Thank you, @KaylaMidwest! If nothing else, the fact that she did not reach out to a faculty member for a sample lesson (as she did at the other two institutions with limited success) may also have played into this. Part of this journey has been realizing that my D is loving her current college (and making the most of her remaining time there) and maybe fearing the next step a little so postponing the legwork needed to make a solid connection, and, of course, my mom’s journey of letting that be okay—haha!
Once she’s off and running, though, she does well, so I know she’ll figure it out.
Daughter was accepted to Vanderbilt and Peabody (soprano)! She has made her choice, and it is Vanderbilt. Outstanding scholarship and undergraduate performance opportunities. So relieved to be settled! It has been one heck of a year but we are ending on a high note!
My daughter was accepted to Vanderbilt as well and is trying to decide. I am new to this forum (just found this morning!). My daughter is really struggling with her decision. If either of you could let me know what factors helped your daughter decide on Vanderbilt it would be so helpful. Also if your daughters would be willing to connect with mine that would be fabulous. Also, were they accepted into a particular studio or do you know how that process works? Thanks in advance!!
Hello and congrats to your daughter! Do you have any more information on what she’s struggling with, in particular? Is she drawn to a different school or program?
We’re sort of a special case, I think, because my daughter ED’d and so did not go through the process. She was drawn to Vandy because she wants a more “normal” college experience as opposed to the conservatory experience. Even with the front-loaded music curriculum, our hope is that the first-year Commons living will help her feel more integrated within the school at large. (Although we have had concerns about the “Blair Bubble,” it’s my impression that this is often self-selected.)
My daughter is also a singer-songwriter. She was debating between VP and the singer-songwriting route, and her hope is that she she’ll be able to continue with both interests in Nashville. Finally, one of Blair’s unique selling points is that it’s all undergrads—so tons of opportunities for them.
As far as studios, we played this loose. (Honestly, we played the whole process loose, which had upsides and downsides.) My daughter is very, VERY easygoing and feels confident that she’ll be able to learn with whoever she is placed with. She did have a lesson, and liked the teacher she had. She will attend Anchor Day, so I anticipate that we’ll get more info then.
And she’d be happy to connect with your daughter. Feel free to PM me!
She was very impressed with Vanderbilt and really connected with a teacher and student and really got a good vibe there. She just has her choices narrowed down to a few schools that are fairly different and she’s not quite sure how to decide. We are definitely interested in the fact that Vandy has no grad students and is an excellent academic setting as well.
It is hard to know how to compare programs when you haven’t had time to learn enough about them. We are going back for a visit to both so hopefully that will help clarify. Any advice is welcome!
My daughter got into many great programs but Blair is the only school she has that is undergraduate only. That means she will get performance experience during her four undergrad years and that was a big draw for her. Also, she shadowed a student for a day back in the fall and she really liked the vibe at the school. She felt as though everyone was supportive of each other. She is excited about being in different styles of operas. Also, she plans to double major in theatre because she also acts in plays and musicals. So at Vandy, she can do both. The campus was also beautiful and felt very safe compared to other places we visited.
Hello everyone, I would really like to get some information and opinions about CMU, CIM and Oberlin. D has full rides to these schools and I want to give them a thorough evaluation. A couple of her other schools are great and she loves them, but the lure of a free education at a great school is a very strong pull! Eastman, Peabody, NEC and SFCM have given her significant merit, but should we turn down a full ride…
There is a teacher at each school that she has a preference for and she has been assigned to their studios.
Any information that will help me help her make the best decision would be greatly appreciated!
All three have great reputations for voice! I would say that each campus presents a different style of living (small town vs city) and that might be something to consider based on what is most comfortable. Best of luck!
I have to give a little plug for Oberlin (graduated in the 80’s and sang in a vocal studio though I wasn’t in the Con). If your daughter is interested in also having the “real college experience,” Oberlin is the place for that. I read sometimes that people talk about its location as a minus, but it’s more of a feature than a bug when you’re actually there. At Oberlin, you have everything you need right there: concerts, operas, musicals, recitals, lectures, art shows, student performances at the ‘Cat,’ famous musicians and writers stopping in on tour, dance, choirs, student-made nightlife, activism … . It’s a perfect self-contained little city unto itself. At least that’s how we viewed it. I’ve studied at five other colleges/universities since then and nothing else has ever felt quite like that.
Good luck with your daughter’s decision making process. So many great choices!
My D accepted the offer from IU Jacobs today. MM in Voice (opera) as a mezzo. She is now reaching out to faculty to secure a study (she is close). (sorry for double post but this is a nice extra thread)
Hello everyone, making one last push…
Please share your thoughts about CIM. Good, bad, indifferent and anything in between.
They have made an offer that is almost impossible to turn down… D just wants to be sure. CIM has awarded her their Presidential Scholarship (first to an undergraduate, no pressure!), which will pay her to attend.
There is a school that she loves equally (Oberlin), maybe a smidge more, that has been very generous also. These were always 2 of her top 3. (Eastman’s offer was not competitive)
She is a wreck.
Please share your thoughts.
Ordinarily I would not offer any thoughts on this question given that my son is a jazz musician and I have no direct exposure to VP. But with that caveat, I do have an extended family member who went to CIM for graduate work (getting an MM) and who is now successfully navigating life as a professional musician. My extended family member’s experience at CIM was truly excellent. It is a school that knows how to train musicians and my sense is that its graduates stay in the music field and find success there.
Of course, Oberlin has an excellent conservatory and has an excellent college as well, so if your D is not sure about the music path, Oberlin may be a way to hedge her bets. And also, of course, there are factors that may apply to her situation that none of us can know - her comfort with the teacher (and other students) at the school, her preference for being in a city versus outside one, etc.
If she’s sure she wants to follow the music path, and if other factors are equal more or less, I think CIM would be the right choice, but this is one of those situations where there’s no wrong choice. So she should make the choice on whatever basis feels right to her. And then, having made the choice, she should not second guess it. She should only look forward and be excited about her future. She obviously is hugely talented to have these great choices, so congratulations to her (and you)!
