classicalbk

My daughter is a high school junior and preparing for BFA MT auditions starting this time next year. Her current and wonderful voice teacher keeps reminding us that the most important part of choosing a college is getting the right voice teacher. I had a cello teacher back in the day at a good conservatory who I just assumed would be great. He was great, but I didn't like his style and had to spend the next four years playing the way he wanted me to. I left and found another prof at another school who helped me play with the romantic sound that I preferred. So I can see how this could be a problem. It further complicates things as the daughter is a legit soprano who is working on her belt in order to be more marketable, and because Ariel has to belt! So the teacher should be great with both belle canto and belt. How do you make sure you will get a good fit with your new voice teacher before you begin a MT program? Can my daughter ask to take voice lessons with possible teachers in the coming year? Would she do this before or after she auditions for individual schools? How and when would she approach these teachers? Thanks!

ttmom

I cannot imagine that your daughter will have much,if any control over who her voice teacher is at any MT program. Even if she were to "click" with one before, no guarantee that a long-term relationship would prove beneficial. My suggestion would be to look at all of the programs she is considering and read about the particular voice teachers at each one. Some programs have their students change teachers automatically during 4 years, some stay with the same one, and due to personality clashes some request changes. Also, some of the TOP programs use graduate voice teachers to teach freshman, so there would be no way to check that out. IMHO all the good programs teach their belters how to sing legit and their legit kids how to sing bel canto (read: proper belt). I know it is that way at PSU, where my d went. You should be sure to inquire about voice instruction at each school she is looking at to get the info. She can even ask that at her auditions. That is a very good and relevant question for a potential student who is looking at programs, much like the question about which, if any, acting technique does the program endorse or use the most.. I would think that unless your daughter is going to visit each school before her auditions that an audience with one, let alone all of the voice teachers would be impossible on audition day. This is a very competitive field and the day is jam-packed and audition timer slots are brief, scheduled all day. She should meet at least one voice teacher at her audition in most cases, except some schools as Unifieds. Good luck and if you do your homework she will be fine. And grow as an artist, which is the goal.

dieselbt

You can request a particular voice teacher at Boston Conservatory. In my daughters case she wrote a long list of desires she had for her training and they made a very good choice for her. She has remained with Thomas Gregg the entire 4 years.
I personally know of incoming freshman that were granted the teachers they requested . It is not guaranteed though and if you are not happy after the first year you may change for the sophmore year.
Contacting the head of the voice dept is a good idea to discuss potential teachers You can then go online and research them and check the performance calendar to see if they are giving a personal or class recitals.

classicalbk

I never thought that grad students might teach freshmen voice lessons. Thanks for the thoughts and she will bring those questions if she is given a chance to ask at an interview. I have been following instrumentalists who are auditioning and they frequently take a "try out" lesson with prospective teachers, but I guess the MT world is so competitive that isn't feasible, is what you're saying.

thecheckbook

Does Ariel belt? I've heard all her songs ad nauseum and I can't recall any belting for a legit soprano. Am I confused about what belting is?

classicalbk

On backstage.com we follow the audition notices where it said that Ariel "must have clear belt to an E". In the original cast recording daughter tells me Ariel belts for a small portion to a D in "Part of Your World" and then uses a "mix" to an E in the reprise of "Part of Your World." Nothing like Patti Lupone. I would never have thought of Ariel as a belter, either. Ariel just sounds pretty to me! But I only know what I am told and what I read on backstage.com. (I think it's handy to check out audition notices for what one hopes to be someday, in order to make sure one's current training lines up with future role's requirements.)

onstage

At Syracuse, where my D is a senior, you are assigned a voice teacher freshman year. Most of the voice teachers are from the music department, and some are indeed graduate students. But you are allowed to request a change. My D stayed with her original teacher, a grad student, for two years, then changed to another teacher for her final two years. She liked both teachers, but the original teacher focused more on legit technique and she wanted to work on her belt. It was actually a pretty good combination of teachers.

LetsSing

I'm a CCM grad and I know that currently, the freshman MT majors have grad. assistants as their voice teachers for freshman year, then they all have one faculty member for soph. year who only teaches soph. MT students, and then they are divided up among the classical voice faculty who have room for them their last two years. My D is a BFA-MT at Pace and the division head and music director for the MT program very thoughtfully paired students with voice faculty they felt would be best for each student. The students are allowed to switch if they don't fell it is a good match, though most students find it works for them. Every school seems to have a different way of handling the private voice lessons.

NewbieMTMom

I will echo onstage's post. My D is a sophomore MT at Syracuse and she is on her second year with her original voice teacher, a grad student, from the music school whom she really likes. I will tell you that I was alarmed at first that she was assigned a grad student but her teacher has indeed focused on technique as onstage said. My D's progress has been significant since she arrived at SU 13 months ago. She is very pleased and thus, so am I. It has been a very good match.

srw

At OCU all MT students study with the voice faculty. Not that their is anything wrong with studying with a grad student, after all many of them will become voice faculty!