What's up with Steinhardt this year?

<p>Did anyone get accepted? Anyone considering going? I am reading the NYU-Tisch threads with mixed emotions and some trepidation. My D has NYU Steinhardt MT high on her list for fall applications, as she has been classically trained and the program seems phenomenal. But I’m wondering if the issues facing Tisch will (or have) spill(ed) over to Steinhardt. Are class sizes going up? Are there money problems? Has the reputation declined? I hear only good things about the NYU MT programs (NSB and Steinhardt), except for some honest concerns expressed on the Tisch forum. Can anyone put my fears to rest? Is anyone from this year’s class going to Steinhardt? Anyone…?</p>

<p>So far I haven’t seen any of the problems that Tisch has been facing in Steinhardt- honestly, I didn’t realize that NYU was even doing that until my mom started asking about it last night. We actually did more shows this year than we normally do, and two of them in a larger venue than normal. My class of freshmen is the smallest undergraduate Vocal Performance class. If anything, my feeling this past year is that the program has just been getting stronger. Of course, no program is perfect, but the Steinhardt program is in no way declining. They even added another level of Acting this year because so many people wanted to take it! </p>

<p>As for acceptances, Steinhardt accepts a lot less people total that Tisch, as Tisch is made up of several studios, and most acceptances only got sent out this past Thursday, so I’m just assuming that many people who got accepted just don’t happen to be on CC! There is a Facebook group for the newly accepted students (NYU Steinhardt Vocal Performance 2016) that some have already joined, and they all seem very excited to come next year!</p>

<p>Let me know if you or your daughter have any specific questions about the program or NYU in general- I’m happy to help!!</p>

<p>Thank you, KSwag! We are very interested in Steinhardt, and we are going to come down to check it out in April. I think my D’s biggest concern is whether she will really get to do MT at Steinhardt. She is a legit soprano who is just now learning to belt. She enjoys the classical repertoire, but MT is where her heart and soul are, so the crossover programs scare her a little (ironically, those are the programs where she will be most valued, I think!). I would love to hear about MT performance opportunities for students at Steinhardt…</p>

<p>The current freshman year class for MT is small in comparison to D’s class (the current graduating class of 2012) because NYU was shocked by the yield they ended up with in D’s year–all but 2 students ended up accepting!</p>

<p>So with that in mind, they have kept the accepted numbers down in subsequent years, since D’s class size was larger than their goal.</p>

<p>I have certainly not seen anything in the MT program at Steinhardt or NYU in general that speaks of a downward trend in any way. I know that people were concerned with Tisch switching from CAP21, but that was less a cost effectiveness strategy than an effort to make the program even better. </p>

<p>I have paid a great deal of money to NYU for D1’s education and I am continueing to pay them even more now that D2 will be attending as a studio art major. No school is perfect, but NYU has more than lived up to my expectations.</p>

<p>I have only heard great things about Steinhardt, and am glad to hear class size is small. I guess I’m wondering why more CCers aren’t applying for this program…seems strange to me. (It won’t stop my D from applying, there is just a paucity of people posting about it). Do you know how many people apply to the program each year?</p>

<p>Here is a link for the undergraduate and graduate showcases for the program that are set for April 2012.</p>

<p>[NYUSteinhardt</a> MT Showcase | Home](<a href=“http://www.nyusteinhardtshowcase12.com/]NYUSteinhardt”>http://www.nyusteinhardtshowcase12.com/)</p>

<p>In terms of popularity…The program is a Vocal performance program. Students are awarded a BM degree. There are very few programs in MT that offer this degree. For the similar number of credits, most programs offer BFA degrees in drama or theatre. (Some programs offer BA degrees, but the BA degree will require fewer credits.)</p>

<p>This program has a more intense music component than the typical BFA program. To some that is a plus, to others not. D felt it was definitley a plus and I personally felt it was a plus because down the road it could open up the option of pursuing a music ed degree.</p>

<p>The acting component of the program is more concentrated on “acting the song”. There are fewer non-musical acting classes.</p>

<p>Most programs that offer a BM degree (Vocal Performance) do not offer a Musical Theatre concentration. They will only offer classical instruction. That is what makes this program so unique. 85% of D’s repetoire is in MT (I would guess), the remaining songs are classical. The instructors teach both MT and classical voice–and are excellent at both. The program does concentrate in classical Bdway shows–pre 1970’s or so. In their senior year, the classes take a more contemporary turn.</p>

<p>It is also a more academically oriented program. Again this was a real plus for D.</p>

<p>No doubt when people think of MT at NYU, most think of the Tisch program. After doing the Steinhardt summe program in MT, D did not even consider it. She was sold.</p>

<p>This is so helpful (especially the 85%/15% split). Just what my D needed to know! Thank you! We are going down to check it out the week of April 16th.</p>

<p>@uskoolfish, we will be in NY for the graduate showcase, but not the undergraduate showcase. Do you think there is a huge difference? Do these two groups perform together while at school? In other words, will it give my D a good idea of the talent level/training at the undergrad level if she sees the graduates perform? Thanks again!</p>

<p>Just some added stuff to what uskoolfish said:</p>

<p>The freshman class (including myself) has been talking to those in charge about possibly adding some more acting classes into the requirements for MT, and they seem really positive about it, although we’re still not sure exactly what is going to come of it.</p>

<p>Also, a lot of people say about this program that they make you only do classical music for the first two years, but this is NOT true. My first semester was mostly Golden Age MT rep with a couple Italian pieces that I had to have for Italian Diction. I’ve been doing more classical music this semester because my voice teacher has been working on certain technical things with me, but last week I got up the courage to ask him for some contemporary music, and he did not hesitate at all in giving me two really great and fun pieces to work with. The main concern in this program is that you are vocalizing healthily and efficiently. As long as you are doing that, the professors have no qualms at all about any styles of music.</p>

<p>And as to the amount of studies directed towards MT, Freshman year can be a little weird because so many basic requirements such as theory, aural, and writing have to be gotten out of the way first, and it can, as it has been at times for me, feel like a bit of a drag. However, those basics set up a really good strong foundation for the more specific classes that you take later on. You take Theater Dance with Johnny Anzalone both semesters Freshman year, and this has been BY FAR my favorite class of the entire year, because it focuses on all of the different styles of dance that exist in MT, and it really helps you get in shape and become a much better dancer, even if you’ve never danced before in your life. I know that when this year finishes, I will feel really good about the strong foundation that I’ve gotten this year, even if I didn’t exactly enjoy the process of getting all of it, and I am really looking forward to my classes next year. If everything works out with my schedule, I will have room for all of the basics that I have to take, plus Song Analysis (Acting the Song), Acting, MT History, Ballet, AND be able to start my minor in Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology, which I am really excited about after taking the Music Business/Producing for Theater class that we had to take this semester (My second favorite class of the year!)</p>

<p>If you want to, while you’re at Steinhardt, I would be happy to get together with you and your daughter and answer any questions you might have from a student perspective- PM me!!</p>

<p>Oh, two things I forgot:</p>

<p>There are a lot of Liberal Arts academic requirements you have to do, but if you take a lot of AP tests (like me) you can get out of a few of them and use the credits to do something you are really interested, like a specific minor. Just to note- the Liberal Arts academic requirements are the same for ALL of NYU, including Tisch.</p>

<p>Also, the Fall Musical is usually something fairly modern, as the program likes to be able to bring in the original creative team to work with the cast. This year it was Sweet Smell of Success, and Craig Carnelia and John Guare came into rehearsals, and Marvin Hamlisch and a group of original cast members including Brian d’Arcy James came to see the show!</p>

<p>Regarding minors: D will be graduating with the Business of Media, Entertainment and Technology minor Kswag mentioned (I remember telling her mother about it last year on cc!) as well as a minor in English literature. (D also came in with 12 AP credits, but has been taking 19 and 20 credits some semesters to achieve this in 4 years.)</p>

<p>Regarding undergrads/ grads: The two groups will work together in shows–both faculty and student run, but do not take classes together to my knowledge. I am not familiar with many of the grad students, so I do not know their talent level and how it compares to the undergrads.</p>

<p>If you want to get a feel for the talent of the class, I would suggest you go to the showcase website I sent above and click on the “meet the class of 2012” link at the top of the page. This takes you to the student’s home pages and many of them have posted links to their U-Tube accounts which have scenes from shows, their recitals and some student-run performances.</p>

<p>I know that the program may have changed slightly since D started it. When she started, you declared a concentration in MT or classical from the start. There were some VP classes that they took together and some that were different for the Classical and MT students. There was still a fluidity between the two programs and the use of the same voice teachers. Several students who started as classical ended up switching to MT in their freshman or sophomore year.</p>

<p>Not exactly sure how the program was changed in the last year or so. I think that there was a feeling that the Classical kids should be taking more acting and dance classes. Also diction, music history and language requirements were different for the two groups in the past.</p>

<p>I will say that the program is still heavily geared to MT in terms of the numbers. In D’s graduating class there are about 25 MT undergrads and maybe 8 Classical.</p>

<p>I also know that on the Facebook pages for incoming freshmen (class of 2016) that the kids seem to being identifying themselves as either MT or Classical.</p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

<p>Bump. ANyone want to give Steinhardt updates? D is attending in the Fall, and the thread doesn’t have much acitivity.</p>