<p>I am entering my first year of college in the fall so I know it may be a little early to be asking this question, but I’m curious if anyone has any input. </p>
<p>My major is Music Education w/ a flute concentration. My ultimate goal career wise is to teach high school and eventually open my own performing arts school. Flute is most definitely my first love and I would never want to give it up, but I also have a strong passion for voice and musical theater. I have been taking voice lessons for a few years now and study both classical and musical theater. I have come to realize that combining these fields during my undergrad years will be extremely difficult. My college’s program is extremely intense and time consuming, as most Music Ed programs are. However, I don’t want to give up voice. My voice teacher believes that I have a strong enough voice to be accepted to a program. I was told that I may be able to study voice privately with a graduate student while there, but a minor in voice is not available, and a minor in musical theater seems impossible. </p>
<p>So my question is this, is it possible to get a Masters of Music Ed. w/ a voice concentration after receiving a BMe w/ a flute concentration? If so, is that my best option or would it be a smarter decision to audition for another undergrad program in voice or musical theater after completing my first four undergrad years?</p>
<p>As you will soon find out first hand, the life of a Music Ed major is a busy one. Between all of the classes you will have to take, plus keyboard lessons, plus keeping up with practice on flute, plus playing in the required ensembles, plus studying orchestral excerpts, plus keeping up with reading and listening assignments, plus cramming for juries, not to mention later recitals and having to learn just enough to be dangerous at conducting, brass, percussion and strings, it may be kind of hard to find much time to put in on voice during the undergrad years.</p>
<p>You can certainly audition on voice for Master’s level programs, but your competition will mostly be singers who have been taking voice as their primary focus for the prior four years. If you happen to be a soprano, along with the flute and MT interests, you have chosen the three specialties with the lowest possible admission rates. That is not to say that it can’t be done by a very talented person, but you should know going in that it will be very difficult.</p>
<p>Thank you for your input! That helps a lot! I do realize it will be very difficult, I always manage to make things difficult for myself. ( I sing mezzo) I am definitely willing to put in the work it takes to reach my goals, and I am fortunate enough to have amazing parents who are willing to help me further my education as much as I want. =) Would you reccomend that I audition for another undergrad program in voice/musical theater? (Hopefully some of my credits would transfer) Or would a masters program make more sense, even though it will be more difficult to be accepted to?</p>
<p>As you seem to realize, it is very early to be worrying about a second undergrad degree vs continuing on for a Masters in the same or a different field when you have not even started college. You have decided to start with Music Ed and Flute. I suggest you give that a semester or two to settle out before you worry about a decision that does not have to be made right away. You may well find that your interests and objectives change to some extent over the next few years. </p>
<p>If you find you have time for voice lessons in addition to everything else that you are required to do, that is great, but I would recommend not adding too much to your workload until you are sure that you can keep up with the basic requirements. If, in a couple of years, you have managed to do voice along with everything else and you are one of the better singers in your program, you will still have ample time to evaluate your post-graduation options.</p>
<p>My wife, whose degree is in music ed with a flute concentration, made the mistake of bringing a recorder to her flute lesson one day. She got the “Honey, there’s only time in this life for one instrument” lecture. [This from an imposing older gentleman who had studied with Georges Barrere and who had been the principal flute in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for many years.] As it turns out, she managed to do quite well with flute and recorder (and tin whistle and a few other oddball early instruments). Even so, her next round of schooling turned out to be in a totally unrelated field - computers. That simply did not occur to her as a possible interest until she had graduated and worked as a musician for a couple of years.</p>
<p>Thank you again! Yes, I do know that its very early to be thinking of these things, I was just curious if it was even a possibility. I too have gotten those responses when I mentioned outside interests, so this forum seemed a good place to ask these questions. I am definitely very excited/nervous to be starting as a music ed. major w/ a flute concentration. It is what I’ve always wanted to do, since I was 8, so even if I didn’t go into any other fields I would be thrilled and happy, its just nice to know I have options! =)</p>
<p>Maybe for the first year you can sing in the college choir/chorus or some one (of the undoubtably many) vocal ensembles. This would be a way to keep using your voice a few times a week- without the added stress, work and time demands of voice lessons while you are trying to get used to everything else. Good way to make some non-instrumentalist friends too!</p>
<p>Yes they do have a large amoung of various vocal ensembles. Luckily choir is part of my music ed curriculum during the first year (or at least the first semester). So I probably won’t try to get into lessons until my second semester or sophomore year so I don’t overload myself. Thank you! =)</p>