Conservatory, Private, or State?

Finding the right program is a challenge for high school singers. In this article, New England Conservatory, Oklahoma City University, and Arizona State tell young singers how their programs work. 

When I was a high school student looking at college programs, I knew little about the differences between conservatories, state schools, and private institutions. All I knew was that I wanted to sing! Visiting schools and going to auditions clarified some of the differences in these programs, and I found the right fit for me academically. Each of the schools featured in this article highlights the benefits of their programs to developing voices. Faculty and staff members Bradley Williams of New England Conservatory (NEC), Courtney Crouse of Oklahoma City University (OKCU), and Nancy Hideshima Sell of Arizona State University (ASU) share their unique perspectives on what makes a voice program tick. 

What is unique about your institution? What makes it a good place for a student to start their journey into singing professionally?

Bradley Williams (NEC): As the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States, New England Conservatory  offers a unique blend of historic legacy, cross-genre excellence, and a deeply personalized educational experience for aspiring vocalists. Founded in 1867, NEC has shaped the trajectory of American classical music through generations of influential alumni and faculty. Located in Boston’s vibrant cultural district and adjacent to Symphony Hall, NEC maintains close ties with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, enriching student experiences through shared faculty and performance opportunities.

Our separate undergraduate and graduate opera programs that include scenes, productions, and supporting course curriculums are unique to NEC. At NEC, students don’t just learn how to sing. They discover how to shape a life in music—boldly, authentically, and with purpose.

Courtney Crouse (OKCU): What sets us apart from other music and theatre schools is our truly integrated approach—there are no barriers between departments. In fact, we share a single dean for both music and theatre. Our students can double major in musical theatre and classical vocal performance, first-year students are regularly cast in productions, and we offer an exceptional number of performance opportunities throughout the year.

Nancy Hideshima Sell (ASU): The Arizona State University School of Music, Dance and Theatre offers a bachelor of music in voice performance or musical theatre, plus degrees in music education and music therapy. We also offer a minor in musical theatre. At the master’s level, students can major in voice, opera, or musical theatre, and we offer a doctor of musical arts in voice performance. 

What makes the ASU voice program unique is that no matter which program you are officially enrolled in, you can float easily between the classes in the other degrees. If you are an opera student, you can—and are even encouraged to—be involved in musical theatre and vice versa. In many performance classes, there are both opera and musical theatre students, which benefits all. We pride ourselves on preparing versatile singers who can perform in many styles. All students are given opportunities to sing in master classes and to perform with local companies as well as at school, and the musical theatre students perform a New York showcase at the end of their time at ASU.  

How is the coursework structured, and what kind of class sizes can students expect?

NEC: Unlike many traditional state university programs where general education requirements (GE) often include broad, nonspecialized coursework in subjects like math, science, and general English composition, undergraduate voice students at NEC fulfill their 40 required general 

education credits largely through courses directly aligned with their musical and professional development. 

Language study in Italian, German, and French supports vocal diction and repertoire mastery; music history, repertoire, and integration seminars deepen artistic context and communication skills; and entrepreneurship courses prepare students for the realities of a performance career. This focused approach ensures that every general education course at NEC enhances a student’s artistic growth and readiness for the professional world, rather than repeating the generalized academics of high school. 

OKCU: Oklahoma City University takes pride in its small class sizes, ensuring that all courses are taught by experienced professors, not teaching assistants. Students receive personalized attention and benefit from a supportive academic environment with ample resources to help them thrive.

ASU: Alongside their one-on-one voice lessons, voice-oriented classes typically have 12–15 people in them. We are a state institution, and our curricula are built to ensure that each student receives a broad education. Undergraduates voice students take lessons, vocal diction, repertoire, pedagogy, and performance courses, as well as music theory, Music history, keyboard skills, and general education courses. The majority of their degree is spent in classes geared toward their performance careers. At the graduate level, the focus is solely on music courses in performance, music theory, and music history. Students may also explore acting coursework in the theatre program and dance courses in multiple dance forms. 

What can students expect in the private studio?

 NEC: The private voice studio at NEC is the cornerstone of a student’s musical development, offering mentorship-driven, personalized training, with weekly one-on-one lessons. Studio teachers guide students through repertoire selection, auditions, competitions, summer programs, and long-term career decisions. The private studio is where NEC students evolve into confident, expressive, and technically sound artists under expert guidance.

OKCU: Students can expect to work closely with their voice studio teacher each week through three touchpoints: a 25-minute technique lesson, a 25-minute repertoire lesson, and a weekly master class.

ASU: At ASU, we encourage crossover and exploring a broad range of repertoire. This means that our classical singers are also singing musical theatre and vice versa.  We believe that this can only benefit the students as they begin their careers. Students receive an hour lesson and attend one to two studio classes per week.

What are the characteristics of students you are looking for?

NEC: NEC’s voice faculty seeks students with talent, curiosity, and a passion for artistic growth. Key qualities include musical and vocal potential, artistic curiosity, intellectual and emotional engagement, coachability and collaboration, discipline and motivation, and individuality and artistic vision. In short, NEC seeks students who are serious about their craft and ready to grow in a rich, collaborative, and rigorous environment.

OKCU: We’re looking for kind, driven students who show strong potential. Our approach to teaching is not “one size fits all”—we don’t admit based on “type,” but rather on individual promise and studio availability. Our goal is to foster a supportive environment that prepares students to meet the challenges and demands of a life in the performing arts.

ASU: The ASU Charter states that we are “measured not by whom we exclude, but by whom we include and how they succeed.” We welcome creative, enthusiastic students who are ready to learn more about themselves, their voices, and their craft. We take pride in the culture of inclusion and belonging that permeates our program. 

What kind of performance opportunities are there for undergraduates? For graduate students?

NEC: Performance is at the heart of the NEC experience, and both undergraduate and graduate voice students, in addition to their required degree recitals, enjoy a rich variety of performance opportunities across genres and formats. NEC believes singers grow most when they perform often, in settings that are both challenging and supportive.

A particularly distinctive feature of NEC’s program is its separate opera training structures for undergraduate and graduate students—an uncommon model among U.S. conservatories that allows for more targeted and age-appropriate performance experiences. For all students, performance opportunities are abundant and designed to build confidence, experience, and versatility at every stage of development.

OKCU: There are seemingly endless performance opportunities at Oklahoma City University. Foremost among them are six fully produced shows each year—three operas and three musicals.

 All students, regardless of major, are required to audition for every production. This not only gives them valuable audition experience but also prepares them to perform across a wide range of styles. In addition to the mainstage productions, students can participate in choral concerts, jazz band performances, plays through the theatre department, and dance showcases offered by the university’s highly acclaimed dance program.

 Each semester, students also produce two shows independently: one musical and one opera or opera scenes program, giving them even more opportunities to gain practical, hands-on experience.

ASU: All students at all levels are encouraged to audition for our productions (musical theatre and opera). ASU is unique in that undergraduates are often cast. We also have a robust choral program in which many students sing solos, most have church jobs around town, and a large number of the performers working in local theaters and opera companies are current or former ASU students.  

Our Music Theatre and Opera program also has student-run labs, in which all students may participate in all aspects of production: performing, directing, music directing, tech, etc. Alongside their own recitals, the voice students also perform very often in recitals with pianists in our excellent Collaborative Piano Program.

How do you measure the success of your students, both while in school and once they’ve graduated and are working performers?

NEC: At NEC, success is not a one-size-fits-all concept. The school takes a holistic, long-term view—supporting students as they evolve into expressive, engaged, and professional artists. Students who take risks, explore new repertoire, and discover their unique artistic identity are seen as thriving. Reliability, preparation, teamwork, and collegiality are key indicators of readiness for the professional world. 

Alumni succeed in traditional and innovative ways—opera, concerts, teaching, arts leadership, music technology, and more. NEC celebrates alumni who stay true to their voice, take meaningful artistic risks, and contribute thoughtfully to the field. Whether leading on international stages or building arts programs in their communities, NEC graduates shape the future of music.

OKCU: We have highly successful students working on Broadway, in regional houses, on cruises, and in arts administration positions, to name a few. We recognize that success takes many forms in the performing world, and our goal is to prepare students to embrace a long-term and healthy perspective on a life in the arts.

ASU: The measure of success is individual. Within the studio, each student demonstrates their success week to week with their own personal vocal goal posts. This is reinforced when they perform for their peers in studio class and Voice Area Recital as well as other aforementioned performances. While many of our students become working performers, we also see success in the ones who choose tangential careers, such as medicine, arts management, education, and business.

As you explore college or graduate programs, consider the questions I asked each of these institutions to find the best one for you!