Feel free to message me! I can answer questions about IU Jacobs. I have one daughter who already graduated from there in Voice (undergrad and masters) and have another daughter who is currently there as a sophomore Voice major. I also personally know several other kids currently in the Voice program. My oldest did their dual degree called the Bachelors of Science with an Outside Field (aka BSOF) for her undergrad in Voice with outside field in History. The degree can be completed in 4 years and meets all the major requirements for both concentrations so a student can pursue grad school in either/both concentrations. My oldest then got her Masters in Vocal Performance there. I know kids currently in that same degree doing Voice with outside fields in Psychology, Arts Management, Computer Science, Film Studies. My youngest is doing a straight BM degree. Music and an Outside Field : Jacobs School of Music Bulletin
And I know that sometimes IU erroneously gets a bad rap for its large size and lack of performance opportunities for undergrads. We arenât finding that to be trueâespecially lately. My youngestâs sophomore voice performance cohort is only 16 studentsâthatâs all genders and voice types. Yes, the music school is large but it offers soooooo many different degrees (bachelors to doctorates) from jazz, to music industry, to strings, to brass, to music ed etc. So yes there is a lot going on, but the voice cohorts are reasonably sized and the kids tend to be pretty tight and very supportive of one another. And as far as performance opportunities, 6 sophomores have been cast in main stage opera roles this year and others in ensemble/chorus roles. (And main stage means main stageâthe Musical Arts Center is huge and rivals the size of the MET. Young, underdeveloped voices have no business up thereâconsidering vocal health alone). And the number of ensemble performance opportunities can be amazingly large. Outside of assigned ensembles there are always opportunities to be part of recitals (including other studentsâ recitals), master classes, opera workshops, etc. My daughters were/are singing all the time.
My kid went to Harvard and didnât want to do the double degree with NEC, but concentrated in music. There was more than enough for doing it that way. I am certain her music supplement got her in.
If IU didnât happen, what other schools did your students consider that maybe should be on the radar ?
I feel like we are guessing here. Is this person a soprano or alto? What kind of singing? Classical? Opera? Musical Theatre? Jazz? Pop? Rock?
She is currently a mezzo, classical singing (opera).
U Cincinnati seems to come up in a lot of rankings for operaâŠ.safety academically. Not sure if double majors. Itâs a public school not on your list.
My oldestâs close second choice was Oberlin. She was admitted for their dual degree program (VP and History), but it was going to take 5 years and even with a sizeable scholarship couldnât come close to in-state tuition at IU in a 4 year program for both areas of study. My youngest wasnât considering an âacademicâ outside concentration, but highly considered University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for both their VP and Lyric Theater programs. The latter would have allowed for more dancing and acting which she would have loved. But, alas, out-of-state tuition vs in-state was her final decision maker as well. Iâm pretty sure it would be easy to add a minor or second major at UIUC, and they have soooo many options available being a large public university. I second the Cincinnati suggestion above as well. Great voice program and a lot of outside majors available.
This is my youngestâs voice type and style tooâŠ.. one of her voice program besties is a sophomore classical mezzo as well and doing the BSOF in Voice and Psychology at IU as we speakâŠ. and I will add that this little gal is amazing. Already been cast in an opera chorus and in an opera role this year. Quite a feat at IU.
Some smaller liberal arts colleges with good voice programs that they considered were Butler University and DePauw University in Indiana. (Midwest is our home turf if you canât tell). Would be good for kids who really want an even mix of a music major with another major. Some voice programs are just sooo demanding that it is difficult to add anything else. My oldest got her 2 areas (voice and history) in at IU Jacobs in just 4 years, but it was A LOT! Made her Masters in just Vocal Performance feel like a breeze.
and to walk that gorgeous campus everyday - thatâs a bonus!!
Another state school you might want to look at is University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They have a wonderful music program with loads of performance opportunities for students. That should also be an academic safety for her with her stats too.
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As a person who doesnât know a lot about vocal performance, I wondered about the fact that a voice is still maturing at undergrad age. Is it an option to do a BA in something else and then do vocal performance with a masterâs? I looked it up and basically learned that undergrad teaching and repertoire accommodate the process of maturation. The only caution was that a high level BM might not be a good fit for an âunstableâ voice, and then a BA might be better. I have always wondered if this is an issue in choosing schools. Do some schools or opportunities push the maturing voice too hard? This is not meant to be a tangent since school choice decisions are a focus but apologies if it is seen that way. Some VP people I know did things in sequence: BA in something else and then MM. That is one year more than a double degree.
SUNY Purchase Opera program offers alot of opportunities for performance experience - 2 operas a year and everyone in program gets stage experience. The school is a liberal arts school so sciences will not be a strength. Being a SUNY school the tuition is very reasonable and you wonât come out of undergraduate with a ton of debt
Voice teacher and parent of hs senior applying for voice programs here. Voice is definitely different than all other instruments in that it is still maturing well into oneâs 20s, and there is a danger in pushing too hard and damaging the voice by working repertoire the voice isnât ready for. BUT - most college programs are well aware of this danger and are very careful with how they work with undergrad singers. I know many very fine singers who did a BA and then an MM, followed by an Artist Diploma or DMA. There are some deficiencies going that route, though - the BA wonât have the number of theory/aural skills and history classes that a BM has, and the language component in the BA wonât be as rigorous. So an MM might take longer (by at least a year) than an MM after a BM. Itâs definitely doable, and for many people, itâs the right choice if they want a more well-rounded undergrad experience. But I wouldnât do it out of fear that the BM would be too strenuous for an undergrad voice major. Hope this helps!
Thanks! I have always wondered about this. A BA in music would have theory/aural skills, music history, and language, but not at the same intensity in most programs. Your answer makes a lot of sense, and doing a BA in something else would clearly mean less preparation for a masterâs.
Yes. You can get into an MM for Voice regardless of undergrad major. My daughterâs ex-boyfriend graduated from Amherst in Computer Science and then completed an MM in Voice at IU Jacobs. This had nothing to do with voice maturity but just that his interests were so diverse. He did take voice lessons in his undergrad and did a bit of extra-curricular performing, but he didnât have any undergrad courses in music. He did have to catch up on theory and languages once at Jacobs, so it took him a little longer than the normal 2 years (as commented by Mrs. Notes above). He was cast regularly in Jacobs operas the entire time he was there, so he definitely had the voice.
I believe itâs possible to co-enroll at Kalamazoo College and the Gilmore School of Music at Western Michigan. WMU seems to have a strong track record of placing Vocal Studies Majors in top Graduate Programs. Kalamazoo is highly ranked in placing Psychology Majors in top PHD programs. Also, Kalamazoo is often ranked as a great college town with a strong local music scene beyond the WMU Conservatory of Music.