<p>I am a vocal performance transfer (freshman/sophomore) to Boyer and I was wondering if anyone else goes to this school. And for perspective students, these are some of the reasons I applied and decided on Temple.</p>
<ol>
<li>My voice teacher had a friend who transferred there and now she has an amazing dramatic soprano career at San Francisco Opera and multiple large opera houses in Italy. Her current “signature role” is Turandot.</li>
<li>I had an amazing gut feeling. The teachers were so nice when I auditioned and they seemed very interested in me (they let me talk to them for 30 minutes after I sang).</li>
<li>The connection with Curtis. (at least 2 teachers from curtis are on the voice staff & in any instrument at Temple I have heard you could have a better chance of getting in there for graduate school if you do well)</li>
<li>Their over-all ranking and reputation. One list I saw their program was 14th in the country.</li>
<li>Their tuition price (I am in state) and the generous scholarship they gave me considering they are a public college.</li>
<li>The location. (1 hour and 20 minutes on train to NYC and DC).</li>
<li>I have heard great things about their teachers ESP the two I requested, Lori Gratis and Roberta Knie.</li>
<li>They either have 2 or 3 full staged opera productions per year.</li>
</ol>
<p>Some of your reasons for going to Temple sound like solid ones, others are on more dicey ground. If you liked the teachers, that is a positive, and yes, being financially sane makes a lot of sense, since grad school seems almost de rigeur these days for vocal performers. </p>
<p>As far as the fact that they have teachers on staff who also teach at Curtis I am not so certain that is as big as it seems, teachers often teach at the ‘big schools’ like Curtis and Juilliard, and NEC and also teach at ‘lesser’ schools (at least by reputation), so that isn’t uncommon. If they are good teachers, that is great, but in terms of that being a plus for Temple, for example, only depends on how well they teach.</p>
<p>I am knot knocking Temple, what I am saying is that what you get out of temple is going to be about how good the teaching is and how the rest of the program allows you to advance. Just because two teachers there teach at Curtis in of itself means little, when you are applying to grad school or later for jobs having gone to temple because of the prestige of having curtis teachers there will mean little, believe me, and the ranking you mentioned? Means absolutely squat, especially if it it he US News and World report rankings. You won’t get into Curtis because of those two teachers alone, that much I am pretty certain of, while it could mean having a teacher willing to teach you, you still have to do the audition in front of the whole faculty and have every one of them agree to have you go there…</p>
<p>As far as another person coming out of Temple and making it in Opera, I would be careful about that as well. They could have been someone who was already at the top of the curve and went there because they could afford it (like Renee Fleming did going to a SUNY school in NYC) and could be they had a great teacher but otherwise it had little to do with the program (could, of course, I am just saying). Kids go to places like Juilliard and Curtis and never make it in music, which should tell you what prestige means in the end…it is more about the quality of the teaching, how the environment works for the student and in things like networking and connections to a certain extent.</p>
<p>musicprnt is pretty much spot on.
I’m glad that your audition experience was good. Most schools will allow time for questions and conversation either at that time or during a special session- it all depends upon how many people the panel is hearing that day and how the schedule is set up. If there are a lot of singers and they need to move through so as to free up the accompanists, talking right after one sings would not be possible.</p>
<p>It’s nice that someone your voice teacher knows attended the school and now has a solid career, but it’s also likely that woman is quite a bit older than you and time have changed dramatically for voice careers. Always remember that Frederica von Stade walked into Mannes not reading music and never having had a voice lesson, was admitted and on the stage of the Met just a few years later- that can not happen anymore because the audition process is so rigorous and competitive. Renee Fleming went to Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam because she couldn’t afford her favorite school at the time, Oberlin. Fleming and Stephanie Blythe are the only 2 big “name” singers that I can think of who came from Crane.
A major factor of success in this field is also simple luck, being in the right place at the right time and being what a company or director is looking for. Rankings of music schools is stupid and pointless: one may have a terrific percussion department, another top violin faculty, but may not have great voice departments or composition teachers. Look for the teacher you want and good facilities and go from there. There are certain schools that are considered “top tier” all the way around, but again, if your particular department isn’t as strong as another, that doesn’t mean much.</p>
<p>As far as the “Curtis” connection,that means little also. You won’t get a “bye” for the later auditions and if the grad school doesn’t need someone of your voice type at the time you sing for them(in other words, you don’t fit into their “master plan”) even knowing you won’t make a difference.
As an undergrad, please don’t even worry about the number of fully-staged opera productions that a school puts on. Young singers shouldn’t be singing roles, especially over an orchestra- there’s time enough for that later on.
If you’ve found the teacher you want and have a school that is affordable and has good facilities, then by all means, go for it and have a good time!</p>