Thanks so much. If you want to PM me with some names, that would be great. DD has a fabulous Classical voice with great training (second generation down from Margaret Harshaw). It’s healthy and it’s wonderful to the ears. She wants to change to MT, and I’m very concerned that someone is going to get their hands on her and ruin her. Although she wants to learn to belt, given how mature and what a great teacher she already is herself (she teaches, has 27 students), sometimes I think she might be able to teach herself a healthy belt if she had a good part-time coach.
But I know the MT programs (or better ones) have MT vocal faculty, and the not as good ones seem to have the gamut between no one, or faculty who have Classical degrees trying to teach MT, and all kinds of combinations thereof. The only true reassurance I have is that she is very aware of her own instrument, knows the difference between fatigue and unhealthy and/or damaging, at least when it comes to the Classical approach of using the throat muscles and long vowels. Let’s hope that knowledge stays put and is not turned to ruin. She is just 19…
We don’t have the money for one of the top tier programs (which might get us a better vocal teacher, no guarantee), nor do I think she will be competitive top tier not having the dance background and a gorgeous lyric Classical voice. She could walk in to a top Classical conservatory grad school audition right now and be just fine, but MT…?
At this point I would even consider having her just finish a BA somewhere (she has about 90 credit hours, a combo of Gen Ed, languages for opera, and the typical BM Classical Voice hours) and just get a good MT coach privately, dance lessons, and do summer stock and regional work, idk.
As far as what I have personally experienced, nothing too bad. I was trained Classically, Baylor and NEC. However, I know there are a lot of advanced degrees running around who can’t teach worth a flip, possibly even harmful.