Don't knock the B.A.s!

snapdragonfly
Sat, 30 Apr 2011 19:26:52 +0000

We found some BA programs that offer as much professional development as one would expect from a BFA. I mean everything - showcases, hot shot Broadway connections, auditioning/resume classes, intense vocal, acting and dance training - anything you would require or expect from a BFA, some BA courses offer too.

Most of them were in smaller private schools, so although they were not admission by audition (though they did audition for scholarship) the programs aren’t going to have that many kids in them anyway - by which I mean, not too many kids to allow for plenty of individual attention - and all of them that we liked did have a review after freshman year. In these cases, it wasn’t a review to go on to the BFA program because these schools did not offer any BFA. But rather, to assess if the student is progressing - to put it bluntly, (though the schools did put it more tactfully) to let the student know if pursuing MT was perhaps not the best place for their particular talent set and to explore where they might do better.

I like that review idea - after a year or so, if my D isn’t improving and learning I think it would be a huge disservice to continue in that area, anyway. None of these were capped cut programs and they weren’t compared to their peers as in competing for spots to stay in the program or anything - just compared to themselves, basically, and on their own work ethic and such and how they are growing and showing potential. So if there’s someone who is just not serious about it and is dragging the program down, that issue would be addressed, which is good.

D ended up choosing a BA program and without even considering that her electives will be largely MT related, the degree ends up being a fifty fifty split between core and major classes - more than the “typical” BA is thought to be. But that’s my point - so many programs are really not “typical” once you look at them.

Not only is the ratio of classes a huge variance but also the kinds of classes offered. Once you get down and dirty and pour over the catalog and the actual class descriptions, you start to see that there are some BA programs out there whose professional development isn’t different than some BFA’s.

And then there are BA programs for which those things don’t hold true, of course. My D would not have been happy at one of those. (though some kids would be!) What she ended up with was somewhere in between a “typical” BFA and a “typical” BA - probably more than halfway closer to BFA than BA if you put it on a scale.

There was another BA program she (and I) absolutely are crazy about too, but she didn’t get quite enough money to attend that school. ~that’s okay, we are very happy with where she’s going

You really have to look past the labels…it doesn’t matter what they call it. It matters what they teach and how they teach it and how well that matches up to the experience you want to have.

I always did think that D would do best in a BA/BFA hybrid but of course we applied to the BFA’s because I think you should never close yourself to any options. I think had she gone into a BFA she’d have loved it - but I think she’ll love her BA too.

I totally agree - don’t knock the BA’s!! I think the quality of the professors and the curriculum is what matters most!

Thanks for your post, SongSearcher. I’m feeling good about D’s choice but it’s great to hear from someone who is having a wonderful learning experience in a BA program.