Admitted to Mannes but...

Mezzo_sMama
Mon, 02 Apr 2018 22:28:09 +0000

@buoyant -Taking a year or two between undergrad and grad is more the norm than the exception for VP students now. @bridgenail covered it pretty well- there are a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that there are just too many kids being dumped out on the market from the explosion of programs. In the good grad programs, there can be as many as 300 girls auditioning for each available place (that is an aggregate number I’ve been given from department heads). Voices have growth spurts which are pretty typical at certain ages, so waiting a bit can offer that advantage.

Another thing to keep in mind is that senior year in a conservatory can be very stressful when it comes to time commitments, and I’ll ilustrate with the example of my own daughter. She was younger than her classmates and had the stress of a new teacher for her final year (her teacher upped a quit at the end of her junior year- ugh!), but actually, due to the teacher leaving, she had all her personal reccomendations in place and her applications done. She went ahead and submitted them- one of only 5 in her class to do so, the others either taking some time off or deciding to change “careers”. One girl went to a 3yr MT certificate program, my D went on for her MM in VP, one of the boys deferred entrance and the other two did not receive any acceptances. Now, when I mention stress, picture this: she was trying to decide among offers and secure the best possible financial package while learning a role (she had the lead in the spring opera) AND prepping for her senior recital, and all these things were taking place within the month of April. The role was completely unexpected and shows that you can never anticipate what’s going to happen. Given her very particular fach and growth curve for it, she had to take time in place after grad school but she never would have gotten the results she has now without that time, Lighter, higher voices mature earlier and can be a different matter.

The US spends a lot of time on technique with young singers versus Europe but our kids don’t get the performing opportunities they do. That gap year can be used to learn rep and get some additional performing experience but it’s crucial that the student continue to study with a good teacher and keeps up her/his theory and music history skills because those will be tested.

This year, I’m seeing a large number of students being accepted to top schools but not getting any, or much more than a token award, to the top grad programs. It’s distressing but it was bound to happen. There isn’t one “right” way that works for every student, so thinking outside the box can be helpful.