Jennifer,
I'm currently a third year vocal performance major,
and let me tell you it's not all fun and games. I have
found, like most around me, that this major IS one of
the hardest! There are so many things you have to work
on and fight for. YOu do need to know the theory, the
history, and the musicallity of everything. It needs
to BE IN YOU. If we, as professional singers, are
going to continue the legend of "good" singing we need
to stay true to the composers, and performers before
us.
I have to work very hard at learning the theory,
aural skills, and history of everything. Like most
singers I just want to "sing." this degree may not,
fresh out of college, get you anywhere. But it's a
great start that you will have compared to SO many
other performers that haven't had this training. I
definitely plan on going to grad school. If you
continue you should...Grad. school will take you so
many more places! Decide what you want to sing. I
have taken much time to myself to try and figure out
"my voice" and what I want. I'm also very fortunate to
have an incredible voice teacher.
Best of luck!
Justin
--- Trevor Allen <trevorjamesallen@y...> wrote:
> Hi, Jennifer.
> As a person who just graduated with a degree in
> vocal performance this past May, let me tell you, it
> will probably be rough for you. These are just a
> few
> of my observations. They may or may not apply to
> you,
> but these are just a few of the things I experienced
> during my college years.
> Be sure this is what you want to do. You have to
> love this music and want to dig into it so bad that
> you won't let anything stop you. I didn't love this
> music as much as I should have. I had no interest
> in
> so many aspects of the classes, like music history,
> form and analysis, theory and a host of other things
> that I did, but didn't want to do and therefore
> didn't
> commit them to memory or practice. This is NOT a
> good
> thing to do.
> Take a good look at your voice and see if this is
> the music you want to sing or really can sing. When
> I
> went is a a freshman, I didn't know anything about
> classical music. I auditioned at the school for the
> musical theater program, which is what I really
> wanted
> to get in. Auditions for the vocal performance
> program were that day too, so I pulled out some
> things
> I'd worked on in high school and auditioned. I
> didn't
> get into the musical theater program, but the vocal
> performance program did take me, so I thought
> getting
> into the school was better than nothing, so I
> accepted
> the offer. During my first voice lessons, I was
> told
> to listen to several different opera singers and
> found
> Thomas Hampson. I loved his voice, his
> interpretation, everything and wanted to be just
> like
> him. This didn't work either. Instead of finding
> my
> own voice, I was trying to find someone else's and
> force it into my body. I don't think the
> requirements
> of the degree allowed me to "play around" with
> finding
> my voice or experiment. Jury requirements, recital
> requirements and other requirements kept me on a
> pretty strict schedule of what I had to get done. I
> just continued to do things that were really
> unnatural
> for me to get through these requirements. Now that
> college has been over for a few months and I've
> continued to study with my teacher, but without the
> requiremts of everything hanging over us, we've been
> able to experiment on some things and I've improved
> so
> much in just a few months. I think I've found my
> own
> voice now and it's so much better than the one I was
> trying to make myself get. I don't sound like
> Thomas
> Hampson, but I sound like me and that's okay. I've
> been working on musical theater and jazz and that is
> where my voice should be. I can still sing legit,
> but
> outside of the college environment I've found where
> my
> voice is.
> Don't hesitate to ask questions of professors,
> other professionals, etc. and ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO
> WITH
> THE DEGREE. I didn't know that my school would
> emphasize either going into opera or being a voice
> teacher. Those are both very noble professions and
> I
> admire anyone who can do that or wants to, but
> that's
> not what I wanted to do. Don't wait. Ask now. I
> waited too long and didn't get everything out of
> college that I should have. Do you like jazz? See
> if
> you can do a vocal performance degree with a jazz
> emphasis. See what personalizations you can do with
> the degree. Just another thing on this point...it's
> probably not the best idea to go in to a performance
> degree if you just want to do lieder. I LOVE lieder
> and people like to hear me sing it, but you can't
> make
> a career doing it. There are many opera singers who
> do lieder, but they've had to go through the opera
> circuit first to make a name. As beautifully as a
> singer does lieder, I doubt many people will come
> out
> to see them if they haven't heard the name before.
> I guess the whole moral of my rant is "find out
> what
> you're getting into before you get into it." You
> won't be able to teach public school without a
> degree
> in education, so you'll have to get a master's in
> education. If you want to be a teacher, you'd
> probably do better as a Music Ed. major. As for
> grad
> school, you'll probably have to go sometime. You
> can
> learn a whole lot in the vocal performance degree,
> but
> you can also come out without many prospects of
> immediate employment. I'm sure you've also heard
> this
> before, but it's true...Have a back-up. Maybe you
> can
> double major in music and something more practical
> or
> at least take classes to get some other sort of
> vocation. I have a college degree now and I'm a
> waiter at the Olive Garden. That's not what I'll do
> for the rest of my life, but it's what I'm doing for
> the time being. I'm moving to New York in a few
> weeks
> and working at a national chain restaurant has
> proved
> beneficial, because I can transfer to a restaurant
> up
> there. I have come out better than some other
> people
> I graduated with. I have a job that pays decently
> and
> I have a plan of what I can do. I was lucky that my
> voice teacher was still in town and I got to work
> with
> he and make the progress I've made this summer or
> else
> I'd be out of luck.
> Well, that's about all I've got to say about
> that.
> You can take these observations for whatever you
> think
> they're worth. It's just what I've experienced.
> Good
> luck with college. And just a bit of general
> advice...College is what you make of it. Don't let
> anyone else decide what you should do or be or what
> your potential is. You can make the most of
> opportunities or you can let them pass you by. You
> also might have to make your own opportunities, but
> the next four years are up to you.
>
> Good luck,
> Trevor
> --- singingfan <singfan@m...> wrote:
> > What are some possibilities for using a Bachelors
> > degree in Music
> > Performance for Voice after all through college?
> >
> > I'm hesitating auditioning and working my way
> > towards the degree
> > partly because I dont want to end up completing
> the
> > degree and it be
> > useless in helping me after I complete college in
> > finding a job or
> > even helping me to make ends meet... This kinda
> > sounds funny I know,
> > but it *is* a realistic worry.
> >
> > What kinds of options are available if I don't
> > necessarilty want to
> > go to grad school, which I am taking my Mom's
> advice
> > that not to even
> > think of going to grad school until a few years
> out
> > of UnderGrad.
> >
> > Jennifer
> >
> >
>
>
> __________________________________________________
>
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