AMDA/Musical Theatre/Dance Schools

[CSonBroadway]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 4:08pm

I am wishing to major in musical theatre or dance. However, Im not just a musical theater dancer; i have training in modern, ballet, jazz, lyrical, and tap. i am looking for some good colleges for dance and musical theater. i am also maybe looking into double majoring..??

if you could please suggest some schools in the new jersey/new york city area that would be great.

Also, what about AMDA? i have looked at videos..and the dancing doesnt seem too good??

[singtopher]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 8:50pm

I don't know a whole lot about schools in the NY area. As sexy as attending school in NY is, it is not always where the best training programs are located.

The best school that I know of for people who want to go into musical theatre but are primarily dancers is Oklahoma City university's Dance department. In addition to a rigorous dance cirriculum, their students also take voice lessons and acting classes. It is a highly esteemed program in the musical theatre world.

As far as double majoring, in most programs that it difficult as majoring in any of the arts sucks up most of your time. However, at Western Michigan University there have been several students who have double majored in Theatre and Dance. Both are highly recognized, and nationally accredited programs. However, You would have to find a private voice teacher. Also the University of Northern Colorado has a Musical Theatre with an Emphasis in Dance program.

AMDA is a shot in the dark. The way that they put the program together, it's good for some, but not all.

[Trish2]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 9:30pm

I'll second the choice of Oklahoma City University. If you're looking for musical theatre dance, you can't beat it. Chairperson Jo Rowan has put together a top notch program and many of the students go on to professional careers.
http://www.okcu.edu/Dance_amgt/performance.asp

The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor also has an excellent theatre and dance program, with the possibility of double majoring.
http://www.music.umich.edu/index.htm

If you've had some dance training already I highly doubt AMDA would offer much to enhance or advance you. The program is geared more towards singers and the classes don't have the best structure.

I know that you were asking about schools in the NY and NJ area, but surprisingly some of the best "training" schools are outside of the NYC metro area. But if you're willing to pay top dollar there's NYU and Marymount in the city.

Good luck to you !
Updated On: 11/11/08 at 09:30 PM

[desiree armfeldt]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 9:59pm

If you want to learn....go to UMICH.

[TheActr97J]

Posted: 11/11/08 at 10:23pm

I'm a musical theater major currently. I would definitely second UMich and Oklahoma City.

The other top programs are generall considered to be:
-The Boston Conservatory
-University of Cincinnati (CCM)
-Carnegie-Mellon
-Ithaca
-NYU (CAP 21 or Steinhardt)

For the answers to all of your questions regarding the process of becoming a musical theater major, your absolute best resource will be the Musical Theater Major message board at CollegeConfidential.com. I can't even begin to tell you how helpful it was for me when I went through the process.

Best of luck! It's a long road, but worth it in the end.