Is dancing and singing your passion? Then you should seriously consider attending college with the intent to major in performing arts. We are going to elaborate on what you need to look for when deciding on which schools you wish to attend for performing arts.
Choosing the correct college is one of the most important decisions in your life. Employers take where you went to school very seriously. Just to emphasize this point, who do you think is more likely to get hired: A student that attended a prestigious university like Stanford, or someone who attended Upper Iowa University? Upper Iowa University may be a good school, but it is not in the same league as Stanford.
There are a few things you need to look for in programs you think you want to attend. The first thing is the opportunity to perform live. This has numerous benefits to you as a student. It gives you hands on experience that you can write on resume for your employers. It lets you know if you have what it takes to perform. Lastly, and perhaps the most important is the fact potential employers can see you in action. The best way to captivate an employer is by letting them see you perform live, as it lets them see your true potential.
The next important thing you need to analyze is the staff of the theater. The teachers that teach you have the biggest influence on you as an actor or dancer. You are looking for teachers that have excellent field experience. This brings you as a student two benefits. One they actually know the specific skill sets it takes to make it big time productions. They can teach you these skills while you are still in school to make you a more effective performer.
The second reason you want them to have ample amount of field experience is to take advantage of their social network. If they do have enough field experience they will have connections across the world. This is good for you because then they can exhaust their resources searching for employment for you.
The school you attend is one of the most important decisions for your performing arts career. As we elaborated earlier you should be looking at the teachers, the university, and the program itself with specific emphasis on the opportunities to perform in live performances. Good luck with your future choice!
My favorite performing art school is St Clair College Music Theatre Performance – widely considered one of the top performing art schools in Canada.