tracyvp

These questions may look familiar because I'm asking the same questions at several schools. Please feel free to add to the questions if you think of more!

We are starting to understand that most BFA Musical Theatre programs try very hard to train "triple threat" performers, but in the end, one of the three disciplines tends to emerge as slightly more prominent or emphasized than the others, and there is usually a second, then third.

For current Ball State students (or parents, if you know), what would you say is the primary emphasis of your training at BSU?

Also, can you describe the type of training you get in each of the three disciplines? For example, in music, how much time and what sort of training in voice, theory, repertoire, piano, etc. Do you learn both "classical" MT styles as well as contemporary pop styles? When and how?

For acting, do you explore the different approaches, and in what depth? Do you train with the acting BFA's or separately? Do you get a lot of straight acting training, or is most of the acting training in the context of "acting the song?"

In dance, can more advanced dancers take classes with the Dance majors? How much time is devoted to "specialty" dance like tap, partnering, hip hop, etc?

Sometimes different students have different experiences, so it would be awesome to hear from several!!

taylor11

Hi! I am a friend of Taylor's, and am a freshman musical theatre major at Ball State.
I would say the primary element of training at BSU is acting. In order to sing and dance, you must have strong acting training, or else the purpose of the song or dance will not be effective. Even as a freshman, I see how this acting training has transferred into my voice and dance work. In order to be a well-rounded performer, you must be a knowledgeable actor. This is greatly stressed here at Ball State, and I am so grateful that it is!
We take music theory and sight singing classes two times a week, piano once a week, acting for two hours two times a week, voice lab once a week, a voice lesson once a week, two different dance classes twice a week, Aesthetics (which is Theatre History and Script Analysis), and then any general education classes that we may take. I have found a shared union between all three disciplines. Music Theory is valued here, and it is interesting to see how much we learn transfers into our work with voice music, etc. Our piano work includes scales, chords, both major and minor, and for our final, we are to play 32 bars of one of our own voice rep pieces. Sight singing both in major and minor keys is one of current focuses at this point in the semester. In voice lessons, we sing both classical musical theatre, and have one pop song each semester. We have five musical theatre songs in our rep each semester, and one pop song.
In acting class, the Musical Theatre majors are mixed in with the BFA Actors of the same level (freshman, sophomore). Acting class revolves strictly around straight acting, and sophomore year, a class is taken about acting the song. We also work on acting the song in voice lab. Right now in acting, we are working on monologues that will push us out of our comfort zone.
Placement for dance is chosen from the performance at your audition. Both of my dance classes this semester are mixed in with upper level dance majors. Most dance classes are mixed in with dance majors or minors. I am taking both Jazz and Ballet this semester--each two hour classes. Tap is available next year, but the other styles are tricky because our schedules are already so full. However, I am sure it is more than possible to fit these things in.
I hope I answered all of your questions!
If you have any more, please feel free to ask. I love seeing these well-thought out questions
Sincerely,
Samantha Malone

kylerkays

Hello there, tracyvp!

I could not agree more with Samantha!

My name is Kyler Kays and I am a transfer-freshman student within our Musical Theatre option. There is definitely a more prominent focus on our 'actor-training' within the curriculum. That being said, the element of acting is the root all of our courses. Along with Samantha, I'm constantly finding myself more aware of the discoveries I experiencing in one class and how it is being applied to the rest of my practice.


One thing that I really looked into when considering where to practice my craft, was the faculty. The teachers.

Yes, there is a giant work load and numerous varieties of classes to be taken...but WHO is going to be teaching them to you? In my own experiences, I have found that this is the type of school where the teachers aren't only in it for the job & paycheck. The instructors here are interested in us as INDIVIDUAL artists, and that is something I value in my education. They push us to expand our range of abilities and want to see us blossom to the best that we can be as performers and as people, and will take time out to sit and discuss our personal growth.

As an example, in addition to our weekly scheduled piano class, our instructor takes time out of her personal life to provide us with free piano lessons.
Also:
Most of our instructors (with given permission), will allow us to come into our classes that are broken down into smaller groups. We are given the opportunity to continue our training even when it is not necessarily a required class. Auditing courses is also an option.

Hope this helps!
Feel free to message me with more questions!

Best of luck!
Kyler Kays