<p>Henrob,</p>
<p>Since your D is talking about doing a voice/theatre double major, I’d suggest sticking with MT programs that offer a BM degree in MT. Schools that offer a balanced MT curriculum - in my book that means having a balance of music, drama, and dance courses - will require that your D take 8 semesters of private voice lessons, courses in music theory, piano, and sight-singing, and several acting courses. The MT degree is designed to train students as singing actors.</p>
<p>I believe it would be possible for your D to do a BA music/BA theatre double major at many institutions. I believe that doing a vocal performance degree with a theatre double major would be much more difficult. It would probably not be possible for your D to complete her coursework in 4 years. A BM degree in vocal performance does not leave much room for electives. If your D is interested in getting a teaching certificate, the list of required courses becomes even more proscribed. State departments of education strictly mandate which liberal studies courses must be taken to satisfy their requirements and also mandate many of the courses in the prospective teacher’s area of specialization. Many music education majors in my state find it very difficult to complete the state requirements (including many observation hours in the classroom and student teaching) in a 4 year time frame. It is not unusual for them to spend 5 years earning their degrees.</p>
<p>It sounds to me that your real concern is that your D will not receive adequate vocal training if she does an MT degree. If she attends any of the MT schools you listed, your D will be studying both classical vocal literature and MT literature in her lessons. If your D does a degree in voice, she will, naturally, only work on classical vocal literature. At most music schools, vocal performance majors take voice lessons for 3 hours credit each semester; MT majors typically take voice lessons for 2 hours credit, as do music education majors, and BA music majors. In all cases, students take a one hour private voice lesson each week. The difference in credit hours is supposed to reflect the difference in required daily practice time from the students. Many voice students who take private lessons for 2 hours credit choose to practice just as much as students taking lessons for 3 hours credit. There are physical limits as to how much practicing a singer can do each day. An instrumental performance major at a conservatory might put in 5 hours a day. A singer cannot do that.</p>
<p>I am going to suggest a few other MT programs for you to look into. Florida State and the U. of Miami (FL) allow MT students to choose between earning a BM degree or a BFA. I have outlined the differences in the course requirements for the two degrees at FSU on the Florida State forum at the top of the MT page here at CC. Basically, BM students take more courses in music theory and history and BFA students take more courses in theatre history and technical theatre. At FSU, MT students in both tracks study with the same voice teachers for the same number of credit hours. Students in both tracks learn both classical vocal literature and MT vocal literature every semester. That’s true in many MT programs - not just BM MT programs. </p>
<p>If your D wants an MT program with more emphasis in music history and theory courses and more vocal ensemble work, she would be happiest at a school that offers a BM degree rather than a BFA. However, if what she’s really concerned about is the material studied with her private voice teacher, many BFA programs would also fit the bill. I would urge your D to take a look at the curricula of schools that might be of interest. She might find that there are several schools that fit her requirements. </p>
<p>One final suggestion. You might ask on the MT forum about which schools have students study classical vocal literature every semester. I believe that many BFA programs do this. However, I don’t want to list any school in error. I can tell you that CCM BFA MT students study with the same voice teachers as the vocal performance majors. I am fairly certain that classical vocal literature is included in their voice lessons.</p>