IJElkiss

Thanks Chris. You are definately right. It seems to me that many people get attacked for their opinions. But thats what a message board is for, opinions. Good on you for keeping such a level head amidst it all.

NotMamaRose

The other hard truth is that the "best" school for a given student may be the school at which he or she gets an offer of admission. It's easy, before going through the process, to discuss which are the top 5 schools, etc. It's harder -- much harder, they tell me! -- to get into those schools. As people who have been through the process constantly remind us (for good reason!), kids who were always the "stars" of their schools and/or communities and had every reason to think they would be successful in the college admissions process can find themselves high and dry when it comes to offers of admission from actual schools. So, when it comes down to it, this discussion of "top" schools is really just theoretical for most people.
I don't mean to be discouraging, but I did want to frame the discussion in that context.

CA Griffin

Thank you NMR for your post. You stated exactly what I think while reading discussions about each student deciding what's best for them. What's "best" in July, may not be what's "best" in April 2007. (depending on thick or thin envelopes in mailboxes)

NotMamaRose

Let me add here that I hope my silly little post was not taken to be discouraging, because that is not how I meant it! When I stumbled across this board less than a year ago, I had little to no idea just how competitive admissions to the "top" MT schools would be. I figured it was about as competitive, as, well admission to any other major, and probably less challenging and competitive than medical school admissions. WRONG!! (Wasn't the first time I have been in error and sure won't be the last! ) I now know how much I didn't know, but one thing I do know is that admissions to most of the well-known programs is fiercely competitive and it's almost anyone's guess who gets in each year to where and why. That said, some students will, at the end of their auditions season, have choices, and others won't. My earnest hope is that ALL of those students will, in the end, believe they landed at the program that is right for them.

IJElkiss

Yes, acceptance rates of less than 10% can be hard to manage. But when you get in that means you know you are the more talented for it. And if you don't..... Oh well! Take some lessons and try again next year.

BiGismama

I thought your post was neither silly nor discouraging; you hit the nail on the head with accuracy!

fishbowlfreshman

Hey, I found a rankings list! You might have to sign in on Princeton Review to see it, but they have rankings for Best College Theatre. You Juilliardians and Carnegie Mellons better remember to salute when you pass a Wagnerian or Stephensite ... or anybody else on the list.

NotMamaRose

fish, it would be interesting to find out how they arrive at those rankings. By Stephensites, do you mean people from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri? Exposing my massive ignorance here, I am sure! (Many, many years ago, when Stephens was a women's only college, my mother graduated from there with an AA degree in opera performance.)

MTHeaded

I believe when this list has been shared in the past, it was pointed out that it is based on student feedback. This particular list comes under the heading of extracurriculars. So it is more about the best theaters and their productions and not about the best training programs for theater and/or MT. My sense is that it is a reflection of how much the kids and the community enjoy the shows at their schools. Now I know that those enjoyable shows are also a reflection of that training, but not necessarily so in every case.

notfromme

I believe this list is under "extracurricular" best theater. While it is a great list with undoubtedly the top schools in theatre, I am not sure it is for the "theatre major programs".
I do agree with notmamarose...I have said all along, it seems with this degree it is a match, not a ranking. D was offered more money for other places, but chose the school that she did because it really WOWed her...all of us. But, you may come for a visit, and not even want to audition! D did that with a lot of the "top" schools-they just weren't top on HER list...and that is the list that matters!!!!
So, enough of the "rankings"...I'd rather see a list of why you chose the school you did, or why you think the school is such a match for you! AND NO BASHING OTHER PROGRAMS ALLOWED!!! If asked why you did not choose a program, then present your opinion tactfully...remember, that school is someones match!! Sorry, just had to say that! It is great to have school spirit, and to be proud and love where you are going, but this is such an, should I say, intimate, degree. I believe it is not like pre-med, accounting, engineering....it is a love, a passion. It is what makes most of our children who they are! So, your selection should be a "feeling" instead of a ranking, do you agree?

Well, best of luck!

fishbowlfreshman

That would be the one! Well ... number two, actually. LOLTrue dat! It seems that it was based on a survey to determine, "How popular are college theater productions?" Hence the winky. But hey ... It's a published list from one of the major college publications, so why not? I remember one school I looked at last year using it as a recruiting tool as if it were authoritative.

NotMamaRose

Fish, what can one say except wink, wink? Of course, when people see "Princeton Review" they automatically think "wow, they must know what they are talking 'bout."

Your post was the first time I recall hearing Stephens College mentioned on this list.

Back when my Mom matriculated, it was (apparently, and according to her) somewhat of a "finishing" school for young ladies of a certain class and income level. That said, she told us that the opera performance program was pretty rigorous, at least by her standards.

But second in the nation for theater? That would surprise me, though I am certain that there are probably many happy students there who love their program. *That* is the trouble with rankings.

musicalmind7

Excuse me, but have you done your research? The world-renowned Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam is one of the leading music schools in the United States. The Crane School was founded in 1886 by Julia Etta Crane (1855-1923) as the Crane Normal Institute of Music and was one of the first institutions in the country to have programs dedicated to training public school music teachers. Julia Crane petitioned the Juilliard Foundation to purchase her school. The Crane Symphony Orchestra was formed in 1839, the second earliest college orchestra in the country after Harvard. Crane is an All-Steinway School following the acquisition of 141 Steinway pianos beginning January 24, 2007. This $3.8 million dollar purchase includes 3 new concert grand pianos and coincidentally makes this the largest purchase order that Steinway has ever received in the history of the company.

Notable faculty & alumni

Renée Fleming (1981) operatic soprano
Stephanie Blythe (1992) operatic mezzo soprano & contralto
Lisa Vroman (1979) musical theatre Phanotm of the Opera and opera Crossover
Margaret Lattimore (1991) operatic mezzo soprano
Dmitri Pittas (1999) operatic tenor
Daniel Decker - Composer and Recording Artist
Brock McElheran - Professor Emeritus
Arthur Frackenpohl - Professor Emeritus
Robert Washburn - Dean Emeritus
Paul Wyse - Pianist
John O'Reilly (composer)

soozievt

musicalmind.....excuse me, but this thread is over five years old, and Crane School of Music doesn' t offer a BFA (or BA) program in Musical Theater which is what this thread is about, not music programs.

musicalmind7

It was a response to icekiss, not you. This website doesn't show the responses to specific comments even though I specifically clicked to reply to that person's comment. It was the point that a SUNY school actually can be much more prestigious than a school such as Syracuse.