Musical Theater Colleges
Musical Theater Colleges
DoReMi
Stand-by Joined: 5/19/03
#0Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/29/03 at 2:27am
I'm looking at musical theater colleges. A few people have told me good things about these schools. Do any of you have any thoughts? Your help is appreciated!
Cincinatti Conservatory of Music
NYU Steinhardt School (not CAP 21)
Oklahoma City University
Boston Conservatory
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#1re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/29/03 at 2:31amCCM is a harsh school. They are good, but it most definately not an environment for everyone. Everyone I know of who went there either loved it or hated with a passion. No in betweens. Most frequent comment I hear about the school also that it is the type of school you go to if you want to be in the chorus for life.. although, some people, like Faith Price, went there and found stardom.
King Stevos
Broadway Star Joined: 5/15/03
#3re: re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/29/03 at 8:37pm
Well the thing with CCM is that the people that became famous leads, didnt do so until years after they left CCM and everyone asks...What happened between them graduating from CCM and making it on bway to let them learn to act. Since CCM only seems to care about look, voice and dance.
Boston is a good school on the rise, but over priced. Great Idea for Graduate work.
Oklahoma City is a great dept, my best friend is there, in fact he was Fred in KMK there last weekend. Loves it, they work you like hell and you come out with a great voice, where you can do opera or mt.
I've never heard of anything good about the undergrad dept at NYU for any theater thing, other than you are in the city and have the oppurtunity to work outside of school, since you will be lucky to see the stage twice while you are there.
Your choices for Auditioning are very good ones, but I also suggest you look into these other schools:
Northern Kentucky: Where I am, in cinnci, the rivals of CCM same success rate, better training, better summer stock chances, great faculty, and its half the price of all the scchools you are allready picking from.
Ithaca: Only an undergrad dept, and they have a great alumni association, so when you are down on your luck in the ccity, you have somewhere to turn.
Also get info from: Florida State, Central Florida, Carnegie Mellon and Roosevelt
STEVOS
"IF I TRY THERE MAY BE A CHANCE / WE COULD LOVE WITH OUR EYES CLOSED/ WITH OUR EYES CLOSED WE COULD CHANGE THE WORLD!"- Stephen Dwight
#4re: re: re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/29/03 at 10:20pmJohn Hopkins Conservatory of Music
BSoBW2: I punched Sondheim in the face after I saw Wicked and said, "Why couldn't you write like that!?"
BroadwayGirl107
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/26/03
#5re: re: re: re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/29/03 at 10:27pmAren't Northwestern and the University of Michigan supposed to be good?
DoReMi
Stand-by Joined: 5/19/03
#6re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/29/03 at 11:33pm
Thanks everyone!
I do agree with CCM. I've called them twice asking to get info sent to me and it has never arrived (started last June!). On my last call, I was told that I didn't receive my info because "We're very busy. We're the top school!". Talk about ego!
And I just read the Oklahoma City University web site (which is really cool - www.youatocu.com, I think!) and it looked really demanding. I don't know if I can sing opera. I wonder if you have to sing classical stuff as well as musical theater songs? It sounded like you do. I guess it's good to do both! I wish I had seen Kiss Me Kate..love that show!
And I was considering University of Michigan. I am not fond of Florida State. I talked with someone in their drama department that was just flat out rude and very unprofessional. And it's a major party school...not my sceen.
What schools have you folks gone to if you studied musical theater. I'd love to hear about them! Thanks everyone!
SuttonBebeFaith
Chorus Member Joined: 5/31/03
#7re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/30/03 at 2:41pm
I'm looking at musical theater colleges too! One of the top ones I'm considering is Oklahoma City University. I'm from the Southwest and everyone knows thast if you want to study musical theater, OCU is the place to go! I saw their Kiss Me Kate production this weekend which was AWSOME! They had some fantastic singers and dancers and a huge orchestra! My family and I were really impressed!
I'm also thinking about NYU and Tisch. Anyone here know anything about them? Or AMDA?
Mattio98
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/10/03
#8re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/30/03 at 6:39pmNYU,specifically Tisch is very competetive. Tisch's Musical Theatre studio/conservatory is called CAP21. It's unbelievably good training. The teachers are knowledgable and helpful and the talent is "Creme de la creme". At Tisch, if you're accepted, you are put into one of their studios (CAP21, Stella Adler, etc.) and you do studio training 3 days a week and regular classes 2 days a week
Bwaybaby109
Broadway Star Joined: 6/28/03
#9re: re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 9/30/03 at 7:54pmI am a Musical Theatre major at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia and I must say it indeed offers the best musical theatre trianing in GA and in the Southeast. Many people who have graduated from here are now in professional touring shows, cruises, Metropolitan Opera House and a few on Broadway! It's a small Baptist private college and the training they offer here is excellent! It's highly recommended in the southeast! Go to www.shorter.edu !
"Have a child for warmth and a baker for bread and a prince for... whatever!"
robyn525600
Broadway Star Joined: 9/26/03
#10To SuttonBebeFaith regarding AMDA . . .
Posted: 9/30/03 at 9:19pmI went to AMDA and I enjoyed it - they don't "hold your hand" there so you really need to work. I went there from '90-'92 and I have heard that its changed alot (classes are fuller and there is less one-on-one attention). But go and audition for them and feel it out - maybe its for you. I wanted to get theater traning without taking academics so it was perfect for me. Hope this helps! Good luck! : )
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away."
jcr279
Stand-by Joined: 9/15/03
#11re: To SuttonBebeFaith regarding AMDA . . .
Posted: 10/1/03 at 12:09amFSU may be a party school but we work hard too!! I would look into our MT program, it's very good. And all I can say is I agree with the stuff said about CCM. I have 2 best friends that graduated from there and thjey loved it but neither is getting any work right now. Although in it's defense they have produced some great talent: Shoshana Bean, Lauren Kennedy, Liz Callaway.....very cocky school though! I say come down here with me and go to FSU:)
King Stevos
Broadway Star Joined: 5/15/03
#12re: re: To SuttonBebeFaith regarding AMDA . . .
Posted: 10/1/03 at 12:24am
I had an audition set up for FSU, but got a full ride to an instate school (that I didnt stay at...), and decided to skip the audition. So who knows If I would have been there or not. But I do think it is one of the better MT schools, I think that lower admitance caps really help training, just an opinion I guess. To me Stage Time is what matters.
BUT I LOVE NORTHERN KENTUCKY, AND IT ENDED UP A PERFECT FIT FOR ME.
STEVO
"IF I TRY THERE MAY BE A CHANCE / WE COULD LOVE WITH OUR EYES CLOSED/ WITH OUR EYES CLOSED WE COULD CHANGE THE WORLD!"- Stephen Dwight
FFARLS
Understudy Joined: 8/16/03
#13re: re: re: To SuttonBebeFaith regarding AMDA . . .
Posted: 10/1/03 at 11:58amPoint Park has a GREAT alumni list, Boston Conservatory, NYU Tisch... however, I think it has 20% to do with where you went to school, and 80% to do with what you have to offer a show. No diploma will help you if you dont have a huge amount of talent to back it up. But, good luck in your auditions!!
#14re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/2/03 at 6:44pmhey i'm brand new to this thing, but my best friend from home in dallas is the guy you call king stevos. I'm a student at OCU and i was informed that someone made a comment about my show. I was in kiss me kate, i played fred/petruchio. I'm a transfer from unt(vocal performance) and i'm so incredibly happy i made the change. I like it here, and the program is growing every semester into something greater. If this is one of your choices, i support it. By the way thanks for the good words about the show, we worked really hard.
"Your voice is not for you, its for me your audience. Why spend your time listening to yourself when you sing." --Florence Birdwell
#15re: re: To SuttonBebeFaith regarding AMDA . . .
Posted: 10/2/03 at 6:48pmi heard Shoshana Bean was mentioned. I have a friend who literally worships her. I love her voice. king stevos and i did godspell, and i was introduced to Shoshana and all her glory. She's good stuff.
"Your voice is not for you, its for me your audience. Why spend your time listening to yourself when you sing." --Florence Birdwell
chasing_rainbows43
Broadway Star Joined: 5/11/03
#16re: re: re: To SuttonBebeFaith regarding AMDA . . .
Posted: 10/2/03 at 6:55pm
Wagner!!!!
Gotta pimp the Wag....www.wagner.edu 
DoReMi
Stand-by Joined: 5/19/03
#17re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/3/03 at 2:58am
Thanks all so much for your feedback.
A word to those who might be wanting to apply to music school...DO IT NOW! I sent in my audition reservation to CCM in the beginning of September and they are still giving me a run around confirming a date. NYU has a deadline in December.
And thanks for the suggestion about Wagner, but I'm not considering it at this time.
Any thoughts on the Boston Conservatory? Anyone? Buler? Buler?
WSS2
Featured Actor Joined: 5/15/03
#18re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/4/03 at 10:22pm
Stay away from Cincy.
Their inflated egos are larger than their chorus talent.
And Boston Conservatory is expen$ive. I find it hard to believe that any who charges that amount can be worth it. I saw a show there a couple of years ago and thought it was as gtood as any high school production I've seen.
GottaGimmick
Understudy Joined: 7/27/03
#19re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/4/03 at 10:40pmMy friend is going to CCM and she loves it!
TheaterChick04
Chorus Member Joined: 10/4/03
#20re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/4/03 at 10:45pmI am also looking at schools for theater. I loved DeSales University and its my first choice. I am also looking at Niagra Univesity which has a great program. Both of these schoools do.
"Hold your head up high!"- Honk!
"The Phantom of the Opera is there inside my mind." - Phantom of the Opera
"Never put your own money into a show...that's TABOO!" - Nathan Lane in The Producers
King Stevos
Broadway Star Joined: 5/15/03
#21re: re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/4/03 at 11:35pm
GET INFO FROM NORTHERN KENTUCKY! I chose it over schools in NYC and California, that Iw as accepted into with scholarship.
STEVOS
"IF I TRY THERE MAY BE A CHANCE / WE COULD LOVE WITH OUR EYES CLOSED/ WITH OUR EYES CLOSED WE COULD CHANGE THE WORLD!"- Stephen Dwight
PJ
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#22re: re: re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/5/03 at 12:37amFordham, NYU, Columbia and Carnegie Mellon are schools I'm looking into. They all seem to have phenomenal theatre programs.
#23re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/5/03 at 1:27amin the same boat kid! i'm lookin too! #1 is ocu...luv luv luv it. saw kiss me kate (very good! yay!) ummm...what can i say but i just ABSOLUTLY LOVE it there! spent 2 weeks there this summer and had a blast! woo! ummm... i've really been lookin to stay instate which means ou and uco... and possibly lookin into santa fe college. has anyone heard anything about santa fe? i know it's supposidly a pretty small school... they're coming to my school to auditon kids! randomly! and from what i hear are planning on giving out 1 or 2 full ride scholarships. but i have no idea what kind of program they have...im only a jr, but as i see it, it's never too early to start lookin! but luv ocu!!!
#24re: re: Musical Theater Colleges
Posted: 10/5/03 at 12:12pm
yea,
i'm excited that people are not only interested in ocu, but liked my show. tapbaby, where u from. I just transfered to ocu and kiss me kate was loads of fun. I was the big black guy. Thats what people usually recodnize me as.
"Your voice is not for you, its for me your audience. Why spend your time listening to yourself when you sing." --Florence Birdwell
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