Hi all! Thanks for all of your posts... it's much more comforting to know that there are more people like me doing the same thing!
Some background info: I'm a mezzo-soprano about to go into the final year of my undergrad (B.A. Music at a small liberal arts college), and my eventual goal is to become a professional opera singer. Two months ago, I came to the realization that my technique isn't quite ready for graduate study as a singer, and I'd like to pursue a musicology degree to both satisfy my inner music history nerd and give me some historical insight into the music I'll be performing, all while I continue to study voice privately. In my mind, I'm trying to follow the example of people like Ian Bostridge and Thomas Hampson- singers who also have strong backgrounds in music history, and have written great academic articles about the music they perform.
Bottom line? I'm looking for two-year Masters programs (with a preference towards M.M.s) that allow me to study musicology while I continue to train as a singer. I have family back in Cape Cod, so I'm especially interested in Boston-area schools. So far, I really like New England Conservatory, Brandeis and the M.A. Music-Performance Practice at Harvard. I'm also looking at Boston University, Peabody and Eastman. Can anybody give me any insight on admissions for these programs, or others I should be considering as well? Since I'm relatively new to the musicological field, what can I do to really make my application stand out?
