The Conservatory

College Majors Musical Theater Majors
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<p>Shenandoah Conservatory, the oldest of Shenandoah University’s five schools, was founded in 1875, in Dayton, Virginia, as Shenandoah Seminary by Dr. Abraham Paul Funkhouser and Professor Jay Newton Fries. The name of the institution and the valley where it is situated derives from the Indian legend of Zynodoa, an Indian brave whose life of strength and courage and his appreciation of beauty resulted in having a river and a valley named for him.</p>

<p>In 1879, publishers of bibles and song books, the Joseph Funk family, moved to Dayton; their interest in composing and reaching music led to an alliance with Funkhouser and Fries. Descendants of Funk included 1. H. Ruebush, a music teacher, who taught at Shenandoah from 1886 to 1936, and his brother, Will H. Ruebush, also a musician and composer.</p>

<p>The institution has gone through many changes since then. In the 1940’s, it became two entities: Shenandoah College, a junior college, and the four-year Shenandoah Conservatory of Music.</p>

<p>During the 1950’s the school’s fortunes took a turn for the worse, and when it became clear that Shenandoah would either have to leave Dayton or close its door, the school moved to its presents location in Winchester. One of the first two buildings on the new campus, Armstrong Hall, became the Conservatory’s new home.</p>

<p>In the mid-1970s, the college became a four-year institution, and the newly rejoined Shenandoah College and Conservatory of Music added studies in theatre and dance to the curriculum. By 1980, Shingleton Studio Theatre and Goodson Chapel/Recital Hall were built to accommodate the growing number of performances. In the past 25 years, the Conservatory has produced nearly 300 theatrical productions, some 75 dance performances, and more than 2,000 concerts and recitals. Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre opened its premiere season in 1984 with Shenandoah, and has produced four musicals every summer since that time.</p>

<p>Today, Shenandoah Conservatory offers more than 60 degree programs at the baccalaureate, masters and doctoral levels, and produces more than 300 performances each year. With the 1998 opening of the Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre, Glaize Studio Theatre and Ruebush Hall, the Conservatory honors its origins as it secures into the next century its commitment to quality education and the highest level of performance in music, theatre and dance.</p>

<p>The Shenandoah Conservatory is currently ranked number 2 for Musical Theatre . . . </p>

<li>CCM</li>
<li>Shenandoah </li>
<li>Boston Conservatory</li>
</ol>

<p>Shenandoah University 2005
Freshman applications received: 1,121
Freshman applicants accepted: 92%
Freshmen enrolled: 326 </p>

<p>This past year i believe 350 students auditioned for Musical Theatre, and 65 were accepted. This years Music Theatre freshman class is the biggest they’ve accepted. Next year they are cutting back the amount of acceptances by 30%</p>

<p>There is a general emphasis in all disciplines, but it is more music based. You are recquired at somepoint to take a full semester of each general ED course such as English, Math, History, and Science. but they can be theatre general ED courses. For example you can take HOT (History of Theatre) as your History Gen ED course. As for math, you do need to take a regular math course such as Algebra or Calc. So although it is a Conservatory they make sure that you stay in tune with your gen eds if you will.
If you would like i can even lay out for you an example of a freshman schedule . . . </p>

<p>As for the ranking I am not sure who ranked it i can’t remember but i am continuing to search for the definite answer. But it is ranked number 2 out of Conservatory programs. 1. CCM 2. Shenandoah Conservatory 3. Boston Conservatory . . . as soon as i get a full ranking and source i shall be glad to send it to you. </p>

<p>I believe there is a senior showcase, but i am not 100% positive, but i can certainly find out.</p>

<p>As for former students . . . Shenandoah has produced a countless number of broadway performers there have been at least a dozen and the numbers are growing. Rick Costa, Elizabeth Green, Scott Logsdon, Garrett Long, Kathy Voytko Cudia, Jason Wooten and Laura Woyasz, to name a few.</p>

<p>Costa appeared most recently in the long, successful run of the Broadway production of “Cabaret.” Rick’s credits also include the 1995 Broadway production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.” Green had the good fortune to work with Carol Channing in the revival of “Hello, Dolly!” After appearing on Broadway in “Les Miserables,” Logsdon then toured internationally with the show. Long received a Drama Desk Nomination and a Drama League Award for her work in the world premiere of “Spitfire Grill.” </p>

<p>Voytko has appeared in the Broadway production of “Oklahoma!,” and recently, in “Nine.” And even more recently was in Stephen Sondheim’s “The Frogs” with Nathan Lane. Wooten first appeared on Broadway in “Footloose” as an understudy to the lead. From there he went on to the Broadway productions of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “Rocky Horror Show Live” and “Dance of the Vampires.” Last year found Woyasz in the Playwrights Horizons production of “My Life With Albertine." We have i believe 2 graduates on Broadway right now, and for the life of me i can not remember their names, but i shall get them for you if you’d like. the conservatory also produced the currently best and most sought after tenor (spinto dramatico) in the world (Carl Tanner) and a great number of highly successful instrumentalists. Robert Duvall, Willard Scott, Elly Ameling et. al hold honorary doctorates from Shenandoah. I personally know several alumni whom have graduated up to 10 years ago, all of whom are incredibly talented and are all working. Most of them are on National Tours right now, and all of them have been working since the day they got out, now i’m not saying that’s true for every music theatre graduate, but of the 15 that i know, all are working :-)</p>

<p>i am sorry that it took me so long to get back, i had lost the site and forgotten what it was called. i hope this information helps you even though it may be a little late, but you should definitely check out the website, and if you have any more questions or know of anyone that does i would be happy to answer them, and if i don’t have the answers i would be happy to get them. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.su.edu/conservatory/index3.cfm[/url]”>http://www.su.edu/conservatory/index3.cfm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>other information: so many people end up changing their major in music theatre, because they realize that it’s not what they wanted to do that for example our class that was 65 has gone to about 60 now will more than likely consist of less than 20 when we graduate . . . the student teacher ratio is 9:1 </p>

<p>there is a total of about 3,000 students that attend Shenandoah University </p>

<p>it’s a very nice sized school, and i personally love it ! </p>

<p>Happy Holidays ! ! !</p>

2

<p>please if there is anything that any one would like to know about this school please let me know, i would be happy to share it with you, what you see above is the history of shenandoah that i took from our website, and then a reply to a message someone had sent me . . .</p>

3

<p>I would be interested in knowing who supplied those rankings. Though I have heard many good things about Shenandoah, as a parent and prospective “consumer” of higher education for my kids, I am understandably skeptical about taking as gospel truth rankings that come from individual institution’s Web sites. What would those rankings be based upon, for instance? There are so many factors that go into making an excellent school - the number of successful graduates certainly one among many. And one last thing: is that figure of 92% of applicants accepted correct? </p>

<p>LD</p>

4

<p>that last figure of 92% is not correct at all anymore </p>

<p>“Admission to Shenandoah University is competitive. The number of new students admitted each year is limited by the available residence hall and classroom space, instructional personnel, and budgetary resources. The Director of Admissions is authorized to accept applicants who meet the published admission requirements after examining their admissions file in accordance with policies approved by the institution. Shenandoah University admits those applicants who seem to be best qualified to benefit from the educational opportunities offered by the institution.” <— taken from our university’s website</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.whsv.com/college101/2028547.html[/url]”>http://www.whsv.com/college101/2028547.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>above is a link of a virtual tour, please take a look, please note that the person that performs and helps narate a lot was asked to do it that day :stuck_out_tongue: </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.uscollegesearch.org/shenandoah-university.html[/url]”>http://www.uscollegesearch.org/shenandoah-university.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>please note that the stats at the website above are the stats for the university not of the conservatory</p>

<p>*the acceptance rate at Shenandoah really depends on the program you are looking at. so it varies *</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.gradsource.com/profile.cfm?artid=20332[/url]”>http://www.gradsource.com/profile.cfm?artid=20332&lt;/a&gt; </p>

<p>the above website is also a great source of information </p>

<p>i am working on finding that ranking, because i know it is important to have concrete evidence, when i find i shall post it, i have emailed some of my teachers for the source of that ranking too, because they do know</p>

5

<p>other information : at shenandoah not only are you in the conservatory, but you are not restricted in just taking conservatory classes. the university is open to all, you can virtually double major in anything there and minor in anything. i know students that are musical theatre majors and are also majoring in Biology, haha it’s not easy, but anything is possible</p>

<p>more on that incorrect 92%, here is what is correct . . . “Total received 2,079; of which 1,469 were accepted and 588 enrolled.” <— this was this fall</p>

<p>as reported by dailyprogress.com</p>

<p>Shenandoah University</p>

<p>Richmond Times-Dispatch Oct 16, 2005 </p>

<p>1460 University Drive, Winchester, VA 22601 (540) 665-4581 or (800) 432-2266 <a href=“http://www.su.edu%5B/url%5D”>www.su.edu</a></p>

<p>E-mail: <a href=“mailto:admit@su.edu”>admit@su.edu</a></p>

<p>Affiliation - Private, United Methodist</p>

<p>Undergraduate enrollment - 1,487</p>

<p>Full-time faculty - 150</p>

<p>Annual costs* - $27,450; books, varies depending on major</p>

<p>Applications - Rolling admissions; notification within three weeks of completed application. Total received 2,079; of which 1,469 were accepted and 588 enrolled.</p>

<p>Miscellaneous - 85 percent received financial aid, $14,500 average value; SAT mid-50 percent: 910-1120; ACT accepted; high school GPA, 3.3.</p>

<p>Most popular majors - Conservatory, health professions, arts and sciences, and business</p>

<p>Profile - Shenandoah University distinguishes itself by providing opportunities to gain knowledge and develop skills in a collaborative, personalized environment that intertwines professional and liberal learning.</p>

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<p>I would like to know where you got the stats as far as the number 2 school in musical theatre. I am just curious to see a list and how they rank them!</p>

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<p>It’s the number 2 Conservatory . . . i have to wait until i get back to school to get the source of the stats, because none of my teachers are checking their emails, so i’m going to have to ask them in person.</p>

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<p>Thanks, I’ve been trying to find some sort of ranking for Musical theatre programs forever and never have!!</p>

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<p>“Thanks, I’ve been trying to find some sort of ranking for Musical theatre programs forever and never have!!”</p>

<p>That’s because there isn’t one. And, in addition, this “conservatory” ranking doesn’t make any sense; it’s silly. You’re saying that it is a ranking of programs that have the word conservatory attached to it. CMU, Tisch, etc., are conseravatory programs as well, and, if there were really rankings, they would probably be up there as well (certainly more notable than Shanandoah). But apparently they are excluded because they do not use the word conservatory, rather School of Drama (or the like). CCM is a conservatory program within a large university, like CMU and Tisch @ NYU. I’m sure your school is very good, and you clearly like it alot…but don’t invent baseless rankings.</p>

10

<p>My daughter and I visited Shenandoah University this past winter and were very impressed with the conservatory, curriculum, faculty, and staff. </p>

<p>Shenandoah University is located in Winchester, Virginia, about 75 miles west of Washington, DC in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. It’s a beautiful drive through rolling farmland, apple orchards, and horse farms. It really is quite picturesque. Winchester is a small, historic town made famous during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. It still retains a wonderful historical feel to it.</p>

<p>The university was founded in 1875 and moved to it’s present location in the late 1950s, so the campus has that late 1950s, early 1960s feel to it. While the campus itself is not particularly picturesque, the conservatory is a wonderful facility with several theaters, classrooms, offices, recital halls, etc. I believe it was built in the 1990s and was one of the best facilties we saw the audition trail.</p>

<p>The director of conservatory admissions, whose name is Margie, is a warm, vivacious woman who has been at the conservatory for a number of years. She told my daughter and me that they audition 200+ and accept between 30-45 each year (she said they accepted 60 last year, but are gradually reducing the number they accept each year so that over the next few years, they will be accepting smaller classes). In terms of placement, she said they enjoy a 92% placement rate for their graduates. </p>

<p>Shenandoah definately offers conservatory training, with the majority of classes in theater, voice, and dance and just a handful of general education requirements. It seemed to me that it was pretty much “triple threat” training, although being in an outstanding music conservatory, I think they place a lot of emphasis on proper vocal training. Their dance curriculum also seemed excellent, with a broad range of classes being offered. During the summer, they encourage their students to audition for the Shenandoah Summer Musical Theater, which is held on campus during the months of June and July. </p>

<p>The chair of musical theater is a man named Lara Teeter, and both my daughter and I were deeply impressed with him. He’s a “bona fide” Broadway performer who taught at Cal State, Fullerton and Northwestern University for several of years before being lured away by Shenandoah. Like everyone we met at Shenandoah, he was a warm and genuine person who we felt must be a wonderful mentor to his students. Because of faculty members like Lara Teeter and Tom Albert,who teaches musical theater accompaniment, we felt that it was a very exciting time to be at the conservatory.</p>

<p>Our daughter has already been accepted at Shenandoah in musical theater and is waiting to hear from the other schools where she’s auditioned, but I think she feels that Shenandoah would be a terrific choice and a wonderful place to spend the next four years. I’d be happy to share any further thoughts or impressions with you about the university or conservatory, although I’m sure there are other people on College Confidential who are far more knowledgeable than I about the school, such as the student who has already posted on this thread. </p>

<p>Good luck to everyone over the next couple of weeks, and remember, “Break a leg!”</p>

<p>MTPapa</p>

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<p>I completely agree with you MTPapa!! We spent the last summer visiting about 15 potential schools for our MT d. Shenandoah went immediately to the top 3 of all these schools…we were very impressed. The people, the program, the consevatory…all the best. We have gone back to visit the campus a few times-to see shows, shadow day, and to audition-and was never disappointed. My d was always warmly accepted by the staff and the students. She felt at home!! Margie, the director of admissions, is a wonderful person…she instantly makes you feel at ease and is there to answer any question that you may have.<br>
The MT program is very competitive with emphasis on acting, dance and voice…yes, I believe they produce the triple threats. Their audition became more selective by adding a dance audition…along with sight reading, classical and two musical theater pieces, and monologue.
My d-and the rest of us!-were thrilled to have received an acceptance there. She is still waiting on other schools, but only a couple would make her have to think about this acceptance.<br>
Any one who is just starting your search, put Shenandoah on your list! You will be glad that you did!</p>

12

<p>I just wanted to chime in on Shenandoah - my d and I just got back from SETC in Orlando. We met representatives from Shenandoah and I have to say that they were by far, the most friendly, caring and helpful bunch at the conference. I have never felt so immediately at ease with a group of people in my life. If for nothing else, that school is way up on my list for my d (whether she wants it or not!!)</p>

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<p>LAWoman-
If it is at all possible, take your d to see the campus!! I know it is sometimes difficult, but it really is one to see. While the people there are very kind and wonderful, you will be equally impressed by the conservatory. I do believe this is a school we will be seeing and hearing more of!</p>

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<p>Dear LAWoman:</p>

<p>I second notfromme’s suggestion to visit Shenandoah’s campus. I think you’ll be very impressed with the conservatory.</p>

<p>As I mentioned in a previous post, the conservatory building is a “state of the art” facility with impressive theaters, rehearsal spaces, classrooms, etc. It is the first building you see when you enter campus and is clearly one of the “crown jewels” of Shenandoah. It was completed in the 1990s and was one of the best facilities we saw on the “audition trail”.</p>

<p>As has already been stated from a number of different posters, the faculty and staff at Shenandoah are among the nicest people you’ll meet. They seem to genuinely care about their students. In addition, they have a large faculty so their students are exposed to a number of different teachers and teaching styles. For example, they must have at least 10-12 voice teachers, 8-10 dance instructors, and 8-10 theater faculty, so their students are getting a broad range of perspectives.</p>

<p>Finally, they offer what appears to be a very balanced curriculum in musical theater, with an equal number of voice, dance, and acting classes that are helping to prepare their students for the rigors of a professional career. Unlike some schools that we looked at, they don’t require many general education classes, so students are training and performing from the moment they step on campus to the time they graduate. </p>

<p>While Shenandoah may not have the “reputation” of some of the other schools mentioned on College Confidential, we felt that it was a superb conservatory and a school to be reckoned with over the next few years. </p>

<p>Good luck as you begin your journey!</p>

<p>MTPapa</p>

15

<p>To Notfromme and MTpapa -</p>

<p>If I have my say so (and since I’m the one with the car and the purse) I will be taking my daughter to see Shenandoah’s campus as well as the conservatory. I just can’t get over how nice the people were - went so far as to give my daughter their email addresses, phone numbers, etc. so she could contact them at anytime with any questions. I was impressed!</p>

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<p>LAWoman-
Just a suggestion-try to plan a visit when you can see a production. They do a summer theater program that the students audition for. I know I sound like a salesperson for the school, but it is really a great place. They seem to have a genuine interest in their students…which I love! But, my d loved the school too. To second MTPapa, the facilities were up with the best that we have seen…and we visited a lot of these top schools that we are all reading about. Good luck!</p>

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<p>Hi all, I am an alumnus of Shenandoah Conservatory a long long time ago. You warm the heart with all of your observations about the school. Deciding on Shenandoah will be a great choice for you, in many, many ways. I wish you all the best.</p>

18

<p>I’m not sure if this is the thread to post this but I was wondering if anyone knew about the graduate vocal pedagogy/vocal music education program at Shenandoah?</p>

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<p>My daughter is attending a community college and plans to transfer next year. Can you tell me what the GE classes are required at Shenandoah that maybe she could take now at the community college? Thanks for all your information it has really sold us to go and visit.</p>

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<p>Hi Samdeb!
I would contact the conservatory and ask them. (800-432-2266 is the Conservatory admission’s number) My d doesn’t seem to have what I would consider “gen ed” courses with the MT, BFA major. Her classes seem to all directly relate to her major. She did, however, test out of music theory, but there again, not what I would consider a gen ed. The office at Shenandoah is extremely helpful and would be able to give you definate answers…unlike mine! Sorry, not much help, but didn’t want your post to go unanswered! Best wishes, and please post any questions…we can at least try to direct you in the right direction! :)</p>