I grew up in a musical family. Singing was something we did almost before we could even talk. My older sister and I, at ages 7 and 4, used to sit on our back porch swings and sing opera at the top of our lungs.
Our musical interests extended beyond just the classics. At those same young ages, we also used to dance around the living room to rock music, clad in our underwear and T-shirts—looped and tied in the front to look like halter-tops—all the while pretending we were Solid Gold dancers. (Remember that hit TV show from the early ‘80s?) Yes, the “star gene” had been passed down through our DNA, along with our blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckles.
Even with that deadly combination of nature and nurture steering me directly to Carnegie Hall or MTV rock videos, when friends or family asked me if I wanted to major in music when I went to college, I always responded, “Singing’s a hobby. I don’t want it for a career.” I had big plans: Harvard Law School and an illustrious career as a criminal prosecutor (along with Solid Gold, I watched a lot of Perry Mason and Matlock).
Somewhere along the way, however, I changed my mind. Perhaps it was watching my former dance partner and back-porch opera buddy study music at college. At some point during my senior year of high school, I decided to audition for the music program at my university of choice. I was accepted—and I never looked back. Weekly voice lessons, daily theory classes—even biweekly sight-singing classes—all felt like home to me, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
Earning degrees in music was right for me, but the issue isn’t always so cut and dried. Working on this month’s CS brought this home to me again as I read the responses to our recent readers’ poll on higher education. Our readers’ opinions about whether a music degree is necessary for success as a singer covered both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. Among the wide variety of opinions, however, a few common ideas and themes emerged.
Readers agreed that a music degree is not absolutely necessary to succeed as a singer. June Anderson majored in French at Yale. She gave herself two years to become famous or else she was going to law school. Phyllis Curtin graduated from Wellesley in political science before studying music at the New England Conservatory. Felicity Lott studied French and literature in college. Kristinn Sigmundsson has a degree in biology, and worked as a scientist and biology teacher before making it big as a singer.
That said, readers also agreed that singers need to acquire certain skills to make it as a singer: proficiency in the major languages, a solid vocal technique, time on stage in scenes programs and opera performances, good sight-singing abilities, and adequate piano skills, to name a few. Certainly, you can hone and develop these skills through means other than a university education, but doing so requires a lot of self-motivation and discipline. Universities provide a one-stop-shop-with-easy-payment plan.
Of course, the quality of that one-stop shop and the amount and duration of payments varies, so finding the right university is extremely important. Readers agreed that finding a voice teacher who will guide you to a solid, healthy technique should be at the top of your wish list for a good school. Then you want to look for a school where you will get a lot of performing opportunities. Lastly, you want to weigh the financial cost carefully. Emerging from school with $80,000 of debt is a much different experience when your diploma reads “School of Music” than when it reads “College of Engineering.”
Dan Marek’s article, “Advice for the ‘Scuola Cantorum’” includes lots of practical advice for selecting the college that is right for you, preparing for college auditions, and finding success once you get there. Also, be sure to read our “More Bang for Less Buck” series, which highlights four universities that are working in tandem with local opera companies to provide large stipends and great performing opportunities for graduate students.
What happens, however, when you think you’ve found a good fit, but discover once you arrive that your college or university of choice isn’t right for you after all? Rachel Ware found herself in that very predicament, but after two transfers she completed her degree summa cum laude. She shares her wealth of knowledge about the ins and outs of transferring to make what could be a daunting task as simple and successful as possible.
We welcome universities, and prospective undergraduate and graduate students, to this issue of Classical Singer. We hope you enjoy the special university section (watch for the scrolled diploma on the title page of each university-related article). We hope you also enjoy our regular section of the magazine, featuring loads of information for singers at every career level.
Back to my Solid Gold reruns… Just kidding. I don’t do that anymore. Really!
