D's list for graduate school - I know it will be high on mine since I would like nothing better than to spend time in Princeton.</p>
<p>Ray - Congratulations on your D's decision! My D just completed her freshman year at WCC... I can't believe a year has alreay gone by since she was finalizing her plans. As a parent I can say that each time we have gone to campus we are always greeted warmly. This is genuinely a caring community dedicated to teaching music to those who want to be emmersed in their craft. Honestly, I had some skepticism initially... maybe it was like putting out the "good food" only for parents day! But after a full year, I know that my D is at a place that really cares for her and what she needs to grow as an artist and as a young adult.</p>
<p>ray198 - Thanks for the information on WCC, and your D's deciding factors. I will keep them in mind. I hope my S will have the same sense! Based on what I've read on various threads, WCC would be my choice for S. We visit the campus on the 19th, so I'll be sure to post our reaction. I am trying to arrange for him to meet with a vocal professor, but it might prove difficult since the semester is over.<br>
As many have said, it will ultimately come down to how the "shoe fits" on him. He currently attends a small private HS, and has attended small private schools since Kindergarten. He, therefore, thinks he needs something big now. I couldn't agree less!</p>
<p>Thank you so much and congratulations to you and your DD on her decision. It is tough to decide but much better to have some great programs to choose from. I hear some great things about JMU also. Who knows where the road will lead. I hope our D's run into each other again at some point. You and I will be on the grad school circuit together! Till then I hope to hear more from you on the CC boards.</p>
<p>I can't thank you enough for your support and advice. I am going to make sure that my D gets in touch with your D before the fall semester. We will have to try to keep in touch so we can meet in person at a WCC event!</p>
<p>Enjoy your summer and send my thanks to your D for her willingness to help out a the new frosh!</p>
<p>If you have any trouble hooking up with a teacher at WCC send me a private message and I will provide you with a contact name and number. The folks at Westminster have been very supportive and I am sure they will make it happen. Your Ss school scenario sounds very similar athough my D is in a small public school. You should remind him that he could always leave the "big" school for his grad studies. Frankly, I am very happy that my D agreed. I feel she will be so much more prepared for that experience four years from now. They did walk before they ran, correct?!</p>