<p>Which schools will be best for you depends entirely on what you’re looking for in any given school. When i was looking at schools, it was helpful for me to divide the schools into some categories:</p>
<p>Exclusively Arts Conservatories:
Good schools in this category include The New England Conservatory, The Juiliard School, Curtis Conservatory, San Francisco Conservatory, The Manhattan School of Music, Mannes College of Music, Eastman School of Music (sort of) and some others. These schools are almost exclusively focused on the development of their students musically (Eastman does have some other coursework, but the focus is 99% on music.) For some people, that focus feeds their love for music and helps them grow into even better musicians. For others, that focus can be suffocating. I’ve had close friends attend these schools: Some become amazing musicians, and others find themselves dreading their lessons. As a voice major myself, it can sometimes be contradictory to hear a teacher tell you constantly to free the body, when they’re also commenting on your every move vocally. If you attend one of these schools, pressure like that will always be on, but those who survive it will be VERY well off for the wear. If you want a strong choral program as well as a good studio voice program, don’t attend any of these schools. </p>
<p>Conservatory/Liberal Arts Hybrid:
Good schools in this category include Oberlin College, Rice University, Lawrence University (the Wisconsin one), Depaul School of Music, Johns Hopkins University, Bienen School of Music, Blair School of Music, Yale School of Music, and others. These schools still have rigorous studio voice programs, but also are interested in developing singers who are smart in other areas (not that the other schools aren’t, but they do less about it.) These schools offer both strong music programs and acclaimed liberal arts programs. Often, students will double major at these schools between the conservatory and the liberal arts school, to give themselves a better chance at employment as well as make themselves more rounded individuals. These students also often find careers in music, though maybe a little less often than in the conservatories. They, however, have more options for employment, as their degree(s) has more weight than a straight conservatory degree for opportunities outside of music. Be sure to check if these programs are BM or BA programs, as that will determine the thoroughness of your education in music. Some of these schools have strong choral programs, but others don’t. Personally, i’m impressed by Yale, Peabody and Lawrence’s choral programs, and they all have strong studio voice programs as well. Don’t go to Oberlin, Northwestern, or Depaul if you like singing in Choir. Yale’s focus tends to be a little more towards early music, while the other schools are more concerned with opera careers (you can still get a great opera education at Yale, though!)</p>
<p>State School Music Program:
Good schools in this category include, but are not limited to Michigan State University, University of Michigan, Jacobs School of Music, New York University, University of Cincinatti, Illinois Wesleyan University, University of Miami, University of Southern California, and University of Louisville. These schools are strong all around schools because of their vast resources in numerous areas of education. These schools often have strong voice programs with highly qualified faculty (their choral programs are usually so-so.) However, the faculty usually focuses much more on the development of graduate students than on their undergraduates. Don’t get me wrong, there is some great teaching going on at these schools, and the graduate students serve as great role models, but an undergraduate has to have a little luck in getting a teacher who cares just as much about their development as their graduate students. These are excellent graduate choices, but if you are an undergraduate, be careful about who ends up teaching you: it could become a sticky situation.</p>
<p>Liberal Arts Schools with good Specific Music Programs:
Good schools in this category include, but are not limited to St. Olaf College, Millikin University, Luther College, Valparaiso University, Augustana University, Rider University, Emory and Henry University, Brown University, Williams College, Pomona College, and others. These schools typically have strong choral programs, which is exactly what some people in music are looking for. However, studio voice programs in these schools are often tailored to the choral program, so while the vocal training is still fantastic, it’s not really the kind of training that leads to a career in opera. These schools boast academic programs from average to outstanding, and offer degrees in numerous educational areas. They are fabulous schools to start at, and easy to transfer credit from if it turns out that the school is not for you.</p>
<p>Vocal Jazz Programs:
I’ll be honest: i know very little about these programs. I’ve gotten some suggestions from some friends who are interested in vocal jazz, and they like the following schools: Peabody, Western Michigan University, Stanford, and Berklee School of Music. My apologies for not making a more comprehensive list for this category. Some of these schools are members of another category on this list. The capabilities of the schools in other areas vary, take a look at each one individually for more information.</p>
<p>Some Notes:
-I really like the undergraduate-only concept, so i might have been a little biased for it. However, it really does mean less competition for the attention of teachers.
-Educate yourself on the term lengths of each school- quarters can be fast paced and sometimes content gets skipped. Trimesters are a little better paced but make it virtually impossible to transfer in the middle of a year, and Semesters get lots of content in but quickly can become monotonous. Finals for Semester Long Schools are also particularly hard, as a student is trying to remember 18 weeks of content rather than 14, 12, 10 or even 8.</p>
<p>I hope this helps you (though you’re probably done with your search anyway) as well as other students as they go about their search for colleges. None of these categories are better or worse than the other: They each work well for different kinds of people. I wish you great success wherever you’ve decided to go.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>