tctredwell
Junior Member
What is the name of your state? NJ
The music department at the university I attend requires an audition for vocalists before being accepted into the department. The audition is supposed to include sight-reading, sight-singing and piano tests in addition to determining vocal skills. Most of the vocalists accepted into the Bachelor of Arts program as music majors have no chance of succeeding. It's heartbreaking, expensive and has to be illegal. It's fraud. Suing a school or department for this type of fraud may be new but it's way overdue. I was an A-student and lost 2 years of my life, 4 semesters academically and over $11,000 in student loans. I was warned by another vocalist but just wouldn't believe it. How could it happen to me? But it did. And it has happened to many vocalists before me and is still going on. Apparently, the only requirement for getting accepted into the music department as a vocalist is a good voice but the requirement to succeed, and eventually graduate, includes a proficiency in sight-singing, sight-reading and playing the piano that takes a childhood of piano lessons to acquire. But all I ever heard was "you're doing great!" and "just work hard and you'll be fine" but I was already getting A's. What were they talking about? The "glass wall" that's what. I entered my third level of study for music majors and couldn't understand the material in any of my classes. The first assignment for Keyboard III was an 8-part cantata by Bach! I took this homework to a visiting graduate student (a child prodigy!) who laughed and said he'd need at least 20 minutes to figure out the chords before he could help me. He couldn't understand why someone like me, a Level III vocalist, who had only been playing the piano for a year, would be given homework like this. I worked hard for my A's in Keyboard I and Keyboard II but what was this? The same happened in ear-training and sight-reading classes. When I asked for help I was told, "You should know this" but no one had taught me. In Ear-Training I and II and Keyboard I and II, I progressed very well but 2 or 3 semesters couldn't replace years of childhood piano lessons. My parents could afford private voice lessons but not private piano lessons as well. And this is an urban school not a private music conservatory. When I hit this "glass wall" everyone played dumb. The feedback was always the same, "You should have worked harder" and/or "Why didn't you ask for help." I did. Nothing. My choice was either continue taking classes and failing or changing majors. This happened six years ago and it still hurts. I warned some freshmen as I was leaving but they couldn't believe their teachers would let this happen to them. (There must have been something wrong with me.) They were so full of joy and dedication. None of them made it. The worst thing? All these students - no matter what their grades - left thinking it was their fault. So it wasn't just me. It had nothing to do with one's personality, talent or grades. It only has to do with money and prestige. The music department wants the "numbers" (tuition dollars) but will not graduate any vocalist who isn't proficient in piano. There is a name for this requirement - it's called a Piano/Voice or Voice/Piano Major which requires technical proficiency in both - from the start. My school used to have Piano/Voice as a major but now there's only a Voice major. The auditions are just about meaningless BUT in order to graduate the old Piano/Voice requirements are upheld. But no one is told this. So scores (hundreds?) of vocalists have left thinking the failure was theirs. Not so. As one educator told me, "You weren't allowed to succeed." I wrote to the Dean and was shut out. She refused to answer my calls or see me when I stopped by. That went on for six months until I finally gave up. When I had to leave or fail six years ago, I changed majors and had to start all over again. I can only take one class at a time now and I'm still in school. I'm not expected to finish until December '07. The reason I am spurned to action once more is hearing that the "You- Can- Sing- For- Us- And- Give- Us- Your- Money- But- You- Can't- Graduate- With- A- Degree- In- Music" scam is still going on. Apparently this scam is going on all over the place. Wouldn't this case be eligible for a Class Action suit? Thanks for reading, TC.
The music department at the university I attend requires an audition for vocalists before being accepted into the department. The audition is supposed to include sight-reading, sight-singing and piano tests in addition to determining vocal skills. Most of the vocalists accepted into the Bachelor of Arts program as music majors have no chance of succeeding. It's heartbreaking, expensive and has to be illegal. It's fraud. Suing a school or department for this type of fraud may be new but it's way overdue. I was an A-student and lost 2 years of my life, 4 semesters academically and over $11,000 in student loans. I was warned by another vocalist but just wouldn't believe it. How could it happen to me? But it did. And it has happened to many vocalists before me and is still going on. Apparently, the only requirement for getting accepted into the music department as a vocalist is a good voice but the requirement to succeed, and eventually graduate, includes a proficiency in sight-singing, sight-reading and playing the piano that takes a childhood of piano lessons to acquire. But all I ever heard was "you're doing great!" and "just work hard and you'll be fine" but I was already getting A's. What were they talking about? The "glass wall" that's what. I entered my third level of study for music majors and couldn't understand the material in any of my classes. The first assignment for Keyboard III was an 8-part cantata by Bach! I took this homework to a visiting graduate student (a child prodigy!) who laughed and said he'd need at least 20 minutes to figure out the chords before he could help me. He couldn't understand why someone like me, a Level III vocalist, who had only been playing the piano for a year, would be given homework like this. I worked hard for my A's in Keyboard I and Keyboard II but what was this? The same happened in ear-training and sight-reading classes. When I asked for help I was told, "You should know this" but no one had taught me. In Ear-Training I and II and Keyboard I and II, I progressed very well but 2 or 3 semesters couldn't replace years of childhood piano lessons. My parents could afford private voice lessons but not private piano lessons as well. And this is an urban school not a private music conservatory. When I hit this "glass wall" everyone played dumb. The feedback was always the same, "You should have worked harder" and/or "Why didn't you ask for help." I did. Nothing. My choice was either continue taking classes and failing or changing majors. This happened six years ago and it still hurts. I warned some freshmen as I was leaving but they couldn't believe their teachers would let this happen to them. (There must have been something wrong with me.) They were so full of joy and dedication. None of them made it. The worst thing? All these students - no matter what their grades - left thinking it was their fault. So it wasn't just me. It had nothing to do with one's personality, talent or grades. It only has to do with money and prestige. The music department wants the "numbers" (tuition dollars) but will not graduate any vocalist who isn't proficient in piano. There is a name for this requirement - it's called a Piano/Voice or Voice/Piano Major which requires technical proficiency in both - from the start. My school used to have Piano/Voice as a major but now there's only a Voice major. The auditions are just about meaningless BUT in order to graduate the old Piano/Voice requirements are upheld. But no one is told this. So scores (hundreds?) of vocalists have left thinking the failure was theirs. Not so. As one educator told me, "You weren't allowed to succeed." I wrote to the Dean and was shut out. She refused to answer my calls or see me when I stopped by. That went on for six months until I finally gave up. When I had to leave or fail six years ago, I changed majors and had to start all over again. I can only take one class at a time now and I'm still in school. I'm not expected to finish until December '07. The reason I am spurned to action once more is hearing that the "You- Can- Sing- For- Us- And- Give- Us- Your- Money- But- You- Can't- Graduate- With- A- Degree- In- Music" scam is still going on. Apparently this scam is going on all over the place. Wouldn't this case be eligible for a Class Action suit? Thanks for reading, TC.
