The Mary Pappert School of Music has a superior reputation in PA and probably further. I am only familiar with the instrumental program, but the vocal program is probably similar in quaility. The school is always full of activity! My son played in a chamber group there while attending engineering school at Pitt; however, here are some things that I observed: there bulletin boards are always full of performance opportunities and visits by notable musicians; the practice rooms are plentiful and well-equipped; the faculty includes many professional performers; Duquesne is home to the City Music Center, the Tamburitzans and the Children's Festival Chorus; Pittsburgh has many performing arts that the local college students attend (orchestra, ballet, civil light opera, Mendelsohhn Choir, playhouse, jazz clubs, etc.) And of course there is the Pittsburgh Opera
Welcome to Pittsburgh Opera It is good to know that the performing arts are well supported by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust and the community in general. Here are a couple of other links:
Pittsburgh's Cultural District - Your Show Place! The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust
TrumpetDad, the Pittsburgh Symphony is one of the great orchestras, and the brass section practically has its own fan club! In addition, the Manchester Craftsman's Guild and others contribute to the vibrant jazz community in town.
http://www.manchesterguild.org/indexflash.htm http://www.pittsburghsymphony.org/pg...page/home+page
Another thing that is good about Duquesne is that they have a very fine program for music education. I think that many students end up studying both performance and education, and Duquesne music grads are sought out for teaching jobs. It is just a great program.
Duquesne, I'm sure you know, is a medium-sized urban university with other strong programs such as nursing, pharmacy, OT &PT, business, law, and education. Your daughter/son would meet all sorts of people. Good luck with the difficult decision!
