The American Musical and Dramatic Academy is located in Manhattan---in the heart of New York City. Philip H. Burton founded the school in 1964 and soon became a significant player in the education of future Broadway and silver screen stars. Professional performers teach the classes at AMDA and the program is accredited by the National Association of School of Theater. The school offers programs in Dance Theater that lead to a Bachelor of Fine Arts or a Dance Theater Conservatory Program. AMDA also offers a musical theater degree as well as four-year performing arts program.
Boston's Berklee College of Music is known for its ability to educate students through a curriculum of contemporary music study and practice. The college's Voice Department offers a comprehensive voice-training program that encourages vocalists to branch out and experiment with various styles of music to truly define the student as an individual. Jazz, pop, rock and theater are all covered during the program and the curriculum is specifically tailored to the student's own talents to ensure they get the most out of the time spent on campus. Singers also will spend up to four semesters in private voice instruction. Berklee graduates include Paula Cole, Tracy Bonham, Juliana Hatfield and Tim Owens.
Temple University in Philadelphia is the location of Boyer College of Music and Dance. The dance program at Temple was founded in 1968 as a physical education curriculum, but gained its own department status in 1974. Since then, the Temple Department of Dance has become one of the regularly top ranked dance programs in the country. The program produces professional dancers who have moved on to many reputable dance companies, started their own dance companies or have become members of the dance education faculty across the nation. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance.
Juilliard is a name synonymous with performing arts education. This prestigious school, located in New York City, offers a vocal arts and opera program to prepare students for a career in singing and performing on stage. First-year students study opera and song and finish the year with a class recital. In the second year, the voice training continues and basic acting and performing classes are also added to the curriculum. The education continues to build in the third and fourth years, during which time the students take part in full opera productions.