dd wanting to pursue a BFA in dance - any helpful hints?

[clementine]

We have a short list of colleges that we plan on touring next fall & she'll be auditioning the following year when she is a senior.  

 

I would love to hear some 'been there, done that' hints, tips, experiences.  PM me if you'd rather.  Thank you in advance.  

[Jenny in Florida]

I probably can't be terribly helpful, since my son's not doing a BFA in dance. However, he is doing a BA in applied dance concurrently with a BFA in musical theatre. So, I didn't want to leave you hanging out there with no responses. I figured the least I could do is give you a bump.

 

If you think any BTDT tips from a close-but-not-quite fellow in arms would be of interest, feel free to fire off some questions.

[clementine]

Thank you  :001_smile: 

 

I am just starting to research things.  Is it true that with a BFA, students don't take 'normal' academic classes - math, science, english, etc?  As I am looking at 4 year plans, I am seeing 4-5 dance classes per semester, plus 2 other courses related to dance/arts.  

 

I graduated with a BS degree in science, so this is all new to me!

[Jenny in Florida]

Thank you  :001_smile:

 

I am just starting to research things.  Is it true that with a BFA, students don't take 'normal' academic classes - math, science, english, etc?  As I am looking at 4 year plans, I am seeing 4-5 dance classes per semester, plus 2 other courses related to dance/arts.  

 

I graduated with a BS degree in science, so this is all new to me!

 

Most BFA programs have minimal traditional academic courses. My son's situation is a bit muddier, since he's combining the regular BA with the BFA. However, he also came into his freshman year with 21-ish credits from dual enrollment and CLEP that took care of a lot of his general education requirements. So, even with the dual degree thing, his semesters are heavily skewed towards practical arts-related courses. For example, this past semester, he had:

 

Music Theory

Musicianship for the Performing Arts

Musical Theatre Ensemble

Opera Workshop (ensemble)

Intermediate Jazz Dance

Movement for the Actor

Studio Voice Lessons

 

He also got course credit for rehearsing and performing in the spring dance concert and the spring cabaret.

 

His schedule for fall is similar:

 

Human Development & Learning (His only more or less traditionally "academic" course, a requirement for the applied dance degree.)

Applied Dance Fundamentals I

Intermediate Tap

Musical Theatre Dance 

Beginning Modern II

Dance Improvisation

Musicianship 3

Studio Voice Lessons

Chamber Singers

Acting 1

 

The "Applied Dance Fundamentals" is quasi-academic, too, I suppose. It's two credit hours and is aimed at students who plan to be dance teachers. It seems to combine some basic health/self-care information with introductions to dance pedagogy and some other, loosely related material.

 

My degree is in English, and I agree that the performance thing is a whole different world. My daughter earned a traditional BA in theatre, and although she did have to fulfill the typical general education credits, once she hit her upper division work, her schedule was chock full of one- and two-credit courses with assorted artsy titles. It all makes me a little dizzy.

[Murmer]

It may depend on the school...not a BFA but I looked at it when I went to college and oddly was just checking the requirements again yesterday just to see if they had changed dramatically in the 10 years since I graduated...at my school there were basic GE's that everyone had to do...and only a couple were covered with within major classes (IE the PE credit was covered, and you could do a History of Fine Arts for the History credits)...but everyone was required to take a 101 level math (stats or calc1 or AP credit) and a basic science class (Chem 101 or 102, Bio 101, Science for NonMajors 101) but by the last 2 years most dance majors had just 1 or 2 non dance classes (a religion class each term and depending on how they spread out their GE's based on their dance/performance class time requirements).  The hardest part of a BFA in dance is that the classes may meet multiple days a week for an hour or more but they only counted as 1 or 2 credits so to have a 15 credit full term that was a lot of time spent in class.

[clementine]

I am finding that it does look time consuming & to add a minor or double major would be difficult, possible but difficult.

 

Thank you for your responses - it helps to see a sample schedule laid out.

[Jenny in Florida]

It may depend on the school...not a BFA but I looked at it when I went to college and oddly was just checking the requirements again yesterday just to see if they had changed dramatically in the 10 years since I graduated...at my school there were basic GE's that everyone had to do...and only a couple were covered with within major classes (IE the PE credit was covered, and you could do a History of Fine Arts for the History credits)...but everyone was required to take a 101 level math (stats or calc1 or AP credit) and a basic science class (Chem 101 or 102, Bio 101, Science for NonMajors 101) but by the last 2 years most dance majors had just 1 or 2 non dance classes (a religion class each term and depending on how they spread out their GE's based on their dance/performance class time requirements).  The hardest part of a BFA in dance is that the classes may meet multiple days a week for an hour or more but they only counted as 1 or 2 credits so to have a 15 credit full term that was a lot of time spent in class.

 

I just went to refresh my memory of the requirements for the performing arts BFA at my son's school. It looks like the BFA requires the equivalent of one general-education type course each semester. There is a note that "all components" of their version of the general education sequence must be completed, but the actual sample plans show a lot fewer "distribution' credits than I remember having to take for my bachelor's. I wonder if it's because a more traditional BA has all of the lower division GE stuff AND additional academic coursework required for the major that is outside the department. (For example, for my English degree all those many moons ago, I had to complete something like 12 credit hours of "related coursework," a sequence of classes outside my major that had some connection to it.) But in the BFA programs, pretty much all of the upper division requirements seem to be within the department and performance focused. I remember quite clearly that much of my first two years was taken up with general education before I got to start taking any significant number of courses in my major, whereas my son's BFA program seems to be heavily concentrated in his area right away and have the somewhat smaller amount of GE stuff spread out over the full four years.

 

Interesting.

 

It is true, too, that the performance classes require more in-class hours per credit. Next semester, my son has five dance classes, each of which meets for three hours per week but earns only two credits (a total of 15 hours a week in class for 10 credit hours). His program also has some courses he has to take, but for which he earns no actual credit hours. For example, he is required to be in a vocal ensemble every semester, with regular weekly class time of two and a half hours, plus additional rehearsals and performance time as needed. In each semester, he has the option to register that ensemble as 1 credit hour or 0. Since we pay the same tuition for any number of credits from 12 through 18 but have to pay extra for 19 or more, he has to be strategic about what to claim credit for each semester. For fall, he knew he wanted to "save room" to claim credit if he gets cast in a production, and so he opted to register his vocal ensemble as a 0-credit course. If he is cast in a show and opts to register for credit, he will rehearse for multiple hours per week for two months or more and earn a single credit hour. He is also required to take voice lessons each semester, but he needs only six credit hours of voice to graduate, leaving open the possibility of taking two semesters for 0 credit. Performance majors are also required to register for "recital/concert attendance" every semester, which means they have to prove they attended a certain number of shows on campus that they are not in. It's part of the "required courses" for the degree, and a pass/fail appears on the transcript, but they don't earn credit hours for doing it.

[Jenny in Florida]

I am finding that it does look time consuming & to add a minor or double major would be difficult, possible but difficult.

 

Thank you for your responses - it helps to see a sample schedule laid out.

 

As I mentioned, my son went into his freshman year with 22 (I checked the number this time) credit hours from dual enrollment and CLEP, most of which count toward general education requirements. That's what makes it comfortable for him to do the dual degree, BA in applied dance and BFA in musical theatre, in four years. He has toyed with the idea of adding a minor, and it would be feasible, but he's opted instead to use any extra room in his schedule to take more dance classes. 

 

He does have friends who are taking classes during the summer, either staying on campus or enrolling in colleges closer to home for a couple of classes, in order to squeeze in a more traditional double major or an extra minor. My son is considering his own version of that, using his summers at home to do a certificate program at our local community college in a field (technical theatre) not offered at his university. 

 

So, there are lots of ways to work out a program that makes sense for your student.

[Gwen in VA]

I know nothing about dance.

 

That said, my daughter is in music. As a senior she applied for several liberal arts college programs where she would get a B.M., applied to a conservatory where she would receive a B.M., and ended up at a college where she would receive a B.A. She is now transferring to a conservatory.

 

Both the B.A. degree and the B.M. at a liberal arts college required LOTS of gen eds -- like ten or fifteen (depending on the college), and (again depending on the college) the requirements may be more difficult to satisfy. For example, calculus was required at two of the colleges. This year at her LAC she had to write multiple ten-page papers, and the academics definitely did get in the way of her practicing time.

 

For the B.M. at her conservatory of choice, there are only eight liberal arts classes required, and it seems no one expects you to be super-challenged at them. There are no lab sciences, and the highest math required is Algebra 2. They are there to check a box. Fulfilling them with AP or dual-enrollment credit is fairly easy.

 

My daughter wants to spend all her time focusing on music, so for her the B.M. at a liberal arts college and the B.A. route no longer make any sense. But if she had ANY doubts whatsoever about her future path, getting the broader degree at a liberal arts college would make much more sense.

 

I assume dance is similar.

[plansrme]

Have you checked the forums at Ballet Talk for Dancers?  They are ballet-specific (I don't remember if your daughter is a ballerina), but there are forums on there for college dance programs that might be helpful.  I haven't been on there in a bajillion years, since my daughter was trying to decide between gymnastics and ballet, but I do remember that I was afraid to post anything--the moderators are harsh!  Perhaps they've lightened up since then.  

[clementine]

Have you checked the forums at Ballet Talk for Dancers?  They are ballet-specific (I don't remember if your daughter is a ballerina), but there are forums on there for college dance programs that might be helpful.  I haven't been on there in a bajillion years, since my daughter was trying to decide between gymnastics and ballet, but I do remember that I was afraid to post anything--the moderators are harsh!  Perhaps they've lightened up since then.  

 

Thank you for that link!  Wow, there is a wealth of info on that site.  I need a couple of hours to sit & browse!!!!