The Great Unknown....commonly referred to as Grad School

I started looking at Graduate schools today. How scary is that? I feel like I just started at SUU (Southern Utah University) a year ago. But no, I have been here for four years already and have one year left. Grad School is looming on the horizon, looking at me in the face with big scary eyes. I am not usually all that good with uncharted waters anyway. And now I have to pick a place and go spend 2 or 3 years of my life there? Now that’s just scary.

I have a list of about ten schools that I am looking into. Naturally, I am not going to apply to all ten. So I have to narrow it down. It is, of course, subject to change and I am sure that I will be researching many other schools.

Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, Ohio)

Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah)
John Hopkins University-Peabody Institute (Baltimore, Maryland)

Michigan State University (East Lansing, Michigan)

New England Conservatory (Boston, Massachusetts)

University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland)

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan)

University of North Texas (Denton, Texas)

University of Southern California (Los Angeles, California)

University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin)

So those are some of the possibilities. They all have excellent music programs. I am very interested in the University of Maryland right now. I have been emailing someone who is getting their Master’s in music there and it sounds like just the kind of place I would love. I am trying to look up teachers and fellowships and all of these things and it’s fairly terrifying. I thought looking for an undergrad school was bad. Try looking into Grad schools. There are so many factors. Especially since I haven’t even really decided what I am going to be getting my Master’s in. Vocal Performance? Music Therapy? Choral Conducting? Vocal Pedagogy? AM I EVEN GOING TO DO MUSIC AT ALL? Yeesh. Somebody save me from myself.

I am researching these schools with the idea that I am going to attend them and study Voice Performance and Opera. But if THAT changes, I will let you know.