Hi,

I'm just wondering what your opinions were on this. I know that music colleges tend not to accept singers straight from school because they need time for their voices to mature etc, and like them to come back a little later. Do you think this would apply for the joint course at RNCM and the university of manchester? There isn't much info about it, so it's hard to tell, but from the impression i got the main emphasis on RNCM side is in fourth year with smaller amounts in first to third year, but i could well be wrong. I was just wondering what people think!

Thanks

This is an extremely demanding course normally reserved for the creme de la creme of the year. You are effectively studying for two degrees. It is possible to study voice straight from school. However I would advise you to consider taking a gap year first if your first instrument is singing.

You have to satisfy the entry criteria for both Manchester Univesity and the RNCM, previous alumni include the members of the Brodsky String Quartet, who when visiting my VIth form college commented about how hard it was.

I have. Rach - they may well give you an offer and say come back in a year or two. So, basically giving you a guaranteed place or offer for a few years time.

It is very common.
It is far easier and safer to train a voice belonging to a singer in their early twenties than one in their teens.

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Well I have and that makes three. In fact it is very common.

Does this rule apply also to Choral Scholarships??

no because you're a bloke. There is a difference here between men and women. Besides the type of vocal training you get in a choral scholarship is different to the type of training you get at a conservertoire.

Not universities as far as I am aware.

Nat is correct, I'm sure she has more experience of this than me, but here's my one experience of it. We knew someone at Durham who was a singer and wanted to go to music college; however, she did a Durham music degree first at 18 (with voice as her instrument when required) because music colleges wouldn't accept her until 21.

Useful, I think, to ask this question on a music forum as all teachers might not know this .

That very much depends on the course you pick I'd say. If you go for an operatic degree or something similar, you will surely have problems at Uni, too.
If it is a (undergraduate) music course with voice as principal instrument, you might be lucky ...

The former perhaps you are correct with, the latter I stick to what I originally said, and I'm positive you wouldn't need to be lucky to get into a university with voice as first study.

It depends on the university and your singing voice, though as a rule Nat is right, however my hubby did not get into cambridge as they deemed him too young, and I'm sure that some university voice department would be likely to say the same thing about a singer whose voice was not mature enough.

Even though I know of no examples, it does not mean its impossible.

There were about 10 of us doing first study singing when I was at uni, at 18 (some were 19 in 1st year). But, those who wanted to do postgrad performance, I think there were only a couple and they waited a couple of years even after that. I do know people who have done Conservatoire at 18 or 19 but they were the exception rather than the rule. Personally my voice has got so much better in the years since leaving uni, even without any lessons, just as my voice has matured.

From my own experience only: I'd say unless you're amaaaazing, go and get a music degree with first study singing (I'm not brilliant and I got 5 offers) and then go and do postgrad training, while as an undergrad make the most of all the singing and other musical opportunities. But that is just my own experience and also in the scheme of things not really worth the paper it's written on!