Just a branch off of things to get this thread moving again.. a good debating point, if you will..

In Musical Theatre.. what's the most important aspect?
Acting, Singing, or Dance?

Well I can answer that question for at least Fredonia, which is B.F.A. Musical Theatre and yes to the senior show case in NYC.

I think those are two important things to consider. You might also want to research how many students are accepted into the program each year, including transfers (for future reference in case you start somewhere else and switch), research what approach to study the theatre department takes, some have you choose an area of focus and other schools are strong in one area, like dance, and just average in acting and vocal instruction. You might also want to ask about graduate success rate, how many are currently working in the field, whether it be regional, touring, off-broadway etc, faculty to student ratio and overall what is expected from you to graduate. Also, many schools have a list of monologues (at least Fredonia did) that you SHOULD NOT do at your audition, as well as songs, you might ask about this list.

Acting. You may be singing 50% of the time, but you're acting 100% of the time.

I think that the big famous name of the school is not important at all, and I think the most important thing is that you feel comfortable at a school and with the people in it.

p.s. I'm very excited about this "College Thread". I'm a senior in HS and going through the same thing a lot of you guys are, so hopefully this will help!

I like your ideas Kate, and will DEFINITELY be using them all in future research. I'm going to start with the few below, and then rule out anything that doesn't seem to look up to par already.

-Type of Degree
-Senior Showcase in NYC
-Faculty to student ratio


That should be enough to weed out the definitely nots. THEN we get in depth.
Here I go!


-edit-
Or not!
I've changed my strategy again!
I'm going to start with a mini intro to the schools. Location.. overall size, and if I can find it, how many years it's been around.. then move on to the three components above.

Yay! here I go! (for real this time.)

Glad I could help, my dear.

I meant to talk to my friend who goes to Boston over the weekend when I saw him at Hello Dolly, but forgot. Maybe because I was too preoccupied with him being harassed by the waitress at our local diner and there were a ton of other alumn around so we didn't get to talk in detail. I have to call him soon anyways because he's singing my cousin's wedding with me so I can ask him any questions you might have, if you're still interested in Boston. My friend Stephanie (girl who played Dolly in the production I saw) is also waiting to hear back about her acceptance to Boston so she might have info too and could probably be helpful with knowing about their audition process, if its a school that peaks your interest.

i dont know if this will help you at all but I was flat out told by a voice prof. at CCM that the musical theatre majors are likely to have a grad student teach the undergrad at their voice lessons

But at least CCM doesn't take just anyone, especially for grad. So the person teaching your lessons, will obviously without the background as a professor who may already have their masters or doctorate, will be very well trained and knowledgable. I had two professors at my university who were a few years out of grad at CCM and were absolutely amazingly talented women who were extremely knowledgable about the voice.

I agree with this statement, mostly. The only thing is that there is always going to be a degree of competition among actors in any performing arts program, so whether or not you like your fellow actors shouldn't be a HUGE factor in deciding...However, like I said before, what works for one person might not work for all...

I had a friend who went to Boston Conservatory for a semester and HATED it because it seemed very political to her and the teachers seemed very cold. So she transferred to Circle in the Square Theatre Conservatory and LOVED it. It was a place where her art was nurtured and constructive criticisms were given, instead of totally tearing you down and building you back up again...which some schools do.

That just wasn't her style.

SO because you are your instrument, you need to find a school that best suits YOUR PERSONAL needs.

A place like Fredonia (again, I've never met an actor I didn't like from Fredonia...they're talented and professional and sweet) might be the best option for someone who doesn't want the distractions of living inside NYC at the same time they are going to school...NYC is a pretty overwhelming place for people who come from other places...

Just some things to think about...

true... i was just thinking in the sense that if you're going there to study with a specific teacher it's very possible that you'll rarely study with them

Yeah, jazzy, I remember heraing somewhere that circle in the square is great. Overall, though, what do you guys think are the pros and cons of a conservatory?

IMO, at a university (or college) you get a general education and therefore (yes, please cringe when I say this) will have something to fall back upon.

WTH That's a GREAT topic to look into.
The Conservatory Approach vs. the Regular liberal arts approach, what do you all think?

I'm in the midst of compiling definitions of things like 'Conservatory approach' and 'Unifieds' and 'B.A.' vs. 'B.F.A'. That should be helpful once it's all together.