hi parents and students! i’m an international student graduating soon and i’m looking into doing vocal performance in the states. i had some schools in mind already but after lurking a bit on reddit it seems that the “bigger” music schools do not give as much opportunity to their undergraduate students as to their graduate students. can anybody confirm this? also, does anyone have any recommendations for good undergraduate vocal performance programs? thank you!!
(oh also, do name some schools that offer double degree programs if you know of any! thank youu!!)
I think your thread @sun5h1ne is a little different from the other one. Are you decided on a BM program? (Read the Double Degree Dilemma essay pinned at the top of this music forum if you haven’t…)
Bigger universities with schools of music/BM programs may still be an option for you. Schools with a focus on undergrads with double degree programs include Bard (double degree required for Conservatory students), Oberlin, Lawrence, Ithaca, and vocal performers also seem to like St. Olaf. Tufts/NEC, Harvard/NEC, Yale, UMichigan, Northwestern, many others have double degree programs as well.
Are you mainly interested in opera?
Is there a reason you want a double degree rather than focusing on music? Is it because of interest in academics or a “backup”?
As an international, do you need aid? Need-blind schools include Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Amherst, Bowdoin, Dartmouth and Brown 2025. You could also do a BA at one of these schools and continue with lessons and extracurricular performance.
Some need-aware schools will also give aid but need will potentially have some effect on admission. Many get admitted and funded though.
hi! thanks for responding i’ll definitely check that thread out!
i’ll definitely take what you said about larger schools offering more roles to graduate students into consideration. do you have some recommendations maybe about schools who prioritize/offer more roles & opportunities to undergrads? thank you so much!
hi! thank you for replying! i’ll check the double degree thread out!
thank you for the school recommendations! i’ve seen those schools on other threads and i kind of have my eye on oberlin! i subscribed to their newsletter and they say that undergrads are very important to them & they focus on their undergrads! plus i think their double degree programs look the most flexible! their financial aid looks pretty generous as well.
(do advise if i am wrong… -.-")
yes i do want to do opera studies. i am looking into double degrees where i could possibly do something in education as i’m very interested in that field. (my parents are educators! i’m very inspired by them haha)
also, i do need financial aid as an international. i didn’t know those schools were need-blind, thank you for the heads up! would you possibly know of schools which are generous with financial aid? thanks!
hi again!! i just read the double degree dilemma essay. i think reading that just confirms my desire of pursuing a BM.
i’ve been looking at some 5-year programs which offer a BM + MA in music ed!
You can look at posts here on merit aid. Conservatories (freestanding and on larger campuses) often give merit aid. Audition is important.
I don’t believe that outside scholarships are deducted from merit aid but they are often deducted from financial aid.
Oberlin is great for undergrads, for double degrees and also has a BA in Musical Studies which gives access to the Conservatory for those not doing a BM. Others with direct experience can say more about how that actually works.
@bridgenail and a few others on here know a lot about vocal performance programs and now that you are clearer on the path you want, they will have suggestions.
At some point you can decide on BM, double degree, or BM with music ed for undergrad or grad.
I can only comment on SUNY Purchase as my D got her degree there. Small conservatory so plenty of on stage opportunities. You cannot double major so if you want that then most likely conservatories are not in your list.
Please understand…as an international student needing aid, and wanting to do vocal performance, there are zero sure thing colleges for you here.
Any auditioned program cannot be viewed as a sure thing. Your audition will be compared to others on the same voice part. There is no way to know the strength of the audition pool from one year to the next.
Cost will be an issue. Some programs offer great aid to accepted international students. Some offer zero. You need to check.
How much aid do you need? To get a student visa here, you will need to complete a certificate of finances which must document that you have sufficient funds for all four years of your undergrad schooling. This can include school based aid and approved loans, and money in the bank. It cannot include possible sources of money in the future.
And lastly, what will you do when you graduate. There is little doubt in my mind that you will be expected to return to your home country after you finish a degree in vocal performance.
I’m not trying to be a Debbie downer here…but please consider these things.
My son is a current voice major at Oberlin. He applied only to schools where undergrads are a priority and where there are few to no grad students. Oberlin is one of those places! There are a handful of grad students but they are not in the performance studies- they are in niche programs like conducting or piano technology, so all of the performing opportunities are for undergrads.
The Double Degree program is generally five years, but it can be done in four with some strategizing- not easy and not expected, but possible. My son is a second year and he just added a minor in English Literature because he loves to read and write and after the first year there is room to create a minor in the college.
Please feel free to message me if you have Oberlin specific questions- happy to answer what I can.
hii!! thank you for this! i’ve really been eyeing oberlin so this was very informative. i’ll be sure to contact you if i have more questions. thank you again!
i’ll definitely check that thread out!