<p>You know how U.S. News does their ranking - breaking a category of schools into quartiles and calling the top quarter the "first tier" and the second quarter the "second tier?" Both first and second tier schools are in the top half of their category, but the first tier schools are perceived to be the national leaders and trendsetters.</p>
<p>Several of you are quite knowledgeable about college and university voice performance programs. Would you care to take a stab at listing voice programs that you think should be considered first tier and those that you think should be considered second tier? And if you would, what accounts for quality in a voce department? Could a department with only two or three full-time voice faculty be first-tier if those faculty are particularly renowned and the rest of the music program is top-notch? And (finally), can a B.A. or B.S. program with good options for adding applied voice (e.g. Barnard) be considered first tier, or must that designation be reserved for B.Mus. programs?</p>
<p>My D likes Rice, but how could Rice with three faculty members in Voice, rank up there with Indiana (20 faculty), Northwestern (14), Michigan (13), BU (12), Oberlin (11), or Lawrence (8)?</p>
<p>Northwestern is much stronger in music theater than classical voice. That is why I put it as 2nd tier for voice. D was not at all impressed with the voice program.</p>
<p>Rice's program, although small, is incredible. The undergrads have a lot more quality performance opportunities than the undergrads at IU (which is why D picked Rice over IU and the others). The voice faculty is really highly regarded in the music community. D was steered to Rice for a particular teacher who is supposedly one of the absolute best mezzo teachers in the country. This teacher has either attended or taught at all the major music programs/conservatories and gave us her candid opinions of all of them on our first visit to Rice. She pointed out how well the graduate students and undergrads at Rice work together. At some programs there is a wall between grad and undergrads.</p>
<p>Also, gadad, how many voice professors does your kid need? D's roommate from Interlochen reports huge turmoil at IU due to the fact that one prominent voice teacher is leaving IU and all the kids in that studio are now teacher-less. The school is trying to fill the gap, of course, but it is a problem. That will occur to a certain extent whenever a teacher leaves, but a student really forms a bond to their teacher. Similarly, another Interlochen vocalist is transferring from Cleveland Institute to U of Iowa to follow her voice teacher.<br>
You want to pick a teacher and a college environment. It is a little meaningless to do the "first tier/second tier" thing.</p>
<p>One more thing (as I monopolize this thread)- of the ARTS vocal finalists in D's year, 3 of them had Rice as their first choice. Only 1 (D) got in. There are a number of Tanglewood and Interlochen kids at Rice- and some ARTS kids from other disciplines.</p>
<p>The concept of music performance doesn't follow the model of most university departments, so I'm not quite sure what to make of large voice departments. On the one hand, the larger the department, the more resources the school has dedicated to it and, one would assume, the greater evidence there is of the school's commitment to it. But each teacher is only going to have a certain number of students in their studio, so personal attention should be a constant regardless of the size of the department. And the more majors there are in a department, the greater the competition would be for substanbtial performing opportunities. So is size related to quality or just peripheral to it?</p>
<p>It has frequently been noted in this forum (as MoWC said) that the primary factor is the one-on-one relationship between the student and the teacher. If that is the case, would a B.A. in Music from, say, a Harvard or Columbia with one-on-one study under one of the many exceptional voice teachers in Boston or NY be just as good a preparation as a top-level university voice department? Why then do serious singers beat a path to one college program or another?</p>
<p>I left out Peaboday because it is a separate conservatory- like Cleveland, Eastman, NEC.</p>
<p>Good questions, gadad. I don't know why the performance-oriented singers go more for the BM programs. I guess it is more immersion in music. D does complain some about all the requirements of her major and how she hasn't had a chance to take many courses outside of those requirements yet. She will get to more in the next couple of years. Lots of kids drop out of the BM programs- the theory, aural skills and language courses can be pretty tough. It is hard to envision what your career is going to be. How many actually wind up being professional operar singers?</p>
<p>I run the risk of offending, but this is silliness. No well-known singer reports where he/she was schooled. They talk about with whom they studied and coached. An ambitious singer, with a good "package" and the great good luck to have found a good teacher with whom they steadily make progress and learn the appropriate vocal literature, can be a success, no matter where they go to to school. There are no tiers of vocal music programs, but there are wonderful teachers all over the country. Look at the other elements of getting a college education: size of school, location, size of community, weather, ease of transportation, other academic interests, curriculum requirements; then check out the teachers. Become an educated human being. jIt will all be fine, if the singer is ambitious, energized, determined, talented, and lucky. In this day and age of so much access to the media, recordings, DVD's, etc., it is easy to study and learn a world of performance practices anywhere. I am speaking of the undergraduate program, where the young singer sits while they mature physically and as a musician. Trust your instincts about all of this, not how someone else ranks schools.</p>
<p>I believe Loreilei is correct and I would add that I think this applies to ALL music performance majors. It's WHO YOU STUDY WITH along with your experience and repertoire that will be important. Look for schools with ample opportunities for performance, including large ensemble, small ensemble and solo work. I also feel it is important for a music performance major to be somewhere where they can go to performances as well. This is one reason I advocate proximity to an urban area where music performance venues exist.</p>
<p>About access to performances: it is important to take note of how high the bar is and what the standard is, so proximity to people better and more advanced is important. Most large music programs have so many concerts happening, no student could attend everything relevant to their own discipline and stay current academically. High level performances do have to be available (and attended). More is probably gained in studio classes, master classes, NATS programs, if they are with gifted singers and wise teachers. I do have specific memories of attending recitals by the "greats" over the years, and they have long served as an anchor in my own sense of professional perspective. While I never studied in an urban area, I have heard many in the provinces.</p>
<p>"I run the risk of offending, but this is silliness. No well-known singer reports where he/she was schooled."</p>
<p>So...in my little opera company, where leads are all professionals, though clearly in the lower tiers, here are undergraduate schools they attended: Temple University. (but even at age 55, continues to study with Nico Castel at the Met); Florida State (the conducator: dropped out, and later became an airline pilot; later studied at Spoleto in South Carolina); Montana State; "Rick's College" (now BYU-Idaho - 2); Brigham Young; Smith; Western Washington University; State Univ. of New York at Binghamton; University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (she is going to have her Seattle Opera debut shortly, and is totally amazing!); Washington State University; University of Texas (graduate work at Mannes); University of Mississippi (dropout); Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester, England), and Cornish College. Two had no college whatsoever; one is in the army. Auditions have come from a wide variety of folks from many of the better known schools - I've just listed those who got the jobs and are actually singing with us.</p>
<p>Great post. I have chosen to pursue a BM in vocal performance from a lesser known music department in a university. I don't want to disclose where, but I will say it's in an urban environment. My parents and I were very impressed with the music faculty. They are all foreign and have a great deal of impressive European and Asian credits behind them.</p>
<p>I'm looking forward to beginning my college life and studying with them. What happens after I begin will depend on the relationship I'm able to establish with my individual private coach. The rest is up to me.</p>
<p>I know that each of these fine, accomplished singers is proud to say from where they came and who their teacher was, but not one of them studied at any of the "tier" schools listed earlier in this thread. They are each talented, ambitious, accomplished singers, and their alma maters and teachers are very proud of them. They each serve as an inspiration for generations of "in the provinces" students. None of them picked their college for its status, but because of their own personal educational needs and situations. Bravo and brava to each of them for following their own instincts. Thank you for reporting the realities of the American opera world.</p>
<p>When the Opera Pacifica company itself debuted four years ago, with The Magic Flute, we had Cyndia Seiden from The Met come in and sing the Queen of the Night. She was absolutely delighted to come, as she went to school in our town - Evergreen State College.</p>
<p>Tonight we see Christine Brewer in Gloriana at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis.
She graduated from McKendree College, Lebanon, Illinois. It isn't necessarily the school that makes you a success but what you do with what you have been taught. The idea of tiers is a status thing you need to get over.</p>
<p>Agreed- talent and proper training is what counts. However, don't be so hard on the OP. This IS College Confidential- land of prestige rankings. I think his inquiry was innocent.</p>
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<p>It isn't necessarily the school that makes you a success but what you do with what you have been taught. The idea of tiers is a status thing you need to get over.>></p>
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<p>I totally agree with this...in the end, it will be your auditions that will determine your success as a performing musician...not where you went to college.</p>