<p>kjgc, thanks so much for taking the time to post here. Unlike you, I am not an expert (just the parent of a student who hopes to get admitted to a good BFA program), but I agree wholeheartedly about actor training being the absolute key/heart of any good MT program. If I want to hear an absolutely superbly-trained voice, I can go to a vocal music concert. But at musicals, I want the singing to seem to be an organic part of the story being told and to be able to deliver that kind of performance, a performer needs to be a good actor first and foremost. (Note that I am assuming here that the performer can sing and sing well. I am just saying that the performer doesn’t have to be Barbara Cook.)</p>