Musical Theatre Degrees – Which is Right For You?
High school students who want to spend their lives on the stage, acting and singing for audiences, have a choice to make. Do they want to go to college to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre? This degree provides plenty of on-stage experience, but there are some things you may want to consider before choosing. How can you be sure this degree is best for your future career needs? Here are some easy ways to tell.
Providing a Well-Rounded Education
When looking at a BA program, it's clear that it provides a more well-rounded education. You still receive all of the benefits of a pre-professional program, but students will spend more of their time on stage, in rehearsals and taking acting and singing classes. With a BA, they also gain a standard liberal arts education, taking classes in things like business, foreign language, math, science and more. Those who end up going for a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre end up with skills that they can take off-stage as well.
Fine-Tuning On-Stage Skills
One thing that makes a BA program useful for achieving your onstage dreams are the courses that require students to spend time enhancing their skills. From acting classes to singing lessons, they'll be able to fine-tune their abilities so that they can do their very best while on the stage in front of an audience. After all, everyone, no matter how talented, needs to practice.
Learning More About What Happens Backstage
There's a lot that goes into putting a theatre production together. Someone needs to design and build the sets, set up the lighting and make sure that the music plays at just the right moments. Majoring in musical theatre, especially through a BA program, gives students a chance to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes. They can even take courses in set and costume design and have the chance to physically make the scenery and garments for plays.
More of a Pre-Professional Program
A BA is a pre-professional program. Students who enter into one need to be prepared for everything that working as an actor entails. This means that they'll spend time, once they graduate, going to auditions and trying to make it as a working actor. It isn’t an easy task, and they'll more than likely face some rejection since there's a lot of competition. Thanks to all of the additional skills taught as a part of the BA program, graduates won't feel stuck on the audition circuit. However, if they are determined to make it, they just might.
How can we help? Dean College offers a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre degree that requires students to choose one of four different concentrations. They can focus on acting, musical theatre, technical theatre, which provides plenty of behind-the-scenes and on-stage experience, and theatre studies, which includes theatre criticism, management and history. At Dean, we will help prepare you for whatever part of musical theatre you want to pursue.