<p>Hi.
My daughter, a junior, is a singer who wants to major in Music Performance, with an emphasis on contemporary music. What are the best schools for this? We live in Boston, so I know about Berklee, but the school is very pricey without offering much assistance (or at least that’s what I gather). What can you share with me?</p>
<p>I’m feeling a little nervous about starting this process!</p>
<p>Yes, this process can be very daunting. But you will make it through! Try Belmont. Also,
do a search try using the term contemporary vocalist. Unless you can find a program at a state school in your state you will find it VERY pricey. Look into academic and talent awards (scholarships).</p>
<p>Mom2Ruby, when my daughter was going into her senior year of HS she did the Berklee 5-week program and that helped clarify her interest in music and jazz. The other contemporary options are pop/rock, funk/fusion, or pop/R&B. Since you’re already in Boston, perhaps you also want to look at other programs Berklee has for the summer which are shorter. The 5-week also let up-and-coming seniors audition, which is great practice even if you don’t plan to go to Berklee, and you daughter can network with other musicians her same age which is also useful.</p>
<p>Other good schools include The New School of Jazz & Contemporary Music, UMiami/Frost, USC/Thorton and NYU Clive Davis.</p>
<p>Clive Davis is not a music performance program. VP is offered by steinhardt. They offer classical or musical theatre tracks</p>
<p>Unfortunately the only schools are really Berklee and Belmont for pop/commercial. The other schools listed above are jazz programs. You could do musical theatre at a school that also offers pop/rock training like Pace or Shenandoah. The other option is to major in music industry/business or audio recording technology. If you go to a school near a big city you can usually find a pop/rock voice teacher and plenty of performance venues.</p>
<p>VT</p>
<p>Along with Belmont and Berklee, there is USC Thornton, Colorado-Denver, and Miami Frost also has a commercial voice major when combined with the Creative American Music minor. It’s for singer-songwriters. Ask raddad, jazzshreddermom and 27 dreams about USC. Also Smithanan. (sorry if I am misspelling usernames). Also Denver Lamont has a jazz & commercial music major, more jazz than commercial but looks very good. I’ve also heard that some smaller schools you might be lucky enough to tailor the program to more modern music - but that’s an exception. I met one Jazz artist who went to Pomona College and did just that. </p>
<p>Also, CCM has just introduced a commercial music production major that focuses on production and the music industry side of things. Kinda like Clive Davis I suspect. </p>
<p>Good luck - it’s a tough major because so few schools offer a program. But it’s exciting, too!</p>
<p>
I would like to clarify that while Clive Davis is not a performance BMUS from Steinhardt, it IS a program that singer/songwriters who want to create and produce their own music study, and it would certainly be attractive to many pop/commercial singers.</p>
<p>I believe 27Dreams matriculated to this program, so perhaps the OP could contact her via pm for more accurate info.</p>
<p>I am pretty sure 27dreams applied and was accepted at NYU/Clive, but is happily at USC Thornton. However, she did investigate NYU/Clive enough to answer questions.</p>
<p>Most of the serious vocalists at NYU are either in Tisch studying Musical theatre or in Steinhardt as Vocal Performance majors. Some may have other music majors in Steinhardt such as Music Ed.</p>
<p>When I say “serious” I am saying it in terms of those who are actually studying voice and receiving voice lessons and coaching from full faculty members as part of the curriculum they study.</p>
<p>Many students in both programs, particularly those with a musical theatre focus, plan to go in a more contemporary direction. Many believe that it is important to be classically trained to learn good vocal technique. Think Lady Gaga! Also, the nature of musical theatre has been changing and many of the songs that are performed have a contemporary bend. Even in Steinhardt, which is more classically oriented, students are required to study contemporary music in their senior year.</p>
<p>Additionally, NYU also offers the Clive Davis program through Tisch and the Music Business program through Steinhardt. However, neither require or include any vocal performance classes in their curriculum. Although there very well may be both vocalists and instrumental performers in both, they have chosen to concentrate on the business side of music and recording. </p>
<p>Students at NYU can get voice lessons, but for non majors, they will be taught be grad students and will once again be focused on classical or musical theatre repetoire.</p>
<p>See the links for more details:
[Recorded</a> Music Curriculum: Tisch School of the Arts at NYU](<a href=“http://clivedavisinst.tisch.nyu.edu/object/remucurriculum.html]Recorded”>http://clivedavisinst.tisch.nyu.edu/object/remucurriculum.html)</p>
<p>[Music</a> Business Curriculum Undergraduate - Curriculum - Music Business - NYU Steinhardt](<a href=“http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/business/curriculum/undergraduate]Music”>http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/music/business/curriculum/undergraduate)</p>
<p>I would also recommend the Berklee 5 week. You can apply for scholarship consideration for the 5 week, but the deadline for that is probably really soon. Last year, it was March 1. It was a very beneficial program for my son in terms of focusing his interests in his college search. </p>
<p>My son auditioned at Frost/U Miami last week, and we talked to a girl who is a pop vocalist who was auditioning there for the contemporary music program. As someone else mentioned, the program is designed for singer/songwriters.</p>
<p>Voice Teacher, perhaps you are not aware that USC Thornton added it’s Popular Music program (including vocal, singer/songwriter, instrumental and composition) three years ago. It is an incredibly strong program that much has been written about, both here and elsewhere. So now Thornton has three vocal options - jazz, classical and popular. Smithanan’s D and 27dreams are singers, so they may be able to answer questions for you (my son is a guitarist).</p>
<p>Have also heard good things about Belmont, U Miami, University of Denver Lamont, and Clive Davis–yes, even for singers. And doesn’t Indiana now have a commercial program as well? Don’t quote me.</p>
<p>Not positive that the New School has a contemporary voice program, though. I thought they were indeed limited to jazz. (could well be wrong.)</p>
<p>27dreams applied to, and was accepted to, most of these schools, so she’s a great source if she’s still around. But her posts definitely are!</p>
<p>^I stand corrected. I do believe 27Dreams chose USC in the end. Thanks to those less dottering in recollections ;)</p>
<p>USC’s pop music program has very few (just)vocalists as students. I only know of 2 but there may be more. Most are singer/songwriters and they have to submit original music with lyrics for the pre-screen audition. They make up about a third of the 25 students and the others specialize in their instruments. Berklee has many more vocalists, especially female- that was apparent in the 5 week summer program that my d attended. I bet scholarships for female vocalists at Berklee are tough to get. </p>
<p>You should check out the 5 week program since it is so close by- it is expensive too but at least she could commute-it will give her insight into the level of talent out there.</p>
<p>I am also a vocalist that does contemporary music not of Pop but of Rock and Country and I have looked at visited and experienced some of McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul Minnesota I would seriously consider checking them out they would probably be your best bet but the cost is about the same as Berklee but there are quite a few of scholarship opportunities I suggest looking them up</p>